For anyone who is obsessed with all things IKEA, your prayers have been answered – they have just opened a museum. Located in Älmhult, Sweden, the IKEA Museum takes visitors through the different eras of the Swedish furniture company's designs and concepts – complete with fully-furnished rooms appropriate to certain eras.
Museum installation of KOLDING, MTP and DANKSE, 1960sInter IKEA Systems
IKEA Catalogue covers through the agesInter IKEA SystemsMuseum installation of ANNA children's furniture, designed by Otto NielsenInter IKEA Systems
From old catalogues, to new materials, the exhibition is every furniture lover's dream and spans over four floors. One part of the exhibition highlights the stories of their longest serving products, such as the KLIPPAN sofa, loved for decades due to its child-friendly design and changeable covers. The exhibition also invites visitors to peek inside people's homes, allowing them to see the ways in which they personalise and use their IKEA furniture.
Combination photo of IKEA Museum exteriorInter IKEA SystemsMuseum installation, showing how modern housing changed during the 1940sInter IKEA SystemsInstallation of an IKEA homeInter IKEA SystemsInstallation of an IKEA homeInter IKEA SystemsKEA catalogue cover, 1973Inter IKEA SystemsTEMA cabinetInter IKEA SystemsIKEA catalogue cover, 1970Inter IKEA SystemsDANSKE chair designed by Erik Wahl IversenInter IKEA SystemsTEMA bookcase, 1957Inter IKEA SystemsStaff clothing from the 1950sInter IKEA Systems
An IKEA museum would not be complete without the infamous IKEA canteen, which specialises in its signature dish, meatballs fried in butter. There is also a gift shop and an educational programme.
The menu for the museum's restaurant is based on their famous meatballs, but with a new modern take.Inter IKEA SystemsThe walls of a shipping container serves as a linkInter IKEA SystemsThe first STOCKHOLM collection was launched in 1986Inter IKEA SystemsMiniature BIALITT wardrobeInter IKEA SystemsL-R, clockwise: Board-on-frame technology which broke through in the 1990s, M-board- the first products are due in 2017, meatballs fried in butter- IKEA's signature dish, pueces of steel which became an important material in the IKEA range in the 1980sInter IKEA Systems
The IKEA Museum also has a temporary exhibition, which is currently focusing on life in and around the kitchen. Designers such as Paola Navone, Thomas Sandell and Matali Crasset have imagined what life at home will look like in the future. This exhibition was first shown at the 2015 Milan Furniture Fair, under the hashtag #IKEAtemporary.
IKEA was founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943. At that time, the company dealt mainly with mail-order services and didn't sell furniture until five years later. The first Möbel-IKÉA store was opened in 1958.
Temporary exhibition: METOD kitchen by Thomas Sandell/ Studio Irvine #IKEAtemporary.Inter IKEA SystemsIKEA temporary exhibition: METOD kitchen by Paola Navone #IKEAtemporary.Inter IKEA SystemsInter IKEA SystemsInter IKEA SystemsMaterial samplesInter IKEA SystemsFirst IKEA store in Älmhult, SwedenInter IKEA SystemsThe stairs and the walk along the facade of the musuem are called SmålandsgångenInter IKEA SystemsFirst IKEA store in Älmhult, SwedenInter IKEA SystemsIngvar Kamprads kontor, 1963-64Inter IKEA SystemsBOHEM fåtölj. Gillis Lundgren 1956Inter IKEA SystemsIngvar Kamprad with ÖGLA, SAMPO, IDUN, TORE.Inter IKEA SystemsFirst IKEA store in Älmhult, SwedenInter IKEA SystemsInter IKEA SystemsPlastic products came around in the 1960s, such as MAMMUT and HATTENInter IKEA SystemsThe IKEA Museum shopInter IKEA SystemsMoney box. Ingvar Kamprad sold fish to farms close byInter IKEA SystemsPipes from the IKEA range, 1940s/ 1950sInter IKEA SystemsIngvar Kamprad's officeInter IKEA Systems
