Ikea Launches Eclectic Line by Swedish Artist Per B Sundberg

The unexpected collaboration includes red-clay skull planters and poodle-shaped taper holders

August 28, 2018

Föremål vase. Photo: Ikea

Eschewing its typical streamlined Scandinavian aesthetic, Ikea is launching a collaboration in September with one of Sweden’s most provocative artists, Per B Sundberg, commonly known as Pelle.

“I have always thought that I am an artist or maybe a sculptor,” Sundberg said earlier this year, noting that despite studying ceramics at Stockholm’s University of Arts and Crafts, “I have never called myself a craftsman or ceramicist.”

Dubbed Föremål, the limited-edition line comprises an eclectic array of what Ikea is calling “conversation pieces.” This includes stoneware vases, jewelry boxes, low-pile rugs, pillows, candleholders, and even a coat rack. Some of the pieces, like the skull-shaped planter made of silicone-treated red clay, were born out of the set design for a friend’s film, while other patterns are the result of magnifying everyday objects, including an egg carton and a pair of pajamas.

The Föremål collection. Photo: Ikea

In a statement, Ikea’s head of design, Marcus Engman, admitted that the collaboration—which came about after Sundberg’s sold-out 2015 show at Andréhn-Schiptjenko gallery—might seem like an unorthodox pairing. “But we have the same curiosity,” he said, “and we are driven by the same desire to challenge the accepted.”

For his part, Sundberg seems delighted to be toying with the furniture giant’s outsize visibility. “I enjoy doing different things and try to fight with people’s expectations,” he told Fast Company. “Now I can make a tray that is industrially produced and sold for under 10 euros, which makes my things accessible to a big audience. I like the democratic aspect of that.”

Föremål will launch in the U.S. in September in-store only. In the U.K., the collection will be available in London stores only and also online.