Interviews

Interviews

, 12.06.21

Respecting children’s rights at every step

What are the rights of a child? What are the responsibilities of a company? Is it only about avoiding child labour? We talked to Alinde Melin, the Global Human Rights and Children’s Rights Leader at IKEA, about what children’s rights are and why IKEA is focused on ensuring that all its business decisions promote the best interests of children.

A dark room with a lighted booth with two gaming chairs in it.

, 09.06.21

Bringing the world of cyberpunk and home furnishing together

What happens when you combine gaming experts and experts on life at home? We sat down with Johnny Chan, lead designer at Republic of Gamers (ROG), and IKEA designer Jon Karlsson, to discuss how a collision of worlds created something quite unique: the much-anticipated range of furniture made for gaming.

High shelving with blue numbered signs in a warehouse, with pallets with packages and a forklift driving on the floor.

, 27.05.21

Using artificial intelligence for smarter demand forecasting

IKEA has developed an advanced tool that can significantly improve the accuracy of its demand forecasting. The tool uses artificial intelligence, and existing and new data to offer highly accurate forecast insights. The tool is currently rolled out in Norway. We talked to Peter Grimvall to find out more about the new tool and how it helps IKEA plan its demand and supply better.

Luis Gomez Barquin sitting beside two colourful rugs with playful patterns, and looking through piles of printed patterns.

, 18.05.21

Luis about putting fashion on the floor

To Luis, the hand-tufted rug technique is like painting on a white canvas but using dyed wool yarns instead of paint. We talked to the Product Design Developer about working with the colourful KARISMATISK rug, designed together with British fashion designer Zandra Rhodes.

A man at a table with a computer and crockery in front of him, plus two persons looking at soft toys placed on the floor.

, 06.05.21

Jorge on bringing out the inner child for designing toys

There is a child in all of us, or so they say. Jorge Omar Santoyo Henaine can vouch for that. The product developer has managed to not only keep his inner child alive but also brimming with creative ideas. We ask him how? Jorge says for each toy that he creates at IKEA, he asks the child in him – would you like to play with this one? If the answer is yes, he goes ahead with it.

Portrait of a man in glasses, plus coarse flour on a blue plate on top of a tray with a nugget-like food product.

, 03.05.21

Collaborating with start-ups for a more sustainable food offer

As one of the world’s largest food providers, IKEA has set a goal that 50 per cent of the main meals offered in its restaurants will be plant-based by 2025. Puneet Trehan, as part of a core team in IKEA, is now looking for start-ups that can help IKEA reach the goals and at the same time offer delicious and affordable meals.

Portrait of a man in a short-sleeve shirt, plus a person holding a rainbow-coloured Bluetooth speaker in his hand.

, 31.03.21

Rising like a rainbow

A few colours, music and a bit of heart can help us connect with others in more ways than we can imagine. IKEA co-worker Shin Suzuki did precisely that. He put his heart into creating a combination of rainbow colours and ENEBY speakers to show support for the LGBTQ+ community. What he created in 2019 will soon be available in IKEA stores for customers to take home and take pride in who we are.

Interviews

, 25.03.21

Linus on creativity and the importance of being an underdog

An ad stating, “The brain wants to have fun”, has influenced Linus Karlsson in more ways than he could foresee when he saw the ad some 30 years ago. We talked to Linus about his new role as Chief Creative Officer for IKEA, about athletes being super creatives and his secret goal for creativity.

A man in a black sweater and grey cap drawing at a desk with pieces of wood beside him.

Interviews

, 10.03.21

Friso on creating value-based designs

IKEA designer Friso Wiersma believes in keeping things simple. So, when we wanted to understand what makes him so wonderfully creative, he shared his two secrets on creativity. The key, for him, lies in understanding a need and then identifying the feasibility of the best idea to fulfil that need.