Sign in with Google
Sign in with email
The IKEA Festival, part of the Fuorisalone, was held at BASE in Milan to showcase the future of design, explore how people's relationship with their homes has evolved, and show how it is possible to improve people's everyday lives. Over the week-long events, IKEA delved into life at home and its various future forms through three experiential moments. "Fuorisalone is an unmissable event for anyone who is passionate about design and IKEA has been taking part since 1995,” explains Marcus Engman, Chief Creative Officer of the Ingka Group. “We are excited to return with this new IKEA Festival format. The aim is to unite people through subjects that are a source of inspiration to them and that are important in their everyday lives. In particular, subjects such as life at home, music, food and design. This is what we were thinking when we filled the 2,600 square metres of BASE with creativity and inspiration," he adds.
Visitors of the fair could immerse themselves in Ögonblick - A Life at Home Exhibition, a fascinating physical and digital installation. As the name suggests – Ögonblick is Swedish for “moment” – IKEA invited viewers to discover how different moments in life are reflected in the way that people live at home, at the same time exploring the effects that this could have on time and space. From a single-family studio to rooms shared between multiple generations: it's a story of life at home that is born from a profound understanding of people and their relationship with the spaces in which they live.
Life at Home Stories encompassed a series of short documentaries showcasing people from all backgrounds and their lives at home in various countries across the globe. This depiction of the relationship between people and their homes comes thanks to home visits taking place over many years, the data for which have been collected and analysed in the annual Life at Home Report, a document that outlines the evolution of life at home over the past eight years through the testimonies, stories and points of view of consumers around the world. More than 250,000 people have been interviewed over the years, in more than 30 countries.
The First Home exhibition concluded the array of displays. Outdoors, classic Milanese courtyard housing came to life, in which IKEA has recreated the homes of three different families, narrating their life story of the inhabitants. Here, IKEA followed a different approach to affordability, examining what people should own and what they can share with others instead. IKEA wanted to have a new approach with respect to the choices that can be made to make the 'first home' more affordable, examining how sharing and sustainable attitudes can benefit not only your budget but the planet too.
The different days of IKEA Festival, were interspersed with previews of upcoming collections and Democratic Design Talks with IKEA of Sweden’s Design Manager, Johan Ejdemo, in-house Designers Mikael Axelsson and Friso Wiersma, and collaborations with UK-based designer Ilse Crawford and Rotterdam-based designer, Sabine Marcelis among others. "We are happy to be back in Milan this year, to come together to share and experience some well needed inspiration and optimism towards the everyday,” says Fredrika Inger, Global Range Manager of IKEA. "We look forward to having meaningful conversations around design and life at home, and giving some sneak peeks of upcoming products that celebrate the five pillars of IKEA democratic design: quality, form, function, sustainability and low price," she explains.
The evening event included music performed by international artists while once inside the building, visitors had first hand access to home accessory collections and iconic IKEA classic food preparations using plant-based ingredients as well. For example, Korvkiosk, where hot dogs meet fine cuisine and Bulleria, made of plant balls. "We are really pleased to be returning for another edition of Fuorisalone, an event that is close to our hearts. Since our first involvement in 1995, we have continued to go back,” shares Asunta Enrile, Country Retail Manager and Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA Italy. “Fuorisalone engages with the living fabric of the city to bring design in direct and everyday contact with urban life. And for us at IKEA, engagement with the community is essential, precisely because we want to achieve a better everyday life for the many people," she adds.
Over the week of the global design fair, IKEA reaffirmed its commitment to supporting those who no longer have a home. The furniture and installations that breathe life into spaces of IKEA Festival at BASE will in fact be donated to Opera San Francesco per i Poveri Onlus and IBVA, two charities active in Milan that will use them to make those in need feel more at home. In addition, throughout the week of the Festival, visitors were able to make contributions towards aid for refugees, by donating EUR 1 to the food kiosks and stores inside BASE. The money raised will be donated to UNHCR, United Nations Refugee Agency.
STIR takes you on a Milanese sojourn! Experience Salone del Mobile and all the design districts - 5vie, Brera, Fuorisalone, Isola, Zona Tortona, and Durini - with us. STIR’s coverage of Milan Design Week 2022, Meanwhile in Milan showcases the best exhibits, moods, studios, events, and folks to look out for. We are also excited to announce our very own STIR press booth at Salone del Mobile - Hall 5/7 S.14, Fiera Milano RHO.
What do you think?