IKEA NZ — Grown-ups Also Dream at IKEA

Last December, after years of waiting, IKEA NZ finally opened its first New Zealand store at Sylvia Park. We waited until the launch buzz settled, then went one weekday with Jin — still a few weeks away from starting school.

Even on a Tuesday, the traffic thickened as we approached Mount Wellington. The car park was generous, though, and that familiar blue-and-yellow logo greeted us like an old friend. The escalator up to the showroom delivered the full IKEA welcome — that bright, cheerful palette unfolding all at once.

It had been a long time since I'd walked into an IKEA, and the feeling hadn't changed. It is still a place that asks you to stay a while. The colours are vivid but never tiring. The accessories carry a lived-in warmth without losing their tidiness. Wood, metal and fabric come together in furniture that feels both clean and welcoming. There is something quietly reassuring about knowing this same atmosphere exists in IKEA stores all over the world.

Jin moved through the showrooms with wide eyes. We passed cosy studies, modern living rooms, kitchens dressed for imagined dinners — and at every turn, IKEA's beloved soft-toy animals waved from shelves and beds. When we reached the children's section, she broke into a run. The room had been built to be touched. Jin handled smooth wooden blocks, opened every drawer at her height, and ducked through the small connecting passage like it was a secret tunnel. Beside her, a boy younger than Jin galloped on a rocking horse. A pair of girls flung open a pink wardrobe, dreaming.

Adults dream at IKEA too. I watched silver-haired women press soft-close drawers and gasp at how quietly they shut. Young men inspected desks with neon strips glowing above the monitors. Middle-aged men ran their fingers along long sofas and dining tables. In each well-styled showroom, you could see family dinners being imagined on faces. Happiness, brushing past.

The Swedish Restaurant was unmissable. We chose a table in the family zone, where small toys had been set out. PeNnY was eating clean that month, so he'd brought a simple vegetable kimbap from home. Jin and I went for the meatballs and chips — the mashed potato had run out, of all things — and a slice of dense chocolate cake to finish.

We picked up a Kallax shelf for the girls' room and a few plates of just the right size. The usual zip bags, a few small finds, frozen meatballs and the powdered sauce, instant mash too. I couldn't quite bring myself to buy the giant bear we'd been eyeing — but next time, when the whole family comes, perhaps it'll come home with us.