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If you want to know how solid your relationship is, head over to Ikea. Nothing like a little furniture shopping to see if your bond can withstand the test of time. According to The Wall Street Journal, couple trouble usually starts off with a tiff about sofas and dinner tables.
Clinical psychologist Ramani Durvasula took note that a lot of her coupled clients began bumping heads after shopping at Ikea. You’d think that the household haven, filled with sleek showroom models of bedrooms, kitchens, and living rooms would spark a little flame, but the opposite tends to happen.
“Walking through the kitchens brings up touchy subjects, like who does most of the cooking. Then you get to the children’s section, which opens up another set of issues,” WSJ said.
Take Courtney Frappier for example, a New York City publicist who — with her boyfriend Alex Mele — took a trip to Ikea. She ended up in tears.
Both 26, the pair wanted to furnish Mele’s new one-bedroom apartment. Mele said he remembered thinking, “Oh man, she’s going to take over and I’m going to lose all control of my place.”
Frappier said their Ikea meltdown occurred because reality hit them hard: they had to learn how to combine both of their individual lives — and it was not easy. “I’m convinced that IKEA is Swedish for pissed-off boyfriend,” she said.
According to a 2013 survey, 46 percent found the process of remodeling their home with their significant other frustrating. Unbelievably, 12 percent were ready to throw in the towel and divorce their partner.
Even if you can endure the shopping with your boo, you still need to assemble those Ikea parts once you get home. Durvasula is sure that putting together the Liatorp, a massive wall-unit, would be a “divorcemaker.” According to March data from CivicScience, 17 percent of adults argue while constructing a piece of furniture (compared to six percent who argue while shopping).
Dr. Durvsaula called Ikea a “relationship nightmare,” which is why she’s using the furniture as a tool to help her clients better communicate with each other. She’s teaming up with Ikea to provide therapy for her bickering clientele.
“We’re just happy to be a part of the process,” said Janice Simonsen, design spokeswoman for IKEA U.S.“While IKEA has no set philosophy on couples shopping together, we want everyone to have a good experience.”
Simonsen suggests that before heading to Ikea, couples should decide on a budget and what they will purchase when they get there to create a less stressful shopping experience.
Frappier and Mele could use this advice for next time, but Mele vows that he will never go back to Ikea again.
