I love industrial design and admire IKEA for making it accessible to the general public. Apparently, I’m not the only one. When IKEA opened its Atlanta store in 2005, lines wrapped around the block just to get in! Masses of crowds stood in the hot sun for hours waiting to buy furniture and accessories, and see what the big deal was all about. (I waited a few months before going and even then, it was a zoo.)
Given the excitement surrounding new ventures of this Swedish furniture company, it’s no surprise that word of the new IKEA museum is starting to spread. This month, IKEA opened a new corporate museum in its original store in Älmhult, Sweden. Prior to converting the 1943 store into the museum, IKEA had a small historic collection on display, bringing in around 12,000 visitors a year. I’m sure this new museum will hit those numbers in no time!
On display are exhibits about the company’s founding and decade-by-decade period rooms of original IKEA furnishings. Just looking at the photos that are starting to leak out, this museum is definitely one I’d like to visit. Now, if only it were near a major airport…
