IKEA, so much more than furniture

My love affair with IKEA continues, this time with me visiting IKEA all the way Down Under.

Earlier this month Zack, Pei Chyi and I went for a vacation in Melbourne. Well, it was a part working holiday because Pei Chyi’s company was running a trade show there. That meant that she was busy during the day and I had to watch Zack alone.

Have you ever tried watching a hyperactive 2-year old for more than an hour?

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy spending time with Zack but it’s exhausting and really challenging if there aren’t any activities to occupy him. So what to do? Hang out at IKEA!

IKEA Richmond

These lucky Melburnians are fortunate to have not one but two IKEA outlets in the Melbourne area – in Richmond and in Springvale.

The one I brought Zack to was the one closer to our hotel in the city. IKEA Richmond is part of the Victoria Gardens Shopping Centre and accessible by tram and bus if you’re taking public transport. I hopped on a tram with Zack and in 30 minutes we stopped at the corner of Victoria Street & Burnley Street.

I had planned to let Zack go wild in Småland but unfortunately they only allow kids above 3. That was disappointing because I’m already 30-years old but I couldn’t go jump in the ball pool 😛 Oh well, an IKEA store is just like a big playground anyway so off I went with Zack to explore.

I noticed that there were many similarities between the Australian and Malaysian store, for instance the layout was very similar and of course the products are probably 95% the same. However there are also a few differences like the yellow trolley baskets and the fact that their meatballs weren’t round.

The Australian “footie” isn’t round, so they’re meatballs aren’t round either

In line with their philosophy of sustainability, the IKEA stores let you go on “DIY Sustainability Tours”. Basically it’s a PDF booklet that you can download from this page. The booklet is a map of the store and also explains how IKEA does it’s part for environmental sustainability.

Some photos from IKEA Richmond..

The other great thing about hanging out at IKEA with kids is that they are very well equipped. I had to change Zack’s diaper and the men’s washroom had a baby changing table with wipes. Thumbs up.

All in all it was a very fun outing for me and Zack. IKEA kept Zack occupied and entertained, which kept him well-behaved which in turn kept me from pulling my hair out. All the walking also tired him out and Zack fell asleep on my shoulder on the tram ride back to the city.

In addition to the many parks and playgrounds around Melbourne city, I highly recommend IKEA as a fun place to bring your kids 😀

IKEA Springvale

I didn’t visit the Springvale store but I wanted to leave a quick tip here for students studying in the Clayton campus of Monash University. IKEA Springvale is super close by to you guys and is super convenient if you need affordable but high-quality furniture for your rented apartments and houses. Don’t forget, IKEA delivers to your doorstep which is extremely useful for you poor students who don’t have cars 🙂

Finally, do surf on to the IKEA Australia website to plan your visit to their stores → www.ikea.com/au/

I am an IKEA Malaysia brand ambassador. See all other posts in my Project IKEA series and my disclosure policy.


1 Comment on "IKEA, so much more than furniture"

  • Love the ideas of the men’s washroom fitted with baby changing table with wipes. This idea would be a good idea to implement in Malaysia.

    Hmmm why isn’t the meatballs round or rounder? Like the mash potato on the side. Looks creaamy:D

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