Earlier this week, IKEA Memphis hosted “Getting to the Soul of IKEA Memphis”, a fun, in-store event celebrating the vibrant culture, community, history and diversity of our dear city. IKEA is an international brand, so it’s really nice when they are able to collaborate on a local level and integrate elements of a city into their store.
During the event, they unveiled “TILLSAMMANS” a unique mural created by artist by Brandon Marshall in collaboration with Urban Arts Commission. Brandon is an Abstract Mixed-Media artist that uses recycled materials and has quite a few murals around the city.
If you look closely at the mural, you can see elements of old IKEA catalogs, and even the Interstate 40 (I-40) sign incorporated into the design. How dope is that?
Throughout the evening, Tonya Dyson (Neosoulsville) curated a playlist that served as the perfect soundtrack for the event (think neo-soul, jazz, and old school/r&b classics) while we noshed on local and Swedish bites + wine. There was even a 360 photobooth and other photo fun activities set up for us to enjoy throughout the store. We also got a peek at one of Hospitality Hub’s Hub Studios, a safe and secure temporary shelter for individuals and families experiencing homelessness while they work with the Hub towards permanent housing.
In addition to the mural unveiling, they held a ribbon-cutting with Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell and Memphis Chamber of Commerce to unveil a new model recording studio vignette that was inspired by Royal Studios. Memphis has such a rich musical culture, with Royal Studios being home to so many iconic recordings, so it was only fitting that their studio served as the inspiration. I’ve visited the studio with friends a few times over the years, and the completed vignette really does reflect its vibe.
All in all, it was a fun way to spend the evening! IKEA is one of my favorite stores to visit (you can literally spend hours perusing the aisles to see what’s new when visiting and I even had the opportunity to partner with them back in 2022 on my home office when I moved into my new place), and I can’t wait to see what they do next with our community.
To see more from the evening, hop over to my Instagram page to check out my Reel from the evening. Hopefully it will inspire you to design something innovative in your own space!
This post is sponsored, but all ideas are my own.