Launches & Releases

Ikea Created a Whole Collection for Your Tiny Apartment

By Chavie Lieber Jul 21, 2014, 1:15pm EDT

Items from Ikea's 2015 catalog, which will released this August.

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

After more than 50 years in the furniture business, Ikea decided to perform its very first global company survey. The goal of the survey was to "[dig] into how the world wakes up by tuning in to eight different metropoles in eight different countries [to investigate] the morning routines, habits and wishes of those who live there." Ikea then used the study's findings—sourced from residents of Berlin, London, Moscow, Mumbai, New York, Paris, Shanghai and Stockholm—to inform the creations of several new products in its 2015 collection.

The report, Life at Home, found that many people in small apartments are unhappy with their space and storage options. Some of the Ikea survey data—like that 70 percent of Americans share a bathroom and 40 percent of the population works from home in the morning and competes for space—helped the creative team decide which storage options were most important.

As a result, Ikea's 2015 collection is focused on the bedroom and bathroom. Its new products, along with the PS 2014 series designed to target global hipsters, will be available in stores early next month.

Ikea has updated its Malm bed in a new finish and with more storage functions.

The new items include a portable, wheeled canvas wardrobe for $24.99, which is a perfect solution for people in tight spaces because it can be moved out of sight when needed, as Ikea employees explained to Racked at press event in SoHo last week. Another new item, the updated MALM bed for $399, has anchors that lift the bed frame completely for storage access, in case certain renters don't have enough wall space for closets.

Ikea also updated its classic PAX wardrobe system, the first time this wardrobe has seen a makeover since 2004. The wardrobe, $740, now includes drawers with "soft close" capabilities and LED lights so you're not waking your spouse up while getting dressed in the morning with slamming drawers or turning on the lights. The wardrobe also comes with several alternatives for hanging space and storage space, like clear drawers to show off accessories and felt compartments for undergarment separation.

Ikea's classic PAX wardrobe system now comes with LED lights and soft-close drawers.

Ikea employees at the press event also noted that based on the global report, people often use their living space for offices as well. They pointed to the new drawer system, Nordli, as a solution. The drawers, which come with eight different pieces for many customized variations, have finished backs so they can be used as room dividers or even as office furniture in apartments. For those working from home, Ikea employees also noted they will love the new Gunnern lockable cabinet, retailing for $29.99 because, they noted that, all visitors go through medicine cabinets at some point or another.