Ikea wants New Yorkers to get more sleep

Knowing that many people still like to stay at home two years after the pandemic, Ikea is trying, in a subtle way, to give them a reason to get out of the house by reminding them why they like staying home so much.

Hundreds streamed through the company’s “Sleepeasy,” a two-story, 14,000-square-foot experience center at 51 Crosby Street in SoHo. Guests – many with smartphones held high – entered through a hidden door in what was supposed to be a Swedish bodega stocked with Ikea drinks, snacks and household products. On the way to the main area, visitors stopped to leave their mark on a graffiti wall with glow-in-the-dark neon pens.

Just as the alcohol-fueled speakeasies of the Prohibition era encouraged people to mingle, Ikea’s Sleepeasy is designed for visitors to socialize and linger. Alongside a variety of beds were lounge chairs stuffed with pillows, throws and blankets. As the Swedish company’s ambiguous name suggests, Sleepeasy’s goal is geared toward better sleep. That’s clear, because 13.5 percent of adults report feeling tired or exhausted most days, according to the National Council on Aging.

The Stockholm-based furniture company has plans to set up shop in Manhattan. Last month, Ingka Investments, an arm of the Ingka Group that owns the majority of Ikea stores, announced plans to open a 7,400-square-foot Ikea store at 570 Fifth Avenue. It will be housed in the 90,000-square-foot mixed-use commercial building that Ingka Investments has invested in and is developing with Extell Development Co. The project is set to be the largest construction project on Fifth Avenue in over 60 years and is scheduled to open in 2028.

In fiscal 2023, Ikea generated retail sales of €47.6 billion – an increase of 6.6 percent compared to fiscal 2022. In the wake of COVID-19, the home market has become increasingly competitive as domestic retailers from specialty stores like Nordstrom to big-box stores like Target have expanded their offerings. In addition, the closure of several Bed Bath & Beyond stores and RH’s luxury lifestyle brand have created opportunities for cheaper options. Last year, Ikea opened smaller stores in San Francisco, Almeria, Spain, Cabo, Morocco and Rome.

In fiscal 2023, Ikea’s total sales of goods and services in North America were $6.3 billion – up 6.6% from fiscal 2022. This year, Ikea opened plan and order points with pickup in Austin, the greater Atlanta area and two locations in Los Angeles. Similar to Tesla showrooms, the point teams are made up of specialists who help customers design their kitchens, bedrooms and living rooms.

But back to New York’s Sleepeasy. It is open to the public until Sunday and will reopen August 15-18. Another Sleepeasy is planned for Art Basel later this year.

Although there is no clear path, guests meander through areas that highlight the six most important aspects of sleep – comfort, light, temperature, sound, air quality and decluttering. True to its name, the temperature area featured a mountain of pillows and throws on an oversized bed, as well as duvets hung to look like icebergs and a lighting rig made up of blue cone-shaped shapes reminiscent of icicles.

While some of Wednesday night’s attendees made a beeline for the bars, others heeded the sign on the wall advising, “Take two deep breaths before entering,” then settled into giant chaise lounges to create an Instagram-worthy backdrop. Around the corner was “Dream Station NYC,” a subway-inspired space with white walls, three rotary phones, silver benches, and puffy, cloth-like clouds in the sky. Keeping with the theme, a Solari board designed in the style of Grand Central Station listed a few “train arrivals,” including “On the way to a relaxing moment.” Layne Dalfen greeted guests there with a handshake, a business card, and “Tell me your dreams.” She wasn’t kidding. Dalfen, known as “The Dream Analyst,” writes columns for O, The Oprah Magazine, and Psychology Today.

Others strolled to a campground that looked inspired by Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom,” and touted pitching tents “on the lakeshore, on the mountainside, or all over town.” Less far-fetched than it may sound, apartment dwellers noted the collapsible drying rack, stackable pans, stuffed animals, and plastic tote bags. In another room, piles of white clothing lay on a bed, and more garments were lined up and hung from the ceiling like an art installation. The adjacent, ultra-organized, Barbie-pink room was meant to exude the calm that comes with tidying up. The all-pink selection of dresses, sweaters, and booties neatly displayed, however, is not for sale. But the pink gumballs in a cylinder on the wall were for takeaway.

As extensive as Ikea’s range is, clothing isn’t currently part of it. But in June, Ikea launched Tyg, a collection of three-metre-long pre-cut fabrics in 20 Scandinavian patterns. (There is no connection to Meghan Markle’s lifestyle blog, The Tig.) The Swedish brand commissioned 13 designers to come up with the textile range – the idea being that consumers can sew their own clothes.