Style & Decor Blog

One of IKEA’s staple storage collections hits a milestone this year… Billy – the bestselling bookcase in the WORLD – is turning 30!

To celebrate the anniversary, IKEA’s pulling out all the stops, including the launch of a limited-edition Billy series called Billy Jader.

Billy Jader’s got a playful, graffiti-inspired feel, with what looks like Sharpie-marker scrawlings lining the interior. Look a bit closer and you’ll notice that designer Annika Bryngelson’s actually used quotations from Shakespeare’s love sonnets in the script… Cute!

Here’s the full assortment of colourways available in the new series, which will be in stores for a limited time only. Those colourful little “B” bookends (which I’m rather partial to, naturally) are also part of the Billy anniversary release.

But have you ever wondered who was behind this iconic design?

Oddly enough, his name isn’t “Billy”.

Gillis Lundgren designed Billy in 1979, but had actually joined IKEA as the fourth employee (Wild! IKEA now has more than 128,000 employees overall…) back in 1953. What’s more, he doesn’t even necessarily see Billy as his masterpiece. Instead, he considers the Tore drawer unit (below) he designed in 1958 as the design he’s most proud of. So interesting!

Lundgren is also the man who came up with the idea of the flat pack, which will very likely be his most enduring legacy.

Fast facts:

* 41,000,000 - Number of Billy bookcases manufactured since 1979

* 15 - Number of Billy bookcase manufactured each minute at IKEA’s Gyllensvaan furniture factory

* Lundgren’s design philosophy: “At the end of the day, I designed for the many people,” he says. “I want to make solutions for everyday life, based on people’s needs. All my products are simple, practical and timeless. They should be useful no matter how old you are, or what your life situation is.”

Billy anniversary series, IKEA, 866-866-4532

…And now, for the third and final instalment of my journey through the hallowed halls of the IKEA Through the Ages Museum, I’ll take you from the 80s – the decade of Dynasty, excess and primary brights – through to present day.

Yes, even IKEA designs lived large in the 80s, as witnessed by this poor Klippan sofa (released in 1980, and still available in stores!), which is being strangled by a puffy, sleeping-bag-like quilted red slipcover, circa 1984. 

And here’s the tuxedo-style Klippan, 29 years on – mercifully sans sleeping bag.

Klippan loveseat in Frasig black leather, $599

 

 

1987 saw the release of IKEA’s first Stockholm Collection – furnishings at a slightly higher price-point, and having undergone a curious change of design direction. Certainly not something you’d ever immediately associate with IKEA, this must have shocked a few shoppers back in the day. (A second Stockholm Collection came out in 2006-2007, as you may recall, and it was gorge!)

 

 

…But it’s back to form in the 1990s with that iconic, Swedish simplicity that continues to inform IKEA’s contemporary designs. Light, bright and airy, the Tomelilla sofa and armchair (1993) in loose fitting white slipcovers are so relaxed and inviting, and the Egeby carpet (1998) has since become a decorating staple. 

 

 

A great experiment began in 1993, with the sale of 18th Century Swedish furniture at IKEA. Based on genuine Gustavian antiques, these were truly works of art. The line was discontinued about five years later… The curator of the museum explained that it was because the line just wasn’t selling enough units (the furnishings tended to be more costly than standard IKEA releases)…

 

And that, ladies and gents, brings us back to the 21st century, and the IKEA that we know and love today. And, of course, the reason I was in Almhult, Sweden, to begin with. Which I still can’t divulge. lol

And now, as promised, we resume our tour of the IKEA Through the Ages Museum in Almhult, Sweden…

We’re delving deeper into the swinging 60s, and IKEA’s designs are taking a trippy, Warhol-esque, psychedelic turn. I love the marvelously low-slung Florida sofa (1969), and the satellite armchairs in lemon and orange pack some serious citrus punch…

 IKEA stores to this day! Obviously, the design had staying power!

Skruvsta swivel armchair in Almas Red, $169

 

 

The shag carpet may remain, but the colourway is toned down for the early 1970s, with the introduction of the denim-upholstered Tajt loungers (1973). And I think everyone, at one time or another, has purchased a set of the IKEA’s Bambu bamboo roller blinds, first launched in 1972.

Another angle…

 

 

A little further along, I came across something that very nearly blew my mind… I mean, who knew that in the 70s, IKEA was also your source for… Organs?!? Delightfully bonkers! It’s easy to forget that pianos were staples in many homes at the time, and electronic organs were an exciting new development – the iPod to the piano’s Discman, I suppose.

 

Tomorrow, we’ll complete the epic journey of IKEA up to the present day…

I’m a total museum junkie. Sure, the shopping in Copenhagen was tremendous – unparalleled, even – but nothing compares to the splendour of the historic sites, like Rosenborg Palace and the Danish Crown Jewels.

That’s why one of the highlights of my time in Almhult, Sweden, (the “capital city of IKEA” that I mentioned in part one) was a little-known gem known as the IKEA Through The Ages Museum. 

Complete with curator, the too-cute collection traces the rise of the Swedish style giant from its inception in 1943 through to the present day, in decade-by-decade vignettes of original IKEA furnishings. In short – heaven.

Here’s a peek…

The gorgeously grained Lovet sidetable from 1956 was a first for IKEA – a flat-packed piece of furniture (in a box tied up with string – so sweet!) that could be assembled easily at home. I think IKEA should reintroduce this one… Absolutely stunning.

 

 

A flip through the IKEA Catalogue in 1954 would have shown living room furnishings like the Royal sofa and armchair, the Mary dining chairs and Jerez Wilton carpet. I love the ducks on the wall – such an authentic 50s touch! 

 

 

Retro-fabulous wallpaper and austere shapes define this vignette of IKEA pieces from the late 1950s, including the Farstrup sofa and armchairs and Tema bookshelf.

 

 

The early 1960s saw IKEA’s offerings increasingly influenced by the Danish modern design movement (a look that’s more popular than ever in 2009). The Estrad sofa group is 60s-spare at its finest.

And the related dining area…

 

Things start getting really colourful in the late sixties, with some of the IKEA releases from that period still available in one form or another to this day… I’ll share those tomorrow!

 

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I’m really loving the new Edland collection at IKEA, and 99% of that love affair lies in the lower half of each piece – those cabriole legs are such an elegant detail, providing a light, graceful contrast to the otherwise imposing stained pine. I’d love to pair the dressing table with a prettily-printed skirted Parsons chair… It could even double as a home office workstation… 

Edland dressing table, $249

 

Edland bedside table, $129

What I’m most pumped about, though, is my exclusive preview of the new IKEA PS Collection next week… Tomorrow, I leave for Almhult, Sweden (the worldwide base of operations for IKEA!), to interview the delightful Wiebke Braasch, a designer behind two of the products in the exciting new line. Can’t wait to see what she’s cooked up for us this time, as her resume for IKEA includes the popular Skimra lampshades (the ones with that you can switch out in any number of colours)…

And the Vano easy chair…

Following that, I’m off to Copenhagen to soak up Danish design in its natural habitat… So crazy cited!

I’ll be blogging throughout my trip, so stayed tuned over the next week for some Scandinavian sweetness…

If the colour green was issued a report card, it would most certainly read, “plays well with others”.

When I was presenting a floral seminar recently, I suggested to the group that they start thinking of green as a neutral. Of course, there are different undertones to each green that make certain hues work better than others in a space, but the point I was making was that it’s much easier to “go green” (chromatically speaking) than you may have thought.

I was chatting with my good friend, IKEA Canada’s National PR specialist (and former Style At Home Associate Design Editor!) Tamara Robbins Griffith about this the other day, and found a fellow fan of this totally on-trend colourway.

“Green goes with every other hue,” Tamara says. “It integrates easily into existing decor, not just as accessories, but in larger furniture pieces as well.”

I asked Tamara to share her fave friendly greens currently in-store at IKEA, and she prepared this hot list for me, along with a few of her expert tips on how to make the most of these summery shades…

 

Karlstad sofa, $500, Karlstad sofa cover in Korndal green, $299

 

 

 

“Pick cushions that have different patterns or colours on each side,” Tamara says. “It’s like having two pillows in one!”

Jorun cushion cover, $6

 

 

“Bird motifs are playing a major role in home decor right now,” Tamara raves. “Textiles with nature-inspired patterns are perfect design fodder for drapery panels, roman shades or bedding.”

Cecilia cotton textile, $3/metre

 

 

 

Green is, of course, more than just a colour, Tamara says – it’s also a state of mind. “Stackable chairs save storage space as well as transportation emissions,” she points out. “This makes them a more environmentally-friendly choice.”

Urban chair in green, $50

All available at: IKEA, 866-866-4532

It is with deep sadness and regret that I wish to inform you that IKEA’s Arvinn chair is not long for this world…

Parting with a favourite piece can be such sweet sorrow. The Arvinn - perhaps the ultimate folding cafe chair - will remain in stock in the woody Antique Stain, but I always preferred the White option, and that’s the one that’s headed for the great IKEA Museum in the Sky by the end of June. At only $50 bones a pop, I’d strongly suggest you rush out and pick up as much of these as you can before they start disappearing forever. They’re a fantastic small space solution — just hang them on the wall folded when they’re not in use — and the price point simply can’t be beat.

 

I was also surprised to find another iconic IKEA release has recently vanished from shelves, and that’s the Stockholm green glass vase:

This was one of those contemporary classics that seemed to pop up in every interior, making it more of a natural choice for discontinuation (is that even a word?), if only because of its overexposure. Still love it, though.

 

But there’s no single IKEA piece that I miss quite like the Lack sofa table.

This pared-down, Parsons-style stunner was probably the most versatile table that IKEA’s ever released. I’ve owned about five or six of them — three of which were purchased the second I heard these were being discontinued in mid-2005 — and they’ve served me so well. As a standard sofa table, anchoring a floating piece of furniture in a room; as a console in the front hall; and even as a makeshift breakfast bar, the Lack tackled all of my small space dilemmas with simplicity and style, and is sorely missed.

Of course, discontinuing stock is a spring cleaning ritual that means exciting new releases are just around the corner. I’m off to Sweden at the end of May to report on all the amazing new products IKEA’s dreamt up for 2009 that will have your “loving your home” more than ever. Will keep you posted!

 

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