IKEA Today

Materials & Methods

, 22.10.20

Designing for the holidays when there is no space left

When Friso left the countryside for a 22 square meter apartment in Amsterdam, creating solutions for a limited space became almost like a sport. Today he lives in the middle of a Swedish forest, and the spruce trees around him have inspired the trees in this year’s winter collection that will literally take up zero floor space.

Collaborations

, 23.09.20

It is pink! And yes, it has ruffles!

For many people the blue FRAKTA bag is about dealing with a week’s load of laundry, or just lugging things around. We all have to do our chores. Why not do it in style next time? We talked to Zandra about her fabulous take on the iconic bag for the KARISMATISK collection.

Collaborations

, 28.08.20

Is it a box, or is it where play begins?

One of them was into building cities as a kid and couldn’t wait to get home after a family vacation to build what he had seen. For the other, LEGO play was a weekend activity with his big brother and friends. We talked to the designers Rasmus and Andreas about the IKEA and LEGO® “playdate” and designing BYGGLEK.

Materials & Methods

, 04.08.20

Challenging a sticky bestie

What happens if you challenge a best friend? To find out, we invited four mechanical engineering students to come up with ideas for an even better BÄSTIS lint remover.

Materials & Methods

, 22.07.20

Designing to help us remember the leftovers

We asked Thibault Poyet, who works as a product design developer at IKEA, about developing the 365+ series and if he can relate to a kitchen drawer full of mismatched lids and containers. Now we also know that baking enthusiasts have something to look forward to.

Food

, 21.07.20

Pickles, pickles, and some hummus

With summertime comes the need for some tasty and easy dinner ideas for the whole family. To make the most of the season, we’ve put together some quick side dishes for your evening grilling using SMAKRIK, a versatile and truly Swedish series of neutral, naturally nutty or gently flavoured oils.

Food

, 16.07.20

Why Sharla will not compromise on taste

There is a good chance that during a trip to IKEA, you had meatballs with mashed potatoes and lingonberry sauce before you left. At least Sharla has. We talked to her about the coming plant-based alternative to the iconic meatball, being a flexitarian and why she is “eating the rainbow”.

Prototyping

, 12.07.20

The most essential for small space living

Imagine you have a small space with room for only the most essential things. When developing RÅVAROR, Eva Lilja Löwenhielm and her team studied new forms of small space living. We talked to the IKEA Design Manager about designing a transformable, flexible and extremely multifunctional collection.

Prototyping

, 30.06.20

What role does the sofa play in your home?

Is the sofa your refuge after a long day at work, where the whole family watches movies together, or a place for friends to crash on? This week we will have a summer sit-down with Kevin, Karin and Damien to talk about designing the heart of a home — the sofa!

Collaborations

, 20.06.20

Rajaa’s work is crucial for her family in the refugee camp

Early mornings, Rajaa usually takes the three-hour-long bus ride from the refugee camp to work with IKEA collections at The Jordan River Foundation in Amman. The job gives her family an income — and the design represents both courage and hope. Now she hopes the lockdown will come to an end so that she can get on the bus again.

Is it a box, or is it where play begins?

Welcome behind the scenes at IKEA product development