Report: How IKEA Opened Its First Design Studio in Moscow

On June 14, a new IKEA store opened in Aviapark shopping center — and it's a store in a new format. Here, on 300 square meters, there is a real design studio where you can plan your kitchen or wardrobe together with professionals, and also order products from the online store.

What benefits will buyers get?

Now, Moscow residents no longer have to travel beyond the MKAD and wait in multi-kilometer traffic jams just to get to IKEA. Of course, the opening of the new store will be appreciated by those who don’t use a car — the metro station Tsarskoye Selo is just 5 minutes away on foot.

As Deputy General Director of IKEA's retail network in Russia Gerhard Moritz explained, company surveys showed that customers don’t want to spend more than 20 minutes traveling to the store.

How is the design studio organized?

You can choose a convenient time to visit in advance — you can sign up here. Upon entering the studio, a staff member will greet you and help you navigate and advise on how to assemble a kitchen, wardrobe or place an order in the online store. The space is divided into two parts: right — kitchens, left — wardrobes.

At the back of the hall, these zones meet again — there is a touchscreen monitor with an interactive planner and samples of cabinet materials. This way, you can immediately design the furniture configuration and appearance. If you find a solution you like — all that's left is to go to the checkout!

Who helps buyers assemble the perfect kitchen and wardrobe?

The team includes qualified specialists who have undergone special training and understand all the nuances of kitchen and storage planning.

Will IKEA open more stores in Moscow and other cities?

According to Gerhard Moritz, the studio at Aviapark is an experiment. Based on its results, company leadership will decide whether additional branches are needed.

However, Studio Director Anton Artamohin shared that even before the official opening, one can speak of the project’s success: free time slots for booking are almost gone for the near future. If this trend continues, new stores will appear soon — though at the moment, talk is only about Moscow and St. Petersburg.

How it all happened

Staff from the design studio gave a small press tour, explaining how the studio operates. One of the main principles is to focus primarily on small standard kitchens.

After Gerhard Moritz's introductory speech, he was supposed to cut the ribbon ceremoniously — but he didn't do it. After all, IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad always treated expenses very carefully and never cut ribbons at openings, so they could be reused. This ribbon will wait for its next moment — hopefully not too long!