Long known for their large selection and low prices, Swedish furniture giant IKEA is venturing into a more upscale arena with their new Stockholm collection. Produced from higher-quality materials, and requiring less home assembly, the 82-piece collection is geared toward shoppers who are ready to graduate to more expensive furnishings, but still value IKEA's competitive prices and take-it-with-you convenience.
IKEA challenged a team of 10 designers to create the line, which includes everything from pillows to sofas, and incorporates materials like mohair, leather and cowhide. There's a 1950s sensibility to some of the results--especially evident in items like the oak TV unit and the surfboard-shaped coffee table--that suggests IKEA was interested in joining the craze for midcentury design.
But the most successful items perpetuate the accessible modernism that's been a hallmark of IKEA since its founding. I particularly liked the Glass Door Cabinet, a nicely-proportioned armoire that sits atop slender legs and features a circular glass window. It's only $399. The Rand Rug comes in two colors (I prefer the beige-and-white version) and costs just $299 in the 8'2" x 11'6" size.
The stocky 1.5-Seat Armchair is generously proportioned, comes in a choice of three fabrics, and is decently priced at $699. The companion 3.5-Seat Sofa ($1,399) measures a substantial 93 inches in length and features feather-and-foam cushions and a removable, cleanable cover. But be aware: both these pieces list cardboard as one of the frame materials, so although you may be getting better quality, neither piece is top-of-the-line.
All of the aforementioned items, except the rug, are available online--great news for folks who don't live near an IKEA store. (And their ranks are diminishing every year.)
The stocky 1.5-Seat Armchair sells for $699.
Photo © IKEA
Stockholm's lamps, vases and pillows are all attractive and reasonably priced, but not remarkably different from other pieces you'd find at IKEA. (Sometimes that can be frustrating: Why include a sexy mohair throw in the Stockholm collection, and then only offer it in beige and pink?) Still, lighting and accessories remain some of
the best things to buy at IKEA, offering both good design, solid quality and great value. So even if you're not ready to visit Stockholm, there's always a good reason to visit IKEA.
