HYDERABAD, TELANGANA, 01-05-2018: IKEA for Spaces . Photo: K.V.S. Giri
‘Let’s go inside and see the bed’ cried a teenager to her dad. Meanwhile the girl’s mother was drooling over the coffee cups and the comfortable couch in beige upholstery. Unfortunately they were not for sale. While it saddened the mother and the daughter, the father was delighted. Not for too long, the prices of the products made him wish he could purchase it rightaway.
That’s a fairly common scene at Ikea Hej home, an interactive experience zone on the second floor of Forum Sujana Mall in Kukatpally. The experience centre for home needs is meant to showcase what the brand will offer in their yet-to-open flagship store. Built in 786 square feet area, the experience zone is designed keeping in mind an Indian concept of living. On show are compact living ideas with intelligent utility of spaces.
Visitors to this place are mostly shoppers at the mall. Women and young couples can be seen admiring the collection. The experience here is clearly different from other furniture stores, where people are clearly instructed not to touch or test the furniture or accents on display. The settings here encourage the visitors to touch, feel and sit on the items on display if they are tired from the shopping. No item has a price tag attached to it. That’s probably because nothing here is on sale.
The studio that boasts of an impressive window display, good enough to make casual passers by tranform into interested walk-ins. Currently most of the visitors to the studio are those looking to renovate their home.
A few others walk into the experience centre out of sheer curiosity. It helps them to understand the brand.
John Achillea, managing director, IKEA Telangana excitedly shows the modular cabinets in the kitchen which are targeted at intelligent utility of kitchen space. He points out to the magetic strip with small jars and says, “They are for the spices an Indian kitchen uses. The designs are not fixed. Customisation with high-quality durable products is our identity.”
HYDERABAD, TELANGANA, 01-05-2018: IKEA for Spaces . Photo: K.V.S. Giri
Walk past the kitchen, mini study and living room to come to the bedrooms. Here are beds for the children 'that grow with them' by virtue of being adjustable and compact.
One can see children smiling broadly as they spot a mini kitchen set up for doll houses. This makes the playing in the kitchen so real.
( This column focuses on hangout places in the city )
