ALMHULT, Sweden -- IKEA held Democratic Design Days, its yearly global press event here last week, announcing several new product developments in design, art, and sustainability, and a new home textiles collaboration with British design icon Zandra Rhodes.
IKEA will explore the pattern and color of textiles as expressions of skill, personality and local culture with Zandra Rhodes, who has licensed rugs with UK-based The Rug Company.
IKEA holds its annual Democratic Design Days in Almhult, Sweden on June 4-5, 2019 to unveil its latest product developments and programs.
In making the announcement, Nils Larsson, Creative Leader at IKEA Range and Supply, said, "At IKEA we don't believe in perfect homes. We believe in homes that are a perfect reflection of the people who live inside. And we know that patterns and color play an important role in creating that. Patterns and colors can alter the character of a space in many ways. It can visually change the size of a room; affect the atmosphere and the light. Using patterns and color is also a relatively easy and low cost way to make a change, adapt to the seasons or tell a story of places you have been, what you like and who you are."
Larsson further explained: "At IKEA we are curious to deep dive into what makes a home feel like your home. And we know that patterns and color add fun, energy, mood, atmosphere and personality to a space. Therefore we want to explore how to make textile prints and patterns more contemporary and connected to local cultures. And who better to do this together with, than the experienced, ultra-creative fashion designer Zandra Rhodes."
The intention with this collaboration is to see what happens when colorful fashion prints, inspired by local pattern cultures from across the globe, are put into the home context.
"I initially started my career as a textile designer, studying Printed Textile Design at The Royal College of Art in London. Pattern and color have always been two mediums synonymous with my work and are mostly associated with my fashion designs. What a fabulous opportunity to re-imagine my designs into homeware products working with the world's leading furniture retailer and icon, Ikea. I hope to bring my passion for textiles, print and color to this global market drawing inspiration from my distinctive style and love of travel. What an exciting adventure for The House of Zandra Rhodes," says designer Zandra Rhodes, who was among the new wave of British designers who put London at the forefront of the international fashion scene in the 1970s.
Her designs are considered clear, creative statements; dramatic but graceful; audacious but feminine. Rhodes' inspiration has been from organic material and nature. Her unconventional and colorful prints were often inspired by travel; chevron stripes from the Ukraine and the symbols of the North American Indian, Japanese flowers, calligraphy and shells.