IKEA’s Latest Collection Goes Vintage

IKEA is celebrating a big birthday this year– three quarters of a century–with new releases of some of its most iconic pieces. The new collection ‘Gratulera’ launches this month, featuring vintage furniture designs from over the past six decades.

The Swedish company known the world around for its sleek, affordable designs (along with the delicious Swedish meatballs served at each megastore’s cafe) has hand selected favorites from three different periods, which will be rolled out over the next few months.

Karin Gustavsson, IKEA’s Creative Lead, says each collection is representative of an iconic decade, transitioning through the respective looks of the 1950s–1960s (above) ,1970s–1980s, and the 1990s–2000s (both below), “from dark woods with a classic expression, to a very playful style with strong colors, and then to a more minimal look with natural light woods and graphic colors.”

The first launch, which rolls out this month, features reimagined classics with dark woods, clean lines, and midcentury designs inspired by the pieces that first put IKEA on the map.

“An icon is an icon because it’s unexpected, or considered an innovation of its time,” Gustavsson explained in a press release for the new line. When IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad opened his first store in Älmhult, Sweden in 1958, the designs were “super modern,” even futuristic for the time.

Fast forward to the 70s and 80s, and the aesthetic is bright with pattern and color– bold and dynamic like the decades behind the pieces. The collection, available in October, features a kid-friendly plush sofa, geometric hanging lights, and textiles in cobalt blues, electric reds, and sunny yellows. Come December, the 90s will make an appearance, with blonde Scandinavian woods, sculptural furniture, simple designs, and graphic patterns.

75 years since the company’s modest beginnings (Kamprad was only 17 years old when he went into business), IKEA has an international presence–but despite having stores in 48 countries, the founder’s words ring true: “Most things still remain to be done.”