Style & Decor Blog

…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

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…

Woah.

Talk about a match made in heaven.

Check out the new Marimekko collection of custom IKEA furniture slipcovers from Bemz… Without a doubt, the best fabric options Bemz has put out yet.

Hello, fuchsia! What a striking statement piece… (Bemz also scores extra points for styling this shot with my all-time favourite bowl in the background - the red, stemmed Maribowl from Iittala!)

Marimekko is a Finnish design studio that absolutely epitomizes “freshness”. Their designers have basically defined the superchic Scandinavian modern aesthetic that’s now a global phenomenon.

Marimekko’s poppy print (”Unikko”) is probably the studio’s single most iconic contribution to design. Here, it breathes new life into IKEA’s Henriksdal Parsons chair.

And here, IKEA’s Klippan sofa gets the Unikko treatment.

There’s only 13 days left until these very merry Marimekko upholstery options are launched from the Bemz website… Check out the live countdown here!

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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