close

Ilse Crawford for Ikea: In Store Now.

ikea-ilse-5

Once upon a time, a very long time ago, a great Swedish superstore announced that it was going to collaborate with a G/great British designer (who had a Danish mother) to create a collection that would make the rest of us live happily ever after.

ikea-ilse-6

It was such a long time ago that everyone forgot about it and went about their business buying different things and forgetting that such an event was ever going to happen. Until lo, it came to pass, that the people of the press received an email with a few sneaky pictures in. And they were reminded that this wasn’t just any collaboration but a collaboration between Ikea and Ilse Crawford.

ikea-ilse-3

And this made them very excited, even though there were no prices listed and none of the pieces would actually be on sale until August. But they were kind these people of the press, and they decided to share the pictures anyway.

ikea-ilse-2

And so they revealed that there are 30 pieces in all and the main material is cork. It’s renewable, durable, an acoustic softener, waterproof and easy to clean and, ever since the rise of the screw top bottle of wine, needs a new use.

ikea-ilse-4

The collection can loosely be categorised into three groups: working, dining and lounging. Each group has a piece of furniture in the centre – the trestle table, dining table, and the daybed. And, although the collection works neatly in these settings, everything has been developed so that you can decide how you wish to live with these things and how they fit into your life

ikea-ilse-1

And so the announcement was shared among everyone, and they were very excited for about ten minutes and then went about their business. But the collection will be back. And next time there will be prices and hyperlinks and the people will shop for this was a marriage made in design heaven. And what’s more, this time it doesn’t matter if you don’t know the price because ultimately  it’s Ikea, which means you can afford it.

UPDATE: And now, because it’s August, it’s HERE! Click the click to see the full range. Which are your favourite pieces?

 

Kate Watson-Smyth

The author Kate Watson-Smyth

I’m a journalist who writes about interiors mainly for The Financial Times but I have also written regularly for The Independent and The Daily Mail. My house has been in Living Etc, HeartHome and featured in The Wall Street Journal & Corriere della Sera. I also run an interior styling consultancy Mad About Your House. Welcome to my Mad House.

8 Comments

  1. Am going to have to put my crash helmet on and cope with the crowds – got to go and get some of this. Brilliant example of brains over budget. Thanks for sharing.

  2. Wasn’t Ilse Crawford the founder and editor of Elle Decoration many moons ago? I loved her particular vision for the magazine and I still have the very first issue and some later copies from the Nineties. It wasn’t quite the same when she left. It would be great to see the collection in Ikea.

Comments are closed.