PHOTOS: Check Out Manhattan's First IKEA Store

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Swedish furniture giant Ikea is just days away from opening its first "planning studio" store in Manhattan and its offering a sneak peek of the new space in newly-released images.

Unlike traditional IKEA stores, the Midtown planning studio is not located inside a giant furniture warehouse. Instead, the store allows shoppers to browse a number of pre-arranged rooms — most of which resemble the compact layout of New York City apartments — and pick pieces that they like. The planning studio also offers appointments with IKEA experts that will help shoppers dream up custom room designs.

The store will open its doors to customers on April 15 at its Third Avenue and East 59th Street location, IKEA officials said. Shoppers won't be able to leave the store with their furniture selections, but instead will have the items shipped to their homes, IKEA said.

"We conducted extensive research about city living, and we believe New Yorkers will see their needs reflected this new concept," Leontyne Green Sykes, Chief Operating Officer of IKEA Retail U.S., said in a statement. "We hope the Planning Studio will serve as a convenient destination for design expertise and stylish, multi-functional home furnishing solutions."

Manhattan's Third Avenue location will be IKEA's first small-format store in the United States, and the company plans to open 30 small-format locations in city centers worldwide, according to a press release.

Shoppers who prefer to select and pick up furniture in one trip will still have the options to schlep out to IKEA's Red Hook store. The small-format location isn't intended to replace IKEA's warehouse-style stores like Red Hook, but instead to compliment the larger locations, according to a company press release.

Check out photos of the store below: