KLIPPAN

The young Product Developer Lars Engman had two children at home, and two expensive, high-end Italian sofas – a devastating combination that ended up with him still having two children, but only one expensive, high-end Italian sofa. The other one had to go to the junkyard. So he started thinking about a sofa that could take the rough everyday abuse of a family with bouncy children, one that had soft corners and covers that could be taken off and washed.

The job went to Japanese designer Noboru Nakamura, who had been with IKEA in Älmhult for a couple of years. His starting point was the existing sofa LAPPMON, but he pared down on everything unnecessary to produce a sofa with a distinct, timeless design. And in doing this, he also pared down the price.

To make a removable cover, Nakamura had to adjust the size of the sofa to the width of fabric reels at the time, which were 150 centimetres. That way the cover could not only be taken off, but would also fit inside a household washing machine. IKEA also offered sewing patterns in case customers wanted to make their own covers from their own choice of fabric. KLIPPAN was launched in 1980. It was not a great seller to begin with, but it grew in popularity over the years and has been in the IKEA range ever since. The birth of a true classic.