7 Things to do at Chiang Mai’s new IKEA beyond just furniture shopping

Unless you’re inviting every Tom, Dick and Harry into your boudoir, who’s to say the ‘brand new’ bedroom you’re flaunting all over social media isn’t actually yours? Forget window shopping and commit to the fantasy of having your life together – minimalist decor, neatly folded blankets and zero clutter. Just don’t forget to Photoshop out the price tags – nothing ruins the illusion faster than a bright yellow discount sticker on your ‘heirloom’ bedside table.

The humble IKEA hot dog seems almost a rite of passage for those who drink the blue and yellow kool-aid. Dirt cheap, nothing to do with Sweden but somehow something inexplicably on-brand. After an hour wandering around the furniture maze, these tiny-but-mighty dogs somehow taste extra satisfying. Simply add a dollop of mustard and ketchup, and for a brief, blissful moment, you’ll forget that you just dropped half your paycheck on minimalist storage solutions. Good thing these bad boys only cost 29 baht – you’ll be living off them for a while.

Like most other IKEA's, the Chiang Mai one also has actual books on their bookshelves with real words inside them and everything. WIth so many duplicates of the same copy however, who’s going to notice one missing, right? Just kidding, we wouldn’t go as far as actually stealing one, but there’s enough sofas for you to sit back and spend an hour deep in the pages of some random Swedish fiction novel without anyone noticing.

Finally, the IKEA meatball is here in Chiang Mai, and we all know that most of us go to IKEA for the food over the furniture if we’re completely honest with ourselves. With no food court to speak of, you’ll have to DIY your own dinner by grabbing a bag of frozen meatballs, frozen mash and a lingonberry jam from the mini-mart downstairs. 

In true Ikea fashion, every sign, product tag or fake book on its shelves comes in three languages – Thai, English and Swedish. From the entrance to the maze inside, spend an hour wandering the aisles, trying to decipher the meaning behind names like KALKKÄRR (not a medieval spell), MULIG (definitely not a Pokémon), and BLÅHAJ (okay, that one’s just a big blue shark). They even go as far to explain some of them, so there’s really no excuse. 

Stand aside, Mixue – there’s a new ice cream tycoon in town. The sole soft-serve ice cream machine is singlehandedly keeping the city cool, delivering milk- or soya-based ice creams for just eight baht. That’s practically free! Although some would say the novelty of getting an IKEA coin to pop in the slot is arguably the best part of the experience, we’ll give you bonus points if you manage to resist the urge to go back for seconds. Spoiler: you won’t.

Forget the flat-packs, the real adventure starts at the bottom of the entrance. Chiang Mai’s IKEA has a literal climbing frame that runs parallel to the stairs, perfect for kids and, let’s be honest, any adult willing to risk mild public embarrassment. When it’s time to leave, skip the stairs and take the slide instead. Just be warned – it’s a long way down when you’re clutching a bag full of lamps, lightbulbs and yet another set of glass bottles you definitely didn’t need.

As if a trip to IKEA wasn’t already an adventure, Chiang Mai’s branch is literally parked on top of Hang Dong’s biggest Makro, meaning you can stock up on bulk groceries at the same time as buying a cabinet to keep them all in. And if you need a nice yoga mat or a set of camping chairs to sit on because you spent all your money buying all the toy sharks in the store, there’s a Decathlon to fulfil all your faux-outdoor lifestyle needs. Day out, sorted.