The Story of IKEA

Follow the timeline to discover stories on innovation and insights, big mistakes and great ideas.

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.

The swinging ’40s

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.

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.