IKEA 365+ series

The ambition behind the IKEA 365+ series was reminiscent of ‘More beautiful everyday items’, the campaign for simple yet aesthetically appealing everyday products launched by the Swedish Society of Crafts and Design in 1919. Seventy-five years later it was IKEA that asked itself, “What are good everyday items?” According to the company, the answer was “pieces with a design governed by function, materials selected for frequent and long-term use, and a price so everyday that most people can afford to buy them”.

With this as the starting point, a collaboration was started between IKEA and three designers: Susan Pryke in London, Anki Spets in New York and Magnus Lundström in Sweden’s Dalarna province. Susan talks about her thoughts behind the series: “For me, the collection is an icon, as we were designing a range to use every day of the year plus those extra special occasions. It was Democratic Design at its best. We used the best materials, like porcelain, and put a coloured glaze on to it, which made the range very contemporary.”

Simpler and more fun in the kitchen

Function was in focus during work on the new series. Designers Wiebke Braasch, Nike Karlsson, Henrik Preutz and Ola Wihlborg developed products for the preparation and cooking of food, products for the set table, and of course – practical pots and bowls to take care of the leftovers. The idea was to help people make work in the kitchen simpler and more fun. Alongside this was an intention to bring a little beauty to everyday life with the design and colour scheme. The series was also based on a long-term view. Customers should rest assured that these products would be in the IKEA range for a long time to come. When the series was launched in 1995, it was a big seller. The same goes for the latest IKEA 365+ series, which was launched in 2017.