Arabic version: إيكيا تقدم تجربة فريدة لقضاء ليلة في صالة عرض سيدني

Caitlin Cassidy recently spent a night in an entirely Ikea kitted out house in Sydney, described by the company as the ‘ultimate designer staycation.’ According to The Guardian, the experience attracted around 5,000 hopefuls, with Cassidy being one of the lucky few to secure a stay.

The event coincided with the launch of Ikea’s latest Post Scriptum (PS) collection, celebrating playful and functional design. The stay was priced at $19.95, a homage to the year Ikea PS launched, making it an affordable option compared to the price of Ikea’s famous meatballs. The exclusive opportunity led to rapid sell-outs, with tickets disappearing in under a minute.

Upon arrival, Cassidy noted the bright and colorful decor, likening it to a Scandinavian kindergarten. The house featured 105 Ikea items, assembled over 48 hours by a team of 12 staff. Among the quirky decorations were whimsical jugs with protruding ears and cheerful pastel masks, which added to the surreal atmosphere of the stay.

As the night progressed, Cassidy’s experience turned increasingly bizarre. She found herself questioning the nature of her surroundings, tapping on walls to confirm they were real and not part of an elaborate showroom. While most items were from Ikea, some essentials like toilet paper and the fridge were from other brands, reminding her that the experience was curated yet not entirely immersive.

Reflecting on her night in the Ikea house, Cassidy expressed a longing for her own simple home, contrasting the curated experience with her personal, lived-in space. Despite the oddities of the stay, she left eager to visit an actual Ikea store to purchase items from the new collection.