Would You Live in an IKEA House for Free?

eclectic-living-roomWhat if I told you that you could live rent free for 2 years in a tastefully designed home filled with modern furniture?

You’d probably ask if there were a catch. And there is.

In return for this opportunity, you would need to offer frequent feedback about the furnishings. You would also need to participate in photoshoots and presentations about the house.

So, basically, market research. Though without any cameras or monitoring devices.

Also, you’d need to speak Japanese. Because the home in question is owned by Muji, which is kind of like the IKEA of Japan. I thought IKEA might help you put the question in context because, well, who hasn’t settled down in one of IKEA’s furnished rooms and considered staying there for a while?

For some reason I like the idea of companies exchanging rent for data. It’s something I’ve occasionally toyed around with for Stonemaier Games: Would it be worth the expense to have people at the ready to playtest at any time? Perhaps.

What do you think about Muji’s idea? Maybe picture it this way: What if IKEA came to you and said, “For the next 2 years, we’re going to move a bunch of furniture in and out of your house every few months. We’ll pay your rent, and all we ask in return is that you give us feedback on that furniture. Would you do it?

8 thoughts on “Would You Live in an IKEA House for Free?”

  1. As long as they leave my game room alone I’d be happy with this. I’d have to run it past my girlfriend though. Speaking of the game room, if you ever want to hire a professional play tester… 😉

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  2. Jamey,

    We, as Americans, love convenience…we also like new things. It’s part of our consumerist culture. My girlfriend and I have spent quite a few Saturdays roaming IKEA, and not necessarily following the clearly marked arrows on the floor. Anyway, I’m with Bill in that if they can do so without disrupting my normal life, absolutely!

    Cheers,
    Joe
    P.S. We love the Swedish Meatballs!

    Reply
  3. My initial response to this is a resounding “Yes!,” but would be worried that constant changing of furniture would make me have to constantly re-learn where the treacherous corners of new furniture are whenever something is changed in the space. Or maybe that would be a good part of my feedback since I’d be able to tell the designer/company how likely a clumsy person is to bruise X body part from the piece of furniture when placed in certain locations.

    It is a really neat idea to trade housing costs for feedback or in-house playtesters, and something I’d be interested in doing if it were a real possibility. 🙂

    Reply
  4. I would do it IF I could have one room that they couldn’t touch. The room in question could be as small as a bathroom, but it would be the one room that I could express myself in through decoration (or not).

    Reply
  5. Yes!! I’ll learn Japanese too! My reviews would probably be like, “This luxurious plush love seat, designed by Cat McMews, can comfortable sit two people and five cats. As you can see, here’s Fluffers napping on her favorite arm rest. So calm and warm. There’s also Daisy, Mushi, Momo-chan, and Coco napping on their two favorite humans who are enjoying their sunny afternoon with their books and tea. They will be here for the next five hours. There’s no need to move in such great company in such plushy comfy love seat.”

    Reply

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