It’s official. IKEA is coming to Manhattan — sort of.
The Swedish home furnishings giant announced Monday plans to open an "IKEA Planning Studio" at 999 Third Ave., between 59th and 60th streets, in the spring. The location, which will span 17,350 square feet and three floors, sits at the mouth of the Queensboro Bridge — directly across the East River from Long Island City, where Amazon announced it will build half of its new HQ2.
"The IKEA Planning Studio will complement the existing stores in the New York market with our stores in Brooklyn, Elizabeth, Long Island and Paramus," the company said in a statement.
So, what exactly is a planning studio? According the company’s news release, "The concept was co-created with New Yorkers who provided input to Ikea throughout the planning process . . . It will give customers the opportunity to discover, select and order IKEA products for delivery to their home." An IKEA spokesperson told amNewYork in an email that there are no plans to have items available at the location that customers could take with them.
The Upper East Side location is the first market in the U.S. for the "Planning Studio" concept.
IKEA also announced Monday plans to remodel its massive store in Red Hook. The spokesperson could not provide any details about the revamp, other than to confirm the work is slated to be completed by the end of 2019.
The news comes on the heels of IKEA opening a fulfillment center on Staten Island in November.
