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The museum

A black and white retro photo of the crowded parking lot in front of the world’s first IKEA store. A black and white retro photo of the crowded parking lot in front of the world’s first IKEA store.

The IKEA Museum – the story of IKEA past, present and future

Join us on our journey from our beginnings in Älmhult and out into the world. And it is of course you, along with all the amazing IKEA customers and employees over the years, that we have to thank for this story.

IKEA Museum is for anyone who’s curious about IKEA. Curious about our history, curious about design, or curious about how Ingvar Kamprad from little old Agunnaryd created the global company we are today. Or you may just be curious to see what our very first store looked like.

A view inside IKEA Museum from a stairwell with railings in cement and steel.
The museum’s architecture brings together the form of the first store with new elements. The railings around the stairwell are an update of the original 1950s design.

At IKEA Museum we tell the story of how the entrepreneur Ingvar Kamprad started IKEA and, with his colleagues, decided to create a better everyday life for the many people. Perhaps a meeting-place is a better way to describe us, than a museum. An inspiring, inclusive place for everyone who wants to get to know us. Because we really do want to share all our stories, from the mistakes to the successes. We want to tell the true and sometime pretty wild story of us. Having said that, we’re just as interested in hearing your story. What do you think is important in a home? What makes you like a particular design? So basically, we’re just as curious as you are. That’s why we created IKEA Museum – so we could come together and learn from each other.

The museum’s activities also include the archive and collection.

Two hands measuring the original architectural designs of the world’s first IKEA store with a folding rule.

The world’s first IKEA store

IKEA Museum opened in June 2016 and is housed in what was once the very first IKEA store. We’ve restored large sections of the exterior of the building in line with the original designs by local architect Claes Knutson. So the modernist style of architecture is once again to be seen in Älmhult, while the interior has been adapted to suit the needs and activities of the museum.

We look forward to seeing you at the IKEA Museum in Älmhult, the heart of IKEA, where our journey once began.

IKEA Museum AB is a Swedish limited company owned by Inter IKEA Group.