Is IKEA urbanism coming to a neighbourhood near you? Yes, if you happen to live in London

Unless you’re a total furniture snob, you probably have at least one item from IKEA sitting in your home, be it a hokus in your bedroom or a trofast in your living room.

Being one of the world’s most recognizable and popular brands, it’s not a big surprise that IKEA is using its clout to expand while implementing new ideas and concepts. Try this one on for size:

LandProp, a company that’s part of the IKEA group, is planning to build a neighbourhood of 1,200 houses, shops, cafes and a 350-room hotel by Olympic Park in Stratford, East London.

According to the Huffington Post:

“The whole site will be surrounded by two waterways, so the idea is to create a “mini Venice”. Residents can make the most of their waterside location by using the moorings, water taxi service, and even a floating cocktail bar.”

We always suspected that IKEA was trying to take over the world, but now it’s undeniable. It’s hardly a nefarious plot though, the IKEA neighbourhood actually sounds pretty sweet.

It will feature a school, hospital and nursery to minimize inconvenient travel and courtyards and a public square to encourage interaction.

No word yet on the cost of living in the IKEA neighbourhood as permission to build has not been officially granted. We do, however, have full sized rendering of the neighbourhood…