According to the designers, the concept of Ikea has been dismantled and translated into a restaurant interior. They add that the space has not been designed as a self service restaurant in the usual sense of the word. While ‘IKEA hacking’ or creating spaces using the budget-savvy Swedish brand’s products in new ways is a popular trend, the designers say they wanted to extend this concept.
Similar to an Ikea showroom, IkHa features a maze of shelves and rooms for diners to navigate. Orders are filled by the guests in the ordering forms with pencils. Meals are being sent by plastic tray through the shelving system to the furniture construction chosen by the guests. Visitors can create their table setting from a selection of materials and cut their own tablecloth or placemat from a selection of wallpapers, ready to measure and cut.
One of IKEA slogans is “Big ideas for small spaces”, an important aspect of the IkHa restaurant. Everything is collapsible and fold-able and when not in use, can be quickly broken down to fit within a two square meter space. This makes it ideal for temporary solutions, events, and festivals, according to the designers.
IkHa is located in the Filmhuis/Den Haag Theatre in The Hague, the Netherlands, and can be visited until 30 July 2012.
