The Cambridge Dictionary defines the “make yourself at home” expression as being an action in which one is invited to relax and make themselves comfortable even though they are in someone else’s home. Its meaning is known worldwide yet, for IKEA Canada, the phrase has a more meaningful connotation.

While the definition the brand settled on might not make it to the pages of famous English dictionaries, the way the furniture company chooses to interpret it is so motivational that could easily propel the popular saying to a list of top inspirational quotes.

IKEA “breaks” this expression in two as part of a new campaign developed with the creativity of the Rethink agency. Thus, a simple full stop placed in the right spot shrouds the phrase in a more inspirational note. “Make Yourself. At Home” is the brand’s idea of defining the house we live in as being a key factor in our education and what we become as adults. It is a — somehow — invisible but constant help, being by our side right from our very beginning. It supports us throughout our lives, helping us fulfill our dreams and ambitions.

While most people seek to achieve their goals outside of the house, the brand believes it is at home where we get to shape ourselves. “You know the expression, ‘make yourself at home’?” The brand asks on the campaign’s webpage. “Well, it means a lot more than you think it does. At IKEA, we believe home can inspire everything from our future careers to our lifelong passions.”

Thinking that success lies outdoor is not wrong. Not allowing yourself to see the real potential your home has to offer to you is wrong, as it is inside the house’s roof that we dream about who we will become one day. There are things around the house that are not that insignificant after all. In fact, a member of a family may look at a watering can and see that it is nothing more than what it is intended for, whereas another may think of it as the seed they need to pursue a career as a gardener.

Via the campaign, the brand shows that the four walls of our houses aren’t obstacles in our way to achieving our goals. Rather, they are empty spaces where one can metaphorically paint their dreams, practice their talent, and eventually put their skills at work to make themselves. At home.

To support this belief of theirs, IKEA launched a 60-second-long video, showcasing a girl’s creative future sprouting out of a MÅLA drawing paper roll, a man who practices his writing skills with the help of a RANARP work lamp, and a boy who discovers his passion for gardening thanks to a VATTENKRASSE watering can.

Credits:

Client: IKEA Canada

Agency: Rethink