For Marcus Engman, head of design at IKEA, the value in receiving awards from an organisation that has been applauding the best in international design since 1955 has less to do with the accolade and more to do with the recognition of collaboration, innovation and circular thinking in design. ‘We are really happy and proud that IKEA has received these Red Dot Awards,’ says Marcus. ‘And they actually have something great in common. They all show that design can be bigger than just the design, that togetherness makes things better. That we can source waste together and turn it into KUNGSBACKA kitchen fronts; that we can create a DELAKTIG platform which others can add on to and develop further; and that we can make a party collection like FREKVENS, which encourages people to be together.’

The KUNGSBACKA design process started with a vision to create a more sustainable kitchen front, and ended with a product that marks an important step towards a more circular business. For IKEA, waste is a resource, not a problem. The kitchen’s stylish matt-black fronts are made of recycled wood and covered with plastic foil made from recycled PET bottles. ‘We are looking into new ways to reuse materials such as paper, fibre, foam and plastic, so that we can give them a new life in a new product,’ says KUNGSBACKA product developer Anna Granath.

Developed in collaboration with IKEA designers and Swedish consumer electronics company Teenage Engineering Sound System, the FREKVENS collection has all you need to throw a party, including speakers, a turntable and lighting. Research findings into the importance of music in young people’s lives was the starting point for the collection, which will be released in a small number of stores next year. ‘What’s needed to throw a great party at home? That’s what we wanted to explore with FREKVENS,’ says Michael Nikolic, creative leader at IKEA of Sweden. ‘Together with Teenage Engineering Sound System, we’ve explored the possibilities of bringing the party with you.’

‘We decided to challenge the traditional role of the sofa in a home,’ says James Futcher, creative leader at IKEA of Sweden, about DELAKTIG, the new sofa platform developed in collaboration with designer Tom Dixon. The team laid out a three-point plan of attack: industrialise the sofa, challenge traditional production methods and explore new materials. The core of the DELAKTIG platform is made from an extruded aluminium profile consisting of at least 50% recycled material. It is a sofa, a bed and much more… ‘DELAKTIG is a completely open-sourced and customisable sofa platform, made to suit the needs of the many people, wherever they are,’ says James.

All three winners will receive their awards on 9 July at the Red Dot Design Museum in Essen, Germany
First image: Red Dot