New Wayfair Store Near Chicago to Open Next Week: See First Photos Inside!

Wayfair Is Opening Its First-Ever Store Next Week and We Have a Sneak Peek Inside

The 150,000 sq. ft. space is located just outside Chicago and features some of the home goods retailer's biggest hits

Published on May 16, 2024 02:43PM EDT

preview of the new Wayfair store in Chicago — Wayfair's new store in Wilmette, Illinois. Photo:
courtesy Wayfair

There's a lot in store at Wayfair's first-ever store!

Opening on Thursday, May 23, just 20 miles outside of Chicago, the new 150,000 sq. ft. space is filled with the furniture and accessories the site's shoppers love, plus all sorts of artistic nods to the Windy City and an indoor/outdoor cafe.

Highlights include a wall of couches for $999 or less, an art studio that allows shoppers to customize the sizes and frames from a curated selection of prints and a "Shower Experience," where visitors can test the flow of various shower heads with the touch of a button.

A whimsical kids' department offers beds for babies on up to big kids — set against a playful rendition of the Chicago skyline — and a pet section is full of couches for dogs and cats that coordinate with some of Wayfair's most popular human sofas.

Here, get a sneak peek inside the store before it opens to the public at 10 a.m. next Thursday with a weekend full of special events.

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The Entry

A cheerful, wall-spanning display features giant renditions of the furniture and home goods for sale in the store. Once inside, the space is organized by room of the house, with shoppable QR codes on every item.

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The Atrium

The space Wayfair now occupies used to be a smaller, darker Carson Pirie Scott department store. Its designers not only expanded the building's footprint but added a giant skylight on top of the two-story building that allows natural light to shine in. On the first floor, a marketplace with seasonal selections of tableware and other small goods is housed within the atrium.

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The Test Couch

A cozy sofa situated in the rainbow-ordered pillow department is meant to be used as a test space for mixing and matching throw pillow and blanket combinations.

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The Dream Center

While the store itself is lightly scented with a custom fragrance that blends clean laundry and fresh-cut grass, The Dream Center — an area that allows shoppers to test mattresses — has its own lavender and rain scent, meant to elicit sweet dreams.

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The Children's Department

Everything in the colorful children's area is available for purchase — right down to the giant purple giraffe.

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The Shower Experience

You can't hop in, but the Shower Experience gives shoppers an idea of how a variety of shower heads spray. Across the way, a sink display does the same with kitchen faucets.

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The Design Studio

On both levels of the store, interior designers will be on hand at all times to help shoppers with material selection and customization, covering everything from rugs and window dressings to tiles and backsplashes.

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The Porch

The indoor/outdoor Porch cafe carries all-day breakfast and light bites, plus coffee from local favorite Dollop and a selection of wines and beers shoppers can sip throughout the store.