I experienced Ikea for the first time at the Brighton store

I had covered the launch of the Swedish furniture giant’s first Sussex store on Thursday but thought it would be better to properly explore once things had quietened down a little.

When you are trying to juggle getting quotes with taking pictures and video while not bumping into anyone it’s easy to get overwhelmed.

Entering the shop - located in the former Debenhams unit in Churchill Square shopping centre - on Friday morning, there was still a buzz with lots of shoppers perusing the room sets.

The scenes were inspiring and vibrant and on several occasions I thought I had wandered into someone’s house. It was a great way to see how furniture would look in the home and I thought the scenes had been adapted to suit Brighton’s residents and their needs. There was even artwork that showed the Prince Albert pub’s mural.

The room sets were fun and helpful (Image: The Argus) I felt like a rabbit in a warren with so many different sections and areas to see. I got lost several times and heard a fellow customer ask her companion “how the hell do we get out?”, a very good question indeed.

During one sticky moment when I had looped round to the same area twice I took some time out on one of the many sofas on the top floor to compose myself for round two.

There were some lovely Brighton touches (Image: The Argus) As a very food orientated person, I was trying to find the restaurant where I could try the famous meatballs for the first time. The thought of the Swedish delicacy had consumed my mind since it was first announced Ikea would be coming to the city.

A big moment for me (Image: The Argus) Catching a whiff of gravy my northern brain refocused and I homed in on the prize.

The restaurant was packed with happy meatball munchers so I decided to get the meal to take away. I went for 12 meatballs, peas and chips and was pleasantly surprised at the £6.75 price tag.

Now in the possession of the piping hot goods I thought I had completed my visit to the store. How wrong I was.

Meatballs secured (Image: The Argus) Heading downstairs I got sidetracked (lost) again in my attempt to search for the exit, a seemingly impossible task, and unlocked a whole new area to explore: the Market Hall.

The hall was my favourite part of the shop. It was a treasure trove of reasonably priced kitchenware, bathroom accessories and home furnishings. I was in heaven.

I had a lot of love for Market Hall (Image: The Argus) After I had my fill, I had to come back to my senses and try to make my escape from the windowless, albeit colourful, store.

I finally managed to do this and was spat back out into the shopping centre’s bright whiteness. I felt like I had visited an alternate universe. It was fabulous.

I’ve been thoroughly indoctrinated into the Ikea way of life and can understand why so many were eager for the store’s opening.

I’ll certainly be a regular shopper and will be dining on the tasty meatballs again.

It was lovely to see what was a long empty unit in the centre brought back to life - and by such a huge and established retailer as Ikea.