Stay a night in IKEA by way of AirBnB
For one night only, you have the opportunity to live out a weird fantasy: staying the night in an IKEA store.
Aussies who were kids in the 80s might recall watching a film in which a brother and sister end up locked in a department store after the brother spills a jar of honey. Based on a 1976 book called Hide Till Day-Time by Joan Phipson, it seems to have disappeared completely from the face of the earth, leaving behind a trail of images: sleeping in display beds, eating cake from the bakery and pretending to be mannequins to hide from the night guards.
Whether or not it was intended to be cautionary is unknown; the lasting impression is that sneaking around a department store after closing would be a pretty cool adventure. And now there's an opportunity to live out that fantasy -- sort of -- via AirBnB, which is currently hosting a competition to win an overnight stay at an IKEA store.
You won't get to eat all the cakes in the bakery or roam the store after lights-out, though. According to the official page, there are three "private room" stays for up to four people each to be won at the Tempe, Sydney IKEA store for the night of August 31 2014: "Modern Elegance", "Inner City Living" and "Rustic Charm".
Each room is also described as close to the airport with city views, parking, elevator and escalator access, and a kitchen and dining space that is shared with the other guests. For the kids, PlayStations, TVs and games will be provided, and guests will be treated to a talk by AirBnB host Claire Ferguson on how to improve their homes. Guests will also be allowed to take home the bed linen they slept on, although the furniture will remain.
There is a caveat, though: by entering the competition, you are consenting to appearing on media coverage of the event. You'll also have to pay the AirBnB admin fee of AU$12. And the wake-up call certainly sounds interesting: "You will be woken in the morning in a remarkable way. Nothing frightening -- we promise!" the competition page reads.
We're not sure that it will be quite the same without cake, but if it sounds like your kind of jam, you can enter via the AirBnB website. Bear in mind, though, that you'll be responsible for your own travel.