Get new perspectives on IKEA and life at home

Our roots

Go back in time and explore the origins of IKEA and Ingvar Kamprad. Hardship, thrift and ingenuity in Småland, Sweden, and visions of a new life at home for the many people. Simple, functional and beautiful.

1940s

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1940s

The war ends and neutral Sweden gets a head start, boosting its economy and sense of community. From playing shop as a small boy, Ingvar Kamprad founds IKEA and a new era is dawning.

The birth of IKEA

The trading company IKEA was registered on the 28th of July, 1943. But it was a far cry from the furniture company we know today. In his early years as an entrepreneur, Ingvar Kamprad imported pens, watches and nylon stockings, learning the ropes of purchasing step by step. But after some problems with import licences he started looking for new opportunities, and decided to focus on furniture. A business model gradually took shape when he realised that there was a major, interesting opportunity between the customer and manufacturer.

Meet Ingvar Kamprad

How did a regular young lad from Älmhult become one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs? Classic Småland ingenuity and stubbornness are probably just part of the answer. Ingvar Kamprad was very much shaped by his childhood, which was filled with love and imagination. A childhood in which the grown-ups had time to play and listen. A safe world surrounded by forest and meagre soil. The ideal place to play businessman.

Maybe furniture?

Towards the end of the 1940s, IKEA started selling furniture, and it very quickly became the main business. Always thinking of challenges as opportunities brought about all kinds of innovations in purchasing, finances and distribution. The foundation for this was already in Ingvar Kamprad back in the days when he worked on a small scale with pens and pipes at home – but the power and opportunities in the gap between customer and manufacturer really materialised in the 1950s.

History of the logotype

IKEA today is one of the best-known brands in the world, and its hallmark is the characteristic blue and yellow logotype. But the logo (or logotype, or insignia, or emblem) hasn’t always looked like this. Because just like IKEA and its business, the logo has constantly been developing. Here we look at the logo’s evolution from 1943 to 2018, when the latest changes were made. So get your magnifying glass out, and join us for the story of the IKEA logo, from letterhead to head of everything!

IKEA News

The first edition of ikéa-nytt, IKEA News, came out in spring 1948. It was a simple mail order catalogue, primarily targeting retailers, who were promised good quality at low prices. All the texts were written by Ingvar Kamprad himself, and at the time he mainly sold different kinds and models of pens, under the heading ‘Pen sensation’. Watches and nylon stockings were also sold in ikéa-nytt, but no furniture. But that was soon to change.

Why is it called that?

IKEA product names can appear strange even to a Swede. Elsewhere in the world they’re virtually incomprehensible, but fun! Get the inside scoop on why IKEA products have such odd names, and learn about the intricate rules for naming them. Because there is a method to the madness.

1950s

In the shadow of the Cold War, Sweden experiences a time of self-confidence and progress and Swedes have more money. IKEA opens home furnishing showrooms and what will become the first store in Älmhult.

Product stories 1950s

Life at home 1950s

IKEA kataloger 1950-talet

When IKEA opened its new furniture showroom in Älmhult in 1958, everyone was there: the county governor, the chairman of the municipal board, along with press and critics from Stockholm, all curious to see the latest move from furniture rebel Ingvar Kamprad.

Price wars

Ingvar Kamprad’s experiment in selling furniture went well. So well, indeed, that the traditional furniture industry felt threatened by the rebel from the province of Småland. A price war started, boycotts were introduced, and competitors used every trick in the book to stop IKEA.

Where should the sofa go?

Selling furniture is one thing. Helping people realise their dreams is quite another. For IKEA, good tips and advice are just as important as design and low prices.

1960s

The world is rocked by ideological conflict. In Sweden, social reforms improve living standards. A building boom creates a need for home furnishings and an IKEA flagship store opens in Stockholm.

Product stories 1960s

Life at home 1960s

1960s IKEA catalogues

Revolutionary!

The key to IKEA.

IKEA in Stockholm

A king, a fire, and a brand new IKEA.

A bright and groovy home

Make yourself at home

New

Ingvar in Milan

Cześć, Polsko!

Swedish manufacturers did not have the capacity to meet Ingvar Kamprad’s demand. And a lot of the Swedish suppliers were also boycotting IKEA. So Ingvar decided to look for suppliers beyond Sweden. He had already begun working with Danish designers and manufacturers, but now it was time to turn towards Poland.

First store abroad

IKEA went international and opened a store in Norway. But how did that decision come about? Through a combination of planning, business and instinct. And a pinch of Norwegian anger.

Dear Brita!

At the end of the 1950s, the IKEA catalogues looked completely different to the later editions, with their styled homes and well-planned rooms. In fact, if we’re honest, the photos in the early catalogues were pretty threadbare. A sofa, a rug and a lamp, pulled together into a little group, sometimes by Ingvar Kamprad himself. All that was soon to change when a certain Brita Lang made an entrance at IKEA.

Quality

In September 1964, a sensational article was published in a Swedish interior design magazine, claiming that a 33 kronor (EUR 3.30) chair from IKEA was better than a virtually identical chair that cost five times as much. IKEA was delighted, but the rest of the furniture industry was furious and threatened to boycott the magazine.

More than a low price

IKEA is a balancing act between seemingly conflicting ambitions. Sales machine or inspiration? Business or people? For IKEA, it’s never been about choosing one or the other, it’s always both. Ingvar Kamprad’s original idea to offer products with both a low price and good quality has grown into a strong culture and identity. It is still a driving force at IKEA today.

Ingvar in America

In the early 1960s, Ingvar Kamprad started planning for further expansion of IKEA in Scandinavia and the wider world. But before focusing on the company’s journey, he wanted to broaden his own horizons. He went to the US to learn everything he could about distribution. But could the Americans really impress a man from Agunnaryd?

The world’s biggest restaurant

When Ingvar Kamprad opened the doors on his first furniture showroom in Älmhult back in 1953, he wanted to offer visitors coffee and a biscuit – a new phenomenon in the thrifty county of Småland back then. And it was a huge success. The queues were long, and when the biscuits started running out there was something of a panic.

1970s

A decade defined by political activism and discussion around consumerism. A good fit for the unpretentious style of IKEA. Despite the looming oil crisis, the great expansion begins.

Product stories 1970s

Life at home 1970s

1970s IKEA catalogues

Design by IKEA of Sweden

Step into IKEA and of course you are met by all kinds of furniture and other stuff, but not before you’re greeted with a huge Hej!, Swedish for ‘hello’, at the store entrance. You might say that the entire corporate culture exists in this hej. Not a slick how-do-you-do-sir-or-madam-what-can-I-get-you, just a simple hej.

The great expansion

Browse an interactive map to get an overview of the global expansion of IKEA. Starting in the 1950s, IKEA built stores and made business all over the world.

The Testament of a Furniture Dealer

Long before the rest of the world started talking about corporate culture, Ingvar Kamprad wrote down his vision and ideology for IKEA. He called it The Testament of a Furniture Dealer. It describes how IKEA needs to act to remain a successful, vibrant company. So what exactly is it all about?

1980s

As the global recession subsides, luxury consumption makes a comeback. The IKEA product range gets lost in attempts to keep up with global trends and the IKEA identity becomes muddled.

Product stories 1980s

Life at home 1980s

1980s IKEA catalogues

STOCKHOLM collection

A democratic idea.

Beloved bag

A friend through thick and thin.

IKEA and advertising

KLIPPAN

18 months in smoke and dust

1980s metal

Booming stock markets, shoulder pads and postmodern design. The 1980s were about equal parts decadence and optimism. For IKEA it was a challenging decade, with both expansion and a quest for an identity. Could steel wire furniture be part of the answer?

1990s

The yuppie fades away and IKEA struggles with an identity crisis. It’s time to go back to the Scandinavian roots. While becoming a truly global brand, IKEA reclaims its soul.

Product stories 1990s

Life at home 1990s

1990s IKEA catalogues

Everything falls apart

Before 1989, production behind the Iron Curtain was a cornerstone of the long-term purchasing strategy at IKEA. Ingvar Kamprad came here back in the 1960s when he was boycotted by furniture makers and the sector as a whole in Sweden. Planned economies like Poland had raw materials at low prices, as well as state-owned factories with great capacity and a need to do business with the West, as eastern currencies could not be used in the West or exchanged for dollars. IKEA made major investments in run-down factories, installed machinery and spare parts, and built up skills. So what happened when the Iron Curtain suddenly fell?

Children’s IKEA

Explore two stories about Children’s IKEA. Children and families with children have always been central to IKEA. But it was in the 1990s that things really took off. Find out about the early beginnings, how it works today, and what IKEA puts into making a range for the most important people in the world.

IKEA PS collection

IKEA 365+ series

Something for everyone

Democratic Design

Form, function, quality, sustainability, low price.

Do you speak hot dog?

Learning by challenge.

A new compass

In the mid-1990s, IKEA was rocked by accusations of child labour. At the time the company was the world’s largest furniture retailer, with almost 100 stores in 17 countries, and production in 70. As success for IKEA increased, so too did the media’s scrutiny. Revelations of child labour would lead to a new compass – cooperation with UNICEF and Save the Children, and codes of conduct on everything from child labour to environmental impact.

IKEA dot com

Travel back in time and see what the IKEA website looked like in 1998. Step inside our time capsule – a kind of condensed 1990s – and surf around.

2000s

An era of new challenges and innovation for the world and for IKEA. The climate crisis climbs high on the global agenda, and the digital revolution changes everything.

Product stories 2000s

Life at home 2000s

2000s IKEA catalogues

How to be trendy in moderation.

A dinner conversation about IKEA Food

About the past, present and future.

Always together

When IKEA describes its culture, the terms together and togetherness are virtually always front and centre. And it’s not just co-workers who are invited to be part of that togetherness, but also very much customers and suppliers. In fact, you could say that without togetherness, there would be no IKEA.

2010s

In a world of urbanisation and housing shortages, financial worries and rising nationalism, IKEA intensifies its efforts to contribute to global sustainability for people and planet.