IKEA Comes to Exeter! What I bought on opening day…

I can’t quite believe it’s here – the South West finally has an IKEA!

As I’m sure anyone who lives in Cornwall or Devon understands, an IKEA is everything we’ve been missing from our lives for years. Our nearest one has always been Bristol, which is a good 3 and a half hour drive away! Rumours of a new IKEA coming further South were tossed around throughout my whole teen and adulthood, but it’s finally here.

The brand new 29,000sqm store has created over 370 jobs, with all co-workers being paid the real Living Wage, and of course includes a children’s creche and restaurant, along with its famous ‘walk-through’ roomsets for inspiration and marketplace too. I’ve been excited to visit for weeks!

What’s super exciting is that this store is IKEA’s most sustainable store to date in the UK, and aims to achieve 100% renewable energy, with roof solar panels, ground source heating and rainwater harvesting.

I think what makes IKEA so popular (and why I love it so much) is how affordable their home furnishings and accessories are. Thanks to their inexpensive products and awesome interior designers, they make having a beautiful home accessible to everyone!

Alex and I visited the new store on its open day on 10th May, and bought a few bits and bobs to decorate the bungalow. Our bigger purchases included this three-cube white Kallax shelf (just £39!), a double-door bathroom mirror/cupboard, and a couple of white Lack shelves to pop in the bathroom too (can you tell we’re re-doing the bathroom? It’s currently all ripped out!).

Our smaller purchases were made up of a LOT of greenery, as you can see! I love that the new store has the first IKEA greenhouse in the UK to house all the plants and outdoor items. I picked up several (fake) plants, some cacti, a few baskets (again for the bathroom), and this cute cushion too.

The celebrations of the new store are continuing for the next couple of weeks, with in-store activities and bookable workshops available to book onto. From summer cushion making to Swedish food tutorials, go book and get involved! Visit IKEA.co.uk/Exeter to book your space, or visit the store for yourself at 1 Ikea Way, Exeter, EX2 7RX.

* This post is in collaboration with IKEA UK, who kindly gave me a gift voucher to spend on the day, but all opinions are my own!