New Delhi, July 15 -- As the Swedish home furnishings retailer Ikea prepares to invest more than Rs.20,000 crore to expand its footprint in the country, it is learning that the Indian home works very differently from the European one.

The company is rethinking its merchandising and store strategy around a simple observation: Indian consumers are spending more on living rooms and bedrooms than kitchens "We see much more living room and bedroom here than in Europe. The bedroom in India is a 24-hour room," Patrik Antoni, chief executive officer of IKEA India, told Mint.

The difference lies not in furniture preferences but in how Indian households use their homes. Unlike in Europe, where kitchens often double up as social spaces, Indian con...