‘Hallucinating inside a Scandinavian kindergarten’: my night alone in Ikea

Around 5,000 hopefuls logged on for the chance to sleep over in the furniture store’s Sydney pop up. Caitlin Cassidy scored a coveted stay, but could she keep her sanity?

If you came of age in the early 2000s, you have probably seen 500 Days of Summer, an indie romcom that romanticised Ikea showrooms as the perfect place for a date.

It was thanks to this film that I jumped at the chance to sleep over in what is effectively an Ikea showroom. The caveat being, I would do so alone and, instead of kookily standing in a waterless shower and pretending to cook in a fake kitchen, the taps would work.