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As the final chapter closes on Ikea catalogue that defined our lives, revel in memories of . . .

Should you ever be lucky enough to visit Almhult in Sweden, there’s only one place to stay — the Ikea hotel. In the drawer of your sparse room, furnished with an Ikea bed, Ikea curtains and Ikea Grusblad duvet, you will find two publications: the Gideons New Testament and the Ikea catalogue.

It’s an apt metaphor for the incredible reach of a simple, glossy sales brochure.

At its peak in 2016, more than 200 million Ikea catalogues were printed, considerably more than the estimated 100 million Bibles each year.

But the Ikea catalogue, after 70 years in circulation and translations into 32 languages, has printed its final copy. The Swedish retailer has announced that with more consumers shopping online, i t made no sense to continue printing it.

Konrad Grüss, managing di r ector of I kea’s holding company, said: ‘It has inspired bi l l i o ns of people across the world.’

The first version was produced in 1951, a dismal black-and-white booklet put together by Ikea’s founder Ingvar Kamprad.

The company launched in 1943 selling fountain pens and cigarette lighters before Kamprad hit on the idea that would change the way we lived our lives.

he spotted someone unscrew the legs of a table to fit it into a c a r. Why not sell the furniture with the legs already removed, he thought, and make flat-pack furniture?

By the early 1970s, it was a glorious technicolour affair showcasing white pianos, orange corduroy s ofas and bright children’s furniture.

The first uK catalogue was produced in 1987 to coincide with t he s hop’s arri val in Warrington, Cheshire.

The catalogue i nspired a generation who were determined, in Ikea’s words, to ‘chuck out the chintz’ and usher i n some Scandi chic.

here are some of the most famous items that made their way into the Ikea catalogue.