IKEA's Message: Be Brave, Not Beige

Most homeowners are faced with the same doomed future: beige walls, beige sofa, beige carpeting. But IKEA has come up with a fun (and surprisingly entertaining) way to get you to experiement with color. At Be Brave Not Beige, the mod home furnishings brand lets you experiment with color and get a close up of not-so-normal neighbors at the same time.

My advice? Click on the top left window (orange & white curtain) to see "fitness Bob" get his sweat on. After the show, you can experiement with fabrics and color to determine how you could outfit theapartment in question. Are you Metropolitan, Classic or Vibrant? You'll have to experiement to find out, which is exactly what IKEA hopes you'll do.

When you've completed the design of your room you can print it or send it to a friend. The interactivity works for me. It's fun, easy and encourages lingering. Am I off to my local IKEA to buy myself the EKTORP sofa? Not likely. But I'll certainly be telling my design-conscious friends about the site so they can have a bit of fun themselves. And that, after all, is what viral marketing is all about.