Gillis Lundgren

Gillis Lundgren began his career with painting studies in Lund, Sweden. After that, he learned drawing at Malmö Institute of Technology before he got to practise his skills at Gumaelius advertising agency in Malmö. At 23, Gillis started working as a consultant to create the IKEA catalogue together with Ingvar Kamprad. He helped develop the logo, illustrated catalogue covers and took photos of the products, while Ingvar wrote the descriptions.

In 1954, Gillis was hired full-time as advertising manager for IKEA. Soon, he also became involved in developing the furniture range. Over the years, he took on significant responsibility for product development at IKEA, contributing many iconic designs to the ever-growing collection. His inventiveness and curiosity about new materials and clever solutions resulted in over 400 IKEA products. Early designs in the 1950s included the ÄGGET armchair, the Axminster rug BÅSTAD, and the REGAL shelving unit.

Gillis Lundgren found inspiration for the TORE drawer unit, his personal favourite of all his products, in a kitchen unit from the 1950s PAX series. He thought that its size made it practical also outside of the kitchen, if only it were made in lacquered form. TORE was launched in the 1960 IKEA catalogue and became one of the biggest IKEA successes to date. Nowadays, TORE is regarded as a piece of furniture history, and can be found in the permanent collections at IKEA Museum and at Nationalmuseum, Sweden’s national museum of art and design.

When Gillis designed the futuristic IMPALA seating furniture, with ultra-modern lines and brightly coloured cushions on a low chrome base, Ingvar Kamprad was convinced that IKEA would sell no more than five pieces. To his surprise and Gillis’s triumph, IMPALA became an instant hit. However, the production of IMPALA was complex and pricey, and it disappeared from the range after only one year.

In the late 1970s, Gillis Lundgren drew his first sketch of the BILLY bookcase on the back of a paper napkin, based on an idea from technician Arne Hall. “That was often the way we worked. Ideas are perishable, and you have to capture the moment as soon as it arrives,” said Gillis. BILLY would become one of the biggest successes ever made by IKEA.

After retiring, Gillis continued working as a consultant for IKEA well into his eighties. In 2012, he received the prestigious Tenzing Prize, named for Tenzing Norgay who guided Edmund Hillary to the summit of Mount Everest. The jury’s motivation included that Gillis had created design classics for IKEA, but also “with a sense of logistics and efficiency” had inspired its launch of flat packages on a grand scale. This highlighted Gillis Lundgren’s role as an invaluable guide to Ingvar Kamprad and IKEA.