Ilse Crawford’s Collection for IKEA

I have been a big fan of the work of Ilse Crawford ever since I interviewed her back in 2011. It was her humanist approach to interior design and architecture that really inspired me. I love the way that she puts human beings at the centre of her work in order to create spaces that address our basic human needs and that act as platforms for social connections. So when I heard that Studio Ilse has partnered with IKEA, one of my favourite interior brands, I could not have been more excited. The SINNERLIG collection will be launched in all IKEA stores this August, which seems like a lifetime away, but I’m sure the wait will be worth it. After all, the new collection will offer top of the line design at typical IKEA prices. What more could we ask for? It’s a match made in heaven if you ask me.

Our ambition is to create excellent design available to everybody. In order to do that and to develop, challenge and keep on being attractive to our customers, we need to engage in new and inspiring collaborations.

MARCUS ENGMAN Design Manager IKEA of Sweden

Ilse Crawford’s collection for IKEA consists of more than 30 pieces for the home which can loosely be categorised into three groups: working, dining and lounging. Each of these groups has a piece of furniture in the center – the trestle table, dining table, and the daybed. All of the products in the collection have been designed to add value to the experience of everyday living. According to IKEA, “they explore the beauty and tactility of their raw properties and celebrate the imperfections that arise in the process of their production. They are designed to engage our senses and connect us to our homes.”

What I absolutely love about this collection is the use of cork. Cork is one of my very favourite materials for interiors and one which I think is hugely under appreciated and underused. It is a perfect choice for home furnishings due to its many beneficial properties which include the fact that it is a renewable material that is durable, waterproof and easy to clean and is great for sound insulation. Not to mention the fact that it looks so wonderful and feels just as good.

Whilst the result of the collaboration is a streamlined, smooth and flawless collection of products, the actual process of creating them was probably a little more complicated. A statement from IKEA on the subject says: “Working together with Ilse has been both challenging and inspiring, two important ingredients for development. While we share the same view that the home is the most important place in the world, our approaches in the design process have been different. Constant discussions together have been crucial to ensuring that the end result makes sense.”

Apparently the creation of this collection did not only take Ilse and IKEA on a journey of product development, but it also took them on several research trips to Portugal, Poland, China and Vietnam to explore the possibilities of using natural materials in an industrial production. That is a lot of distance to have covered but I think you’ll agree that the outcome has proved the value of these journeys.

When we started this journey together we really wanted to explore and break the boundaries of how IKEA usually manufactures products and develop its approach to different materials. By keeping our heads cool and our hearts warm we wanted to secure the idea of letting the rational and the emotional work together.

ILSE CRAWFORD, Studioilse

All we need to know now is how much these beauties will set us back. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they will be just as affordable as IKEA’s products usually are!