House style

Ikea joins forces with the Danish design firm, Hay

IT MAY BE BEST KNOWN for flat-pack furniture, picture frames and meatballs, but in recent years Ikea has been upping its design game. A series of limite d- e dition collab orations with designers including Ilse Crawford and Katie Eary has garnered rave reviews, and its latest, with Danish brand Hay, is set to continue that trend.

For fans of Scandi style, it’s a match made in heaven. Husband-and-wife team Rolf and Mette Hay, who founded their eponymous company in Copenhagen 15 years ago, have developed a sophisticated aesthetic that marries clean-lined contemporary design with shots of colour. They are also no strangers to collaboration themselves, having worked with designers and brands both emerging and established, among them Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and the fashion label Cos.

They are keen, however, not to be pi ge on hole d in the Scandinavian-design category. ‘We just try to do our best and work instinctively, aiming to create great products with value for money,’ says Rolf.

Ypperlig, their collection for Ikea, t a ke s that e thos one s t ep f ur ther. Drawing on Rolf ’s background in product development and Mette’s eye for colour and trends, it offers ‘a sprinkling of Hay’ at standard Ikea prices: candleholders start from £3, cushion covers are £5 each and a nest of three beech tables is £55. Pieces such as the indoor/ outdo or injection-moulde d pla stic chair might be a little on the industrial side for some, but others, for example the birch plank dining table (above, £150) and the quilted sofa, look far more expensive than they are.

While Rolf has focused on the larger pie ces of furniture, Mette’s forte is accessories, and she hasn’t stopped at tea-light holders: the blue Ikea bag has had a fashionable revamp. ‘It ’s one of the most widely known and used Ikea products, but one that no one appreciates as a design object, so we updated it in new patterns and colours,’ she says.

A design-led, price-conscious collection that even has a covetable carrier bag? It’s unlikely to stick around in store for long.