IKEA’s Dreamy ‘Sleepeasy’ Is a Whimsical Ode to a Good Night’s Sleep

The brand’s clever pop-up features immersive rooms showcasing how the right mix of comfort, light, air, and more can transform your sleep—and how IKEA products can help.

Claire Hoffman

August 16, 2024

Studies show that people sleep best at about 65 degrees, so IKEA brought that temperature component to life in an icy room—complete with icebergs made from hanging comforters—where guests can immediately feel a chill when they walk in. The space showcases IKEA's new cooling mattress and other cooling products.Photo: Madison Voelkel/BFA
NEW YORK—Ever found yourself daydreaming about catching some z's inside an IKEA? We’re right there with you—and it’s not just because of the store’s vast layout and those irresistible meatballs. The Swedish giant's functional, stylish, and wallet-friendly home furnishings have a way of making anyone feel right at home.

So, it seems only fitting that IKEA has unveiled an immersive, sleep-centric pop-up experience. Enter the IKEA Sleepeasy—a clever twist on the speakeasy concept that's been trending in the world of experiential activations.

Located at 51 Crosby St. in New York’s SoHo neighborhood, the whimsical, 14,000-square-foot installation is open to the public Aug. 8-18, showcasing a series of imaginative rooms and vignettes—all featuring signature products from IKEA's newest sleep line—to highlight what the brand has identified as the six essentials for quality sleep: comfort, sound, air, light, organization, and temperature.

BizBash recently caught up with Paul Anderson, IKEA US's commercial activities and events leader, to learn more. Scroll down to see photos and insights from the dreamy brand activation, which drew more than 5,000 visitors during its first weekend alone.

The two-story, 14,000-square-foot IKEA Sleepeasy, located at 51 Crosby St. in New York's SoHo neighborhood, is open to the public through Aug. 18.

Photo: Madison Voelkel/BFA

Guests enter the experience through a hidden door found inside a reimagined Swedish bodega—a nod to both the brand's origins and NYC's ubiquitous bodegas. “This all really started with this idea of the speakeasy, which is a really fun activation that a lot of brands are doing right now,” explained Anderson.

Photo: Madison Voelkel/BFA

Guests can shop for small IKEA products—including drinks, snacks, and home products—in the bodega-inspired space at the start of the experience.

Photo: Madison Voelker/BFA

QR codes throughout the space make it easy for guests to make purchases on site, both in the bodega and throughout the activation.

Photo: Madison Voelker/BFA

As guests enter the hidden space at the back of the bodega, they are introduced to IKEA's six sleep essentials. “We thought it was a really fun way to introduce the sleep essentials we define as being important elements for a good night’s rest: comfort, sound, air, light, organization, and temperature," said Anderson. "There's this great element of surprise and delight as you enter through the bodega and are immersed in this dreamy sleep experience.”

Photo: Madison Voelkel/BFA

The space features a variety of rooms and vignettes spotlighting IKEA's newest sleep-related products, which include bed textiles, comforter sets, mattresses, and pillows. In one space, the products area placed on museum-like pedestals, and fun facts about sleep are displayed on the walls.

Photo: Madison Voelkel/BFA

“The idea was to have these really distinct moments through the space," explained Anderson, who noted that the brand played with elements of scent, sound, and visuals to bring the concepts to life. “For the ‘comfort’ space, for example, we showcased a lot of textiles, our new mattress line, and some of our new comforters.” The dreamy space also showcases IKEA's lighting solutions, and the importance of setting the right mood lighting as you're falling asleep and waking up.

Photo: Madison Voelkel/BFA

Studies show that people sleep best at about 65 degrees, so IKEA brought that temperature component to life in an icy room—complete with icebergs made from hanging comforters—where guests can immediately feel a chill when they walk in. The space showcases IKEA's new cooling mattress and other cooling products.

Photo: Madison Voelkel/BFA

One of the activation's standout features is the "clothing tornado," a rotating vortex of clothes that represents the chaos of a disorganized space. As guests move through this section, they transition into a serene, perfectly organized closet area, demonstrating the calming power of a tidy space. “We really wanted to exaggerate the contrast between chaos and calm,” Anderson explained. “It’s a fun, visual way to highlight how our organizational products can help create a more peaceful sleeping environment.”

Photo: Madison Voelkel/BFA

Another fun space is the "Dream Reading Station," modeled after a train station—nodding to both the NYC locale and the idea of traveling through various stages of sleep. Benches, rotary phones, white subway tile, and puffy clouds complete the look.

Photo: Madison Voelkel/BFA

In the train-inspired area, guests can have their dreams analyzed by AI.

Photo: Madison Voelkel/BFA

The train station motif continues throughout the space.

Photo: Madison Voelkel/BFA

To showcase the element of air, the team was inspired by Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom and the idea of camping in Central Park as a child. "So we have a bed, a tent, greenery, and some of our soft toys that really speak to children," he said. "It evokes this idea of when you were a kid and you used to go out and sleep under the stars.”

Photo: Madison Voelkel/BFA

There's also a graffiti wall where guests use glow-in-the-dark markers to write down what they're losing sleep over.

Photo: Madison Voelkel/BFA

IKEA worked with event design and production company Mixed Greens to bring the activation to life. ScentAir—which works with IKEA at many of its retail stores—was tapped to provide fragrances throughout the different spaces.

Photo: Madison Voelkel/BFA

The Sleepeasy’s opening event on Aug. 7 drew the highest attendance of any NYC IKEA event, including celebrities and influencers like Sonia Tucker, Kenny Santucci, and Karissa Dumbacher. Guests enjoyed themed bites and beverages, including morning and midnight snack versions of the iconic IKEA meatball and a Swedish take on the viral "Sleepy Girl" mocktail.

Photo: Madison Voelkel/BFA

IKEA also plans to integrate elements of the Sleepeasy into some of its retail stores. "You don't need to redo your whole bedroom,” Anderson said. “But just by making a few changes at home—whether it's changing your sound, your light, or adding an air purifier—you can really enhance your sleep. And you can get all of that at IKEA.”

Photo: Sansho Scott/BFA