Friday's Architecture Moment: How IKEA Works

This weekend, I made a pilgrimage from my home in Lexington to the IKEA in Cincinnati. Five hours, five-hundred dollars, and five unintended purchases later, I was back home.  I really love IKEA. L-O-V-E.  I want to die by being buried alive under a pile of Ritvas, Bomulls, and Erslevs.   Occasionally, however, I'm hesitant to venture into the store because I always spend more money than I intend.

It seems I'm not the only one who has this problem.  Professor Alan Penn of the Bartlett School of Architecture recently gave a lecture that describes how architects use space to sell us things.  Penn argues that IKEA has mastered the age-old art of getting customers to buy things that aren't on their shopping lists.  The full lecture is below.  All of it is interesting - but if you're only intrigued by the IKEA stuff then watch the first 50 seconds, and then from 24:20 to 32:40.

 

Steve Clowney