Eighteen designers created the IKEA PS collection of summer furniture and design products for something that IKEA called ‘Inside/Outside’ – a space where the boundaries between indoors and outdoors have been erased. It was about space for relaxing, a space between dreams and reality, a personal oasis. The botanical forms of nature and materials like rattan, plastic and metal played a central role in the collection. The ethos was summed up as “Bring the outside in – bring the inside out”.
Dutch designer Monika Mulder made five products for the collection, including the IKEA PS VÅLLÖ watering can. She strove for fluid, organic shapes that should be in harmony with plants and running water. Tulips inspired her choice of colours. You could also, if you wanted to, use VÅLLÖ as a vase or drinks jug.
Unlike other watering cans, VÅLLÖ has a shape that allows it to be stacked. This may not sound that remarkable, but it means that more watering cans can fit into each transport vehicle. Fewer vehicles means lower emissions, which reduces impact on the environment. The unique conical shape also makes production quicker and easier: the product releases quickly and easily from the plastic tools. The overall result is that it’s possible to keep the price of the watering can really low. More than ten years after its launch, the watering can cost 72 per cent less than when it first appeared.
IKEA PS VÅLLÖ was awarded Excellent Swedish Design in 2002.
