Design by IKEA: A Cultural History

Design by IKEA: A Cultural History

Sara Kristoffersson's compelling study provides the first sustained critical history of IKEA. Kristoffersson argues that the company's commercial success has been founded on a neat alignment of the brand with a particular image of Swedish national identity €“ one that is bound up with ideas of social democracy and egalitarianism - and its material expression in a pared-down, functional design aesthetic. Employing slogans such as "Design for everyone€ ? and "Democratic design€ ?, IKEA signals a rejection of the stuffy, the 'chintzy', and the traditional in both design practices and social structures.<br />Drawing on original research in the IKEA company archive and interviews with IKEA personnel, <i>Design by IKEA</i> traces IKEA's symbolic connection to Sweden, through its design output and its promotional materials, to examine how the company both promoted and profited from the concept of Scandinavian Design.