In Sydney Northern Beaches.
IKEA will open its first Home Planning Studio at the Warringah Mall shopping centre in Sydney’s northern suburbs on May 3.
Customers will be able to secure a two hour, one-on-one consultation where an IKEA co-worker will help walk them through every aspect of the kitchen and bedroom planning process, from dimensions, through to choice of benchtop and appliances for the kitchen and wardrobe needs in the bedroom.
According to figures from the Housing Industry Association, there are an estimated 154,759 kitchen renovations taking place in 2018/19 with an average value of $21,840.
IKEA spokesman Michael Donath said after the purchase of a house and a car, a new kitchen is the third largest investment many people will make in their lives. “Our research shows that many people generally find the process of planning a kitchen from scratch to be daunting, and they don’t know where to start.
“We are looking forward to gaging customer response to our first small format store, with our vision to open even more in city centres and suburban shopping malls, throughout Australia,” he said.
According to IKEA Australian research, one in five respondents said they would feel uncomfortable if a friend looked in their kitchen; 32% are embarrassed because it is messy and untidy; 27% admitted their kitchen is dirty and needed cleaning; 22% said their kitchen is small and overcrowded and one in five would choose to change their kitchen over any other room in the house.