Ikea
good things come in small packages
Ikea wanted to show case its product lines in a Manhattan location, but how do you get 200,000 sq/ft of merchandise in a 5,000 sq/ft space?
- Client:
IKEA - Location:
New York, New York - Project:
New store concept - Objective:
To design a store where everything about it changes every 2-3 months - Disciplines:
- strategy
- brand
- environmental graphics
Our solution was to design a totally flexible space where IKEA could showcase a different product line every 2-3 months. The space was fitted out with a floor and ceiling grid from which we could hang walls and displays in a variety of configurations.
It was a store where not only the products change but everything about the store; from staff outfits to video and sound systems right down to the store name and graphics.
The first store was ‘IKEA Cooks’ which promoted their kitchenware; the staff wore chefs hats, the video walls showed cooking programs while cooking noises came over the sound system. This was followed by IKEA Sleeps featuring bedding, staff in pajamas, snoring sounds and free sleep analysis lectures.
The space acted like a billboard to increase traffic to their major stores. Buses left from this location for IKEA in Elizabeth, NJ with an average of 1,000 people every weekend, a vast improvement on the 80 people average before the store opened.