Ikea 80th anniversary collection is a colourful treasure trove of great designs
New pieces revealed for the Nytillverkad collection, celebrating Ikea’s 80th anniversary with forward-facing materials and fresh new colours. Discover the new drop of 1970s and 1980s designs

Nytillverkad is Ikea's 80th-anniversary collection: bold, bright, sustainable – and familiar. Those who have lived and grown up with Ikea may recognize some of it, because everything has been made before. It’s a back-catalogue collection in forward-facing materials and fresh new colours. The first drop, of around 20 pieces, was unveiled during Fuorisalone 2023 and is available to buy now, while this latest release will be at Ikea stores globally from October 2023.
80 years of Ikea celebrated with colour and patterns
It makes perfect sense. Ikea launches around 2,500 products a year and is sitting on a treasure trove of great designs. But with so much rich history where to start? For Karin Gustavsson, creative leader of Nytillverkad, it wasn’t easy. ‘We had a big list to choose from,’ she says. ‘The only thing we knew for sure was that, after the pandemic, we wanted colour and pattern, which people like to mix and match.’
To this end, flower print cushions come in popping primary colours; pillows and rugs feature bright bold stripes and unlike their predecessors, these textiles are made from recycled cotton and ‘post-consumer’ recycled fibres. ‘People today are very mindful of consumption,’ says Gustavsson. ‘Sustainability is top of everyone’s minds.’
‘Materials, supply chains, production methods and home life have changed since these vintage pieces were first made,’ adds Johan Ejdemo, design manager of Ikea Sweden. ‘In the 1960s, you sat with the baby in your lap, and smoked cigarettes,’ he observes. ‘Thoughts around safety were rather different.’ To this end, tippable sofas and chairs that fall over easily didn’t make the edit, nor did pieces in exotic woods like jacaranda. ‘Some of the items from the past are very complicated to do today.’
Those that reappear have been reworked in modern, eco-friendly ways; take the 1971 ‘Gogo’ easy chair originally made with a carbon steel frame. It now features high-strength steel that emits 50 per cent less CO2 than its predecessor. Across the whole collection, plastic packaging has been replaced by paper where possible and more focus has been placed on flat pack. ‘Dis-assembly is as important as assembly for a nomadic generation always on the move,’ says Ejdemo, because it’s while moving that most breakages occur. Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad created the first flat-pack piece – the ‘Lövet’ coffee table – in 1956, and in homage to the company’s visionary founder, an ash version appears in Nytillverkad, in orange, green and blue.
Going forward, Nytillverkad will not be launched chronologically, and will include whimsical pieces too, ‘like those from the disco period of the 1980s and 1990s’, says Gustavsson.
This back-to-the-future collection is also great news for those who missed the boat first time around. Vintage Ikea pieces now trade for hefty price tags; the €25 ‘Medevi Brunn’ chair (2004) recently sold for €346 (proof, if any were needed, that Ikea pieces can stand the test of time). By its very nature, Nytillverkad will be stuffed with ready-made classics. And who can argue with that?
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Nytillverkad, Ikea's 80-anniversary collection, first drop now available with more coming in October 2023
Emma O'Kelly is a freelance journalist and author based in London. Her books include Sauna: The Power of Deep Heat and she is currently working on a UK guide to wild saunas, due to be published in 2025.
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Rosewood Miyakojima: ‘Japan, but not as most people know it’
Rosewood Miyakojima offers a smooth balance of intuitive Japanese ‘omotenashi’ fused with Rosewood’s luxury edge
-
Thrilling, demanding, grotesque and theatrical: what to see at Berlin Gallery Weekend
Berlin Gallery Weekend is back for 2025, and with over 50 galleries taking part, there's lots to see
-
A first look inside the new Oxford Street Ikea. Spoiler: blue bags and meatballs are included
The new Oxford Street Ikea opens tomorrow (1 May), giving Londoners access to the Swedish furniture brand right in the heart of the city
-
A first look inside the new Oxford Street Ikea. Spoiler: blue bags and meatballs are included
The new Oxford Street Ikea opens tomorrow (1 May), giving Londoners access to the Swedish furniture brand right in the heart of the city
-
Tokyo design studio We+ transforms microalgae into colours
Could microalgae be the sustainable pigment of the future? A Japanese research project investigates
-
Delvis (Un)Limited turns a Brera shopfront into a live-in design installation
What happens when collectible design becomes part of a live performance? The Theatre of Things, curated by Joseph Grima and Valentina Ciuffi, invited designers to live with their work – and let the public look in
-
Naoto Fukasawa sparks children’s imaginations with play sculptures
The Japanese designer creates an intuitive series of bold play sculptures, designed to spark children’s desire to play without thinking
-
Inside the Shakti Design Residency, taking Indian craftsmanship to Alcova 2025
The new initiative pairs emerging talents with some of India’s most prestigious ateliers, resulting in intricately crafted designs, as seen at Alcova 2025 in Milan
-
Faye Toogood comes up roses at Milan Design Week 2025
Japanese ceramics specialist Noritake’s design collection blossoms with a bold floral series by Faye Toogood
-
6:AM create a spellbinding Murano glass showcase in Milan’s abandoned public shower stalls
With its first solo exhibition, ‘Two-Fold Silence’, 6:AM unveils an enchanting Murano glass installation beneath Piscina Cozzi
-
Dimoremilano and Loro Piana channel 1970s cinema in decadent Milan display
At Milan Design Week 2025, Dimorestudio has directed and staged an immersive, film-inspired installation to present new furniture and decor for Loro Piana