By: Zoe Melnyk
A trip to IKEA usually involves a lot of walking around, some cafeteria food that is surprisingly good, and the occasional panic attack when you can’t figure out how to leave.
It also involves dozens of miniature set ups of rooms and homes for people to fantasize about their futures. Who doesn’t love walking through a miniature apartment and pretending you live in New York City?
However, an IKEA in Slependen, Norway had a different idea to shock and educate its visitors.
In the midst of the plush pillows and affordable sofa couches, IKEA recreated a Syrian home, with the help of the Norwegian Red Cross and the advertising agency POL.
This home wasn’t filled with inviting paintings and mutual colored walls, it was an almost exact replica of the 25 square metre home of a Syrian named Rama living in Damascus Syria.
Rama and her family of nine shared a two bedroom home made from concrete with very little furniture inside.
The replica displayed the home with its typical tiny posters but instead of prices on the furniture, the cards showed information on what Syrian refugees are suffering through everyday including food shortages and the lack of medical supplies.
Most importantly, the tags included information on how guests could donate to help Syrian refugees.
The display was open for two weeks in October, saw over 80,000 people and raised 22 million euros to help in Syria.