IKEA Is Reviving Designs From Its Past in Celebration of Its 80th Anniversary

IKEA is synonymous with modernist design, but the brand’s early products are officially retro. The Swedish retailer has been in the furniture business for 80 years, and to celebrate the big anniversary they’re returning to their roots. As Apartment Therapy reports, IKEA’s “new” Nytillverkad line is inspired by vintage looks that should look familiar to long-time shoppers.

The collection, which debuted at this year’s Milan Design Week, will feature updated takes on old favorites. The original LÖVET flat-pack table from 1956 has been revived as LÖVBACKEN, which comes in a variety of bold, new colors. Customers who remember the colorful BLADHULT pattern from the 1980s can now find its modern counterpart, KRYPKORNELL, on bedding, cushion covers, and kitchen accessories. Other retro-inspired products include the DOMSTEN stool—an update of the JERRY—and the BONDSKÄRET coat rack, which was originally the SMED.

IKEA was founded in Sweden in 1943, but its history in the U.S. is much shorter. When the first American location opened outside Philadelphia in 1985, it wasn’t an immediate hit. The hard-to-pronounce names and European-centric designs alienated customers, and for years the chain didn’t expand in the country. It wasn’t until the late 1990s that it finally began to develop a strong following on this side of the Atlantic.

IKEA’s Nytillverkad line will be released in batches over the next several years. Customers can expect the first wave to hit stores in July 2023. While you wait, read up on how IKEA names its products—and how you might be mispronouncing the brand’s name in the first place.

[h/t Apartment Therapy]