Ikea's creative director on interior trends for 2025: "The days of over-styled mood boards are over"

We work with our Democratic Design model, which has six parameters. If the price, construction, and quality are right, then it's ready for me. At IKEA, it's a big balancing act because our prices have to be affordable for everyone. Sometimes the price gets too high, and then I say: We're not ready yet; we need to change something. Maybe it's the material, maybe the construction. We test things for a long time because we now offer a 25-year guarantee—that's not something to be taken for granted. When everything comes together, that's the moment for me.

Vintage IKEA is currently experiencing a huge hype. Do you sometimes look at what's going for high prices on eBay and think, "Maybe we should reissue that?"

Absolutely. For example, in the new "Stockholm" collection, we have another rattan cabinet – we've had it before, but we've redesigned the model, this time with sliding doors and more stable shelves.

Which pieces do you find surprisingly expensive to resell?

These are mostly the old pieces. For example, armchairs from the early 1960s that Ingvar Kamprad ( the founder of IKEA, editor's note) designed himself – very rare pieces.

Do you have a favorite Ikea piece from the archives?

That's hard to say, I have a lot. But in an old PS collection, there was a daybed version by Nike Karlsson with a white leather upholstery—it's great.

What does your home look like? Is there a lot of Ikea?

I have Ikea pieces, which I mix with vintage and other furniture. My basics, like mattresses and shelves, are from Ikea. And I have pieces from special collections, for example, from Piet Hein Eek. It's a mix.

What general interior trends are you currently observing?

More natural materials. Plastic is being used less – even though we use a lot of recycled plastic at IKEA. But instead, we use a lot of oak and pine veneers, for example.

And in terms of color?

Blue is very strong. Brown and wood tones are also strong. Add accent colors like orange and blue. This way, you can quickly create a new look with small elements.

Does this mean that the beige-grey era is slowly coming to an end?

I think so! First, everything was gray, then beige – and now things are mixed again; everything is less coordinated. People are combining vintage, something extravagant, or secondhand. I think the days of the overly styled mood board are over.