Each year in the beginning of June, some 300 journalists descend upon the small town of Älmhult, Sweden, for IKEA’s annual Democratic Design Days.
Between conferences, tours, and demonstrations, the event is also a chance to unveil the brand’s newest offerings and—perhaps most excitingly—its latest collaborators. This month, Australia gets its own Democratic Design Day at Sydney’s MCA, 27th-29th August 2018 – with the company’s head of design Marcus Engman.
If the brand has been snagging your attention lately, popping up in top lifestyle magazine spreads and websites and in Kanye West interviews, it’s thanks to Engman. Hired in 2012, Engman is fulfilling an ambitious mandate, to elevate Ikea’s design without raising prices, to make it’s ephemeral furnishings more pervasive than ever.
Well, this year looks to be no different. Today, Engman revealed the company’s newest collaborators, who, in a sign of IKEA’s forward-thinkingness, reach across the normal boundaries of design to run the gamut from technology to sportswear to 3D printing. “They’re things that are not so familiar at IKEA, and I love that,” he says. “It’s good to push the boundaries.” The next batch of IKEA collaborators, many of who have track records of sell-out releases in their own fields, to reinvigorate our living spaces:
Sonos
“We have been exploring music for a while,” Engman says. “We’ve been to festivals, we’ve done parties. But we wanted a more long-term relationship.” What better partner than Sonos, a brand known for marrying superb sound quality with thoughtful design.
Little Sun
In keeping with its values of sustainability and democratic design, IKEA is partnering with Olafur Eliasson and his company Little Sun, which provides solar-powered lights to people without access to electricity. “We’re all sitting here consuming power,” says Eliasson, walking onstage in a dark room holding a Little Sun lamp. “What would it feel like if we didn’t have it? We couldn’t cook or read. One in every seven people—one billion people—have no access to electricity.” As Eliasson sees it, coming up with sustainable solutions to electricity use is a global responsibility. “We can’t just say, ‘We’ve figured it out for ourselves and they haven’t, too bad,'” the artist says. With IKEA, Little Sun will produce a range of solar products and also look to develop further projects involving solar power and water consumption. “Obviously IKEA knows how to get things done,” says Eliasson. “I think the democratic idea of IKEA will be really great for bringing the idea of Little Sun to the IKEA audience. It’s about getting people to understand these problems and to ask, ‘What can I do to take a more active step?’
Adidas
Though it may seem like an unexpected partnership for a furniture company, this partnership was a while coming, “We’ve had our ideas on Adidas for awhile,” Engman says. “And I think Adidas felt the same way. We’re both brands that love to collaborate.” Together, the brands plan to look into sports in the home and find how they can better support them. “People are exercising in the home, and that’s interesting,” says Engman. “We want to explore that.”
Byredo
In Osynlig (Swedish for “invisible,”) IKEA will explore something far outside its design-focused norm: scent. Working with Byredo founder Ben Gorham, the company will develop a line of home fragrances, set to launch in 2020. Between now and then, Gorham and the IKEA team will conduct research and testing. “When it comes to smell, you need to consider the unique facets of how people experience it,” Gorham explains.
Virgil Abloh
The collaboration that’s been most heavily teased is that with Off-White founder (and Kanye West pal) Abloh. Titled Markerad, the line features several conceptual riffs on home decor. Says Engman, “It’s meant for young people, to get them interested in the home.”
“KEEP OFF” rug by Virgil Abloh for IKEA’s upcoming collection, www.ikea.com.au
Per B. Sundberg
Swedish ceramic artist Sundberg has turned traditional ceramics on its head—sometimes literally—in his new IKEA line Föremål, which riffs on thrift-store porcelain and pottery antiques in cheeky ways. Think kitschy silver poodle candlesticks, vases made to look like porcelain fish sculptures lying on their sides, and terra-cotta pots in the shape of skulls. “It’s based on folklore and easy to understand,” explains the designer.
Lego
Fresh off completing its: 261 by Bjarke Ingels, the Danish toy company makes another serious design move with its IKEA partnership. “We have always believed play is important in life,” says IKEA CMO Peter Wright. “We also think it’s important to embrace the future,” adds Engman. “And the people of the future are kids.” Though the specifics of the line have yet to be announced, one thing it’s sure to be is playful. “We have a lot in common,” says Lego senior creative director Lena Dixen of her company and IKEA. “We both believe in the importance of play—and you never get too old to play.” More info, www.ikea.today/
IKEA AUSTRALIA DEMOCRATIC DESIGN DAYS – PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:
- Marcus Engman, Keynote – What is Democratic Design? 9:30 – 10:30 AM, Monday 27 August 2018
- Smart home talk: Future homes – Smarter, flexible and inspired by the sense 10:00 – 11:00 AM, Tuesday 28 August 2018
- Game on! 6:30 – 8:30 PM, Tuesday 28 August 2018, Special guests include founder of Area Academy Tommy Ingemarsson (SWE)
- IKEA Unwind 6:00 – 9:00 PM, Wednesday 29 August 2018
- Donate by Plate – IKEA Social Enterprise Meatball Restaurant Monday 27 – Wednesday 29 August 2018, two sessions running from 6:00 – 7:30 PM and 7:45 – 9:15 PM each night.
