Democratic Design

Step right into darkest Småland province and the old farming community, before moving on to the emergence of modern Sweden and the unique history of IKEA. The main exhibition is divided into four parts: Our Roots, IKEA Through the Ages, The Many Sides of Ingvar Kamprad, and Democratic Design.

Experience old Sweden through stories, historical objects and interactive experiences. We talk about the inventiveness of the poor, stony farming community of Småland, and how increasing prosperity in the first half of the 20th century led to new ideas about a better life at home.

Can something be sustainable if the many people can’t afford it? Can a beautiful product with no function be good design? The answer is no for IKEA and the principles of Democratic Design – the philosophy behind all product development at IKEA and the theme of this exhibition.

Living big in small spaces is not exactly new to us. Even back in 1995, IKEA had an exhibition in Älmhult called ‘Small Space Living’. Now the future is here, and the majority of the world’s population live in cities, where the need for smart solutions is at its maximum and spaces at their minimum. Existens Maximum includes 14 rooms with inspirational solutions for widely differing purposes – and the rooms also change character depending on need and activity. The visitor can literally see how square metres are turned into cubed metres. 

Meet the future of design in Älmhult – waste is transformed into thought-provoking design when Sweden’s design stars of the future get to decide.   How can thought-provoking design be created from what we would normally call waste, or even rubbish?  This is one of the question that has been in focus for Young Swedish Design in its 25th year. IKEA Museum has curated and co-produced the exhibition with Svensk Form, which showcases works by some of the most promising young Swedish design stars.