On 28 July 1943, Ingvar Kamprad, then only 17 years old, founded IKEA in the small town of Älmhult in Småland, Sweden. Now, IKEA is celebrating 80 years of entrepreneurial spirit, innovation, and co-creation with a curious, humble, and positive outlook for the future.
In the beginning, IKEA was a small mail-order business where orders were filled by a teenage Ingvar on his bicycle. The brand is now represented in 62 markets with 462 IKEA touchpoints, 700 million physical customer visits, 2.6 billion online visits, and more than 20 million IKEA app downloads*. The team of 231,000 IKEA co-workers worldwide help create a better everyday life for the many people.
‘’IKEA could not be where it is today without our co-workers, customers, suppliers, partners, and supporters. So many people have been part of building what we have achieved. I’m very grateful for each and every one, and today we all celebrate those achievements together. For the last 80 years, we have had the privilege of being part of the many people’s homes and lives – a role we humbly want to continue to have over the coming 80 years and beyond’’, says Jon Abrahamsson Ring, CEO Inter IKEA Group.
Assembling a better future, together
Looking ahead to the next 80 years, IKEA will continue to take a stand for the many people by constantly adapting and transforming the business, continuing to innovate, anticipating future trends, and testing new ways of working that reflect the needs of people and the planet.
Curiosity about people’s lives, needs, and dreams at home has always been the starting point at IKEA. IKEA has a unique heritage of 80 years of innovations, iconic products, solutions, and commitments to people and the planet. The best way to honour this heritage is by constantly trying to do things better and keeping IKEA range in tune with times and the many people, their ever-evolving needs and desires.
“We are committed to designing products and value chains for the future. We need to find new ways to lower our prices without compromising on quality or letting our environment pay the price. We will continue to use all our creativity, leadership and make-do attitude. I’m proud of our past and optimistic about the future’’, says Fredrika Inger, Managing Director at IKEA of Sweden.
Nytillverkad – a new collection to celebrate the design heritage of IKEA
The success of IKEA would have never been possible without its customers and co-workers. To celebrate 80 years of design, the IKEA team has returned to their archives to rediscover customers’ favourite designs. These iconic products will be reimagined in fresh, joyful colours and new materials in a collection called Nytillverkad. IKEA would like to thank every customer for the first 80 years and is now looking forward to the next exciting 80 years and beyond.
We have our personal favourites from the last 80 years, here they are:
KRÖKEN
Year: 1968
Function: Lounge chair
Design: Christer Blomquist
Price: EUR 29
The 1969 IKEA catalogue launched a new lounge chair, KRÖKEN, under the heading “Fashionable furniture that’s also comfortable”. KRÖKEN had an underframe in nickel-plated steel tubing, and was clad in a very strong fabric of linen quality called ‘firehose fabric’. On top of the fabric was a mattress-like cushion with soft fibre-fill filling.
Designer Christer Blomquist spent a lot of time on ergonomics when developing his new lounge chair. The catalogue is quite poetic in its description: “Don’t you just long to try it? A super-comfy chaise-longue that lets your whole body relax. Your feet come up to a comfortable height, and you sit (or should we say lie?) as comfortably as you could ever wish.” The next year’s catalogue, 1970, also added: “It’s hardly a surprise that KRÖKEN has garnered so much attention in both the Swedish and foreign press.”
But KRÖKEN was not easy to ship, so it left the range in December 1971. However, in March 1973 it came back in a flatter pack, now under the name KROKEN.
HATTEN
Year: 1993
Function: Side table
Design: Ehlén Johansson
Price: EUR 29.90
It’s easy to see where HATTEN got its name, which means ‘the hat’. The small side table looks like an upside-down hat on legs The ‘brim’ is a lid, and inside the ‘hat’ is room for storage.
HATTEN was designed by industrial designer Ehlén Johansson, and was part of the focus on small tables at IKEA in the early 1990s. The material was transparent plastic, and the table initially came in clear, red and blue. More colours would eventually be added.
HATTEN was launched in the 1995 IKEA catalogue and was last seen in the 2015 edition.
IKEA PS MASKROS
Year: 2009
Function: Pendant lamp
Design: Marcus Arvonen
Price: EUR 49
“Like a spherical dandelion clock, about to be spread by the wind. And when lit, the shadows on the wall make it look like that’s just what’s happening.” This is how designer Marcus Arvonen described his MASKROS pendant lamp, inspired by one of the most common plants in the Northern Hemisphere.
Most people regard the dandelion as a weed, but look closer and you’ll see the yellow flower has a unique beauty. One of Marcus Arvonen’s intentions with the lamp was that it should be just as decorative lit as unlit. When lit, it spreads fascinating patterns onto the walls and ceiling, and exciting things happen. According to Marcus: “Seeds are spread, the room dissolves and is transformed. Like when the sun shines through the trees. Quite simply, it puts you in a better mood. And it’s actually just as decorative and fascinating when it’s switched off.”
Apparently, MASKROS did put a lot of people in a good mood. It became very popular and remained in the IKEA catalogue for four years.
STOCKHOLM
Year: 2006
Function: Rug
Design: Anna Sörensson
Price: EUR 129
The fourth STOCKHOLM collection from 2006 included the striped wool rug that would go on to become a big seller at IKEA. Designer Anna Sörensson had qualified as an art teacher at the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm, but soon after graduating she devoted herself entirely to textile creation. In her studio in Stockholm, she printed her own cotton and linen fabrics. They became so popular that she started working with Ljungbergs textile printers to produce them in greater batches, several of which became much-loved classics.
In the 2006 STOCKHOLM collection, Anna Sörensson was responsible for the textile range alongside designer Maria Åström. Anna was behind the new textile rugs in the collection, and the most popular of these was STOCKHOLM. Anna liked to work from basic shapes like circles, squares and stripes. The rugs were made in 100% wool, and their seemingly simple, black and white pattern has been described as “both ingenious and innovative, yet still classic”. The flat weave makes the rug a popular choice for dining and living rooms.
The rug with its black and white pattern with asymmetric lines can still be found at IKEA in 2021, and is hand-woven in wool by skilled craftspeople. This makes each rug unique.
STOCKHOLM first appeared in the IKEA catalogue in 2008. That same year, Anna Sörensson passed away at the tender age of 55. By then she was one of Sweden’s leading textile designers.
SNILLE
Year: 1973
Function: Chair
Design: Svante Schöblom
Price: EUR 3.90
In its early decades, IKEA often bought existing products from different suppliers. One example is the SNILLE chair, which was designed by Svante Schöblom.
Even during his years at the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design Svante was interested in ergonomics. He carefully researched seat curves and back curves on seating furniture. After art college, Svante became a designer at plastics company Overman. One of his first jobs was to create a comfortable, stackable chair in moulded thermoplastic.
Overman had long had a working relationship with IKEA. When Ingvar Kamprad saw Svante Schöblom’s chair, he was so impressed he decided to buy it for IKEA. It was named SNILLE and launched in the 1973 catalogue. But despite its smart design, the chair was only in the catalogue for three years.
In the 2004 IKEA catalogue, however, SNILLE was back again, now as an office chair in two versions: stackable and on wheels. It was a great comeback, and SNILLE was in the catalogue for another 12 years!