Mum and I decided we should go on a little trip this weekend. Linnea needed some help with her room, so we were heading down to Svalöv, but on the way we decided to do an overnight in Älmhult.
Älmhult is the birthplace of IKEA, where Ingvar Kamprad opened the very first IKEA store in 1958. This is where the story began and where its culture and design philosophy are still nurtured. It is still central to IKEA today, as it hosts IKEA’s global headquarters.
We booked in for a night at the IKEA hotel!
The first IKEA store is no more, it has turned into the IKEA Museum! This is a place I have been wanting to visit for a long time, as I keep seeing the signage for it every time I drive from Skåne to Skara.
A different kind of museum store.
The IKEA museum is designed to feel immersive, you step into the whole timeline of IKEA.
It shows not only how the company started, but how the IKEA furniture design evolved, from early wooden pieces to today’s flatpack solutions.
There was rooms from different time periods recreated, to show how IKEA envisioned living spaces across the decades.
Certain classic IKEA pieces were showcased with their design stories, and their global impact. Really interesting! IKEA really is a global cultural phenomenon, and the exhibition delves into how IKEA spread to other countries, adapted to local needs and became a global lifestyle icon.
The exhibition also showed prototypes that never made it to the stores. It was a really interesting visit.
In the evening we went just across the road to the restaurant Grillen. Completely furnished with IKEA pieces of course, but offering a slightly more upscale menu than your traditional IKEA restaurant! We had some tapas looking dishes, and everything was absolutely delicious.
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