Mark Mitchinson and his wife, Hayley, can trace their journey around the world and their relationship together by the IKEA furnishings dotted around their new home in Belconnen.
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The quietly spoken man tasked with launching the territory's first IKEA store moved to Canberra this month with his young family after stints with the company in London, Dubai, Sweden and Sydney.
While assembling a Klippan sofa (with no instructions) in a field adjacent to the store's proposed location, Mr Mitchinson said he was still improving his assembly skills despite many years in the industry.
"The first product I bought with my wife, Hayley, was a chest of three drawers when we moved in together in London many years ago," he said.
"Now I go around the house and while I don't know all the family names as I probably should, I know most of them."
Mr Mitchinson, who worked as IKEA's national business manager in Sydney before moving to Canberra, said he may be the first to purchase products from the store to furnish his new larger home in Belconnen.
"Everyone we speak to in Canberra is very excited about IKEA coming and that puts a little bit more pressure on us to really build a great store," he said.
"I hope the store lets people see and use our products the same way I see and use our products on a daily basis."
Like many new arrivals to Canberra, Mr Mitchinson said he was surprised by the quality of life in the capital despite many of the negative interstate stereotypes.
"When the OECD announced Canberra as the world's best city a few weeks back, I got that sense of pride," he said.
"I think it's a fantastic place to live and I think most people in Australia don't realise how good Canberra is."
Mr Mitchinson said he was looking forward to launching an IKEA store for the Canberra community, who welcomed him during a busy and stressful period.
"The day after we moved in the house two doors up brought us a banana cake and a little postcard of when the rubbish days were and all that; we didn't get that in Sydney," he said.
"It's those little things that make it special."
Mr Mitchinson said he was sifting through several job applications for the Majura Park store.
"I'm one of the first to move down here and we'll see how that team grows," he said
"We've got a little office space here and that's very exciting as we're planting a seed and starting to see everything grow from there."
Mr Mitchinson said he would prioritise applicants who demonstrated their passion, energy and commitment to working with IKEA rather than those with confidence and experience in any certain role.
ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher will join IKEA country manager David Hood at the Majura Park location on Wednesday afternoon to announce a proposed opening date for the store.
