IKEA has initiated an exploration journey on the topic future Scandinavian design. As one of the first steps on this journey, IKEA will together with the Danish design company HAY create a collection for socializing in the livingroom.

Scandinavian design has always reflected values in our society such as functionality, humbleness, simplicity and the importance of creating a family friendly home. The world around us is changing, it's growing and shrinking at the same time. People’s homes are shrinking and their living spaces are being redistributed. It also means that existing values and behaviours are challenged and mixed with new ones. This creates a need for expressing the Scandinavian values in a new way through an updated Scandinavian design identity.

"In a more pluralistic Scandinavia filled with contrasts, there is a need to take the next step and start to define a new Scandinavian design identity. We go about this by opening up and start playing with our values combined with materiality, with colours, with production technology, with functions - with our roots,” says Marcus Engman, Design Manager at IKEA of Sweden.

As part of the journey to create a new Scandinavian design identity, IKEA has initiated a collaboration with the Danish design company HAY. The joint project was born from a discussion about the possibilities of today’s production techniques. Together, IKEA and HAY has decided on a production driven approach, where the design reflects what is possible and good to do in IKEA factories.

"I'm passionate about the way things are manufactured, I'm very interested in the opportunities in new technologies. People often ask what the world needs. I find it interesting to look at what we can achieve with the possibilities of tomorrow, in modern production, and by using that, making improvements,” says Rolf Hay, co-founder of HAY.

The result of the joint project will be launched during the fall of 2017 in a new collection for socializing in the livingroom. The collection will have a classic Scandinavian feel with light colours, high quality and clean design. It will be updated and adapted to the new needs in the livingroom, with versatile and functional solutions for everyday life, based on smart constructions and using materials in unconventional ways.

“The way we work with accessories in the collection is to connect and combine colors for a fresh modern look. For the accessories we work with at IKEA, we have explored many different materials including, aluminum, metallic, terracotta, textiles, plastic and wood to create a diverse range with different uses that we are excited for,” says Mette Hay, co-founder of HAY.

About HAY
HAY was founded in 2002 with the ambition to create contemporary furniture with an eye for modern living and sophisticated industrial manufacturing. Through commitment to the design and production of furniture and accessories with an international appeal HAY wants to make good design accessible to the largest possible audience.

HAY is inspired by the stable structures of architecture and the dynamics of fashion, which is combined in durable quality products that provide added value for the user. HAY’s continued vision is to create straightforward, functional and aesthetic design in cooperation with some of the world’s most talented, curious and courageous designers.

(Source: IKEA)