> “To further disorient shoppers … there are no windows through which to sense direction or time.”
This is not universally true! My local IKEA in Greenwich, London (built relatively recently) does actually have large panoramic windows on parts of the upper, showroom level. I think it adds a more modern and cheerful vibe to the place compared to other IKEAs.
I’ve also noticed they’ve gotten a bit better in recent years at signposting the “secret” shortcuts between sections, which makes things easier when you really do want to grab some specific items and get out quickly!
Same in Allaman, Switzerland. I wonder if it's sometimes required by law. Anyway, seeing the wheat fields and the villages from inside the store has always been part of the experience for me.
IKEA is a bit like Disneyland. You know where it is, you know it's just a place, but it feels weirdly magical and nostalgic. Even the smell is always exactly the same.
Well I guess if there is some nice scenery worth looking onto, they put windows there. But if given Ikea shop is in some industrial district full of other warehouses, they won't degrade viewing experience by ugly views from windows onto grey metallic walls of nearby buildings.
I wouldn't expect this to be in law, other big shops sometimes don't have a lot of windows neither.
Southampton there is a big panoramic view from the restaurant, but the rest of the store is in the middle of a very boring shopping district, so you would otherwise be looking at cars and other buildings.
Can't say. But there really isn't anything to see outside this store, so any other Windows would be a bit pointless. From what I remember the one I went to just outside of Bergen also only really had windows in the restaurant, but the scenery was a lot more stunning.
This is not universally true! My local IKEA in Greenwich, London (built relatively recently) does actually have large panoramic windows on parts of the upper, showroom level. I think it adds a more modern and cheerful vibe to the place compared to other IKEAs.
I’ve also noticed they’ve gotten a bit better in recent years at signposting the “secret” shortcuts between sections, which makes things easier when you really do want to grab some specific items and get out quickly!