Generous Branding: Ikea’s DIY Dining Club + Shop

Championing the joy of home cooking and enabling hobby chefs to host dinner parties for larger groups in the process, Ikea is opening a ‘DIY pop-up’ Dining Club experience in east London.

Echoing its 2015 Polish concept – which enabled Warsaw residents to borrow an entire apartment to host dinner parties in – the space will feature a homely kitchen able to accommodate up to 20 people. Wannabe restaurateurs apply via a dedicated microsite (questions include: ‘Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?’). Successful applicants pick from one of 38 slots spanning brunch, lunch and dinner, and choose a menu from a range of modern sharing dishes.

On the date of the party, the host and guests prepare the food with the support and supervision of a head chef and full kitchen crew, while waiters serve the final meal. Adding a personal touch, the host even gets to name the restaurant for the occasion. Completely free of charge, the experience runs from September 10-25 2016 (10am to 10pm), coinciding with the London Design Festival.

Besides the Dining Club experience, the space also features an on-site café and masterclasses on topics including food styling and clean eating in a cooking demo area. Additionally, there’ll be a dedicated kitchenware shop, as well as a virtual reality environment allowing visitors to explore numerous kitchen styles.

See also Active Flagships, Intimate, Democratic & Inclusive: New Brand Spaces and LDF 2015: Inspirational Brand Spaces.