IKEA lovers from all over the world have made the IKEA Museum in Älmhult their go-to tourist destination in their travels across Sweden. Tourists and people on vacation take their time to see the museum that harbours all of IKEA’s history in one place. The museum opened its doors on June 30th, 2016.
It is located in the building of the very first IKEA store, established all the way back in 1958. The property is 3500 sq.m. and sports the restored interior of the original store. The museum attracts people who wish to see where everything began and how IKEA became such a phenomenon as to have stores in 28 countries around the world.
As of summer 2016, IKEA has approximately 360 stores. The flat-pack giant is giving the people what they want – the history of IKEA, presented via many interesting exhibitions.
IKEA has become the people’s go-to retailer because they are offering a wide variety of quality products which are affordable. Their speciality – flat pack furniture – is bought by millions because of their practicality, their low costs, and because they can be easily assembled. Now, you can have your new IKEA PAX wardrobe, bed, bookcase, or table delivered on the next day, which was something unheard of when the company was first founded in 1958.
The museum is divided into three parts, called “The Roots”, “Our Story” and “Your stories”.
The Roots
This is the first part of the museum and it tells the story of IKEA’s founder, Ingvar Kamprad. The stories range from his childhood idea of selling matchboxes to showing how he came up with the idea of IKEA and how it became an empire.
IKEA aficionados can see the very first company logo and how it changed before becoming the emblematic blue and yellow sign that we all know today.
Many people will probably be very surprised to find out that the initial IKEA store did not actually sell furniture. Instead, it was offering its customers trinkets of all kind, including socks and razors. The exhibitions, shown in “The Roots” manage to bring Ingvar Kamprad’s innovative ideas to light, conveniently showcasing the way in which he managed to transform IKEA from a humble shop into a major player in the flat-pack furniture industry.
Our Story
This part of the IKEA museum shows its 70 years of history. Here, visitors can marvel at rooms decorated with furniture from different decades, starting from the 50s. IKEA’s most sold pieces of furniture can also be seen on display, as well as the first flat-pack furniture – the Lövbacken side table.
I This IKEA exhibition also shows some of the more bizarre furniture that has been produced over the years, but one that never became popular and is no longer sold in stores.
Your Stories
This segment of the museum exhibit is dedicated to IKEA’s customers, who were deeply drawn to the Scandinavian designs, the affordable prices, and the practicality of the offered flat-packs. Your Stories presents how people have used IKEA’s furniture and products to furnish and decorate their homes.
The people’s stories are included in the exhibitions because they have helped the brand get where it is today. There are also other fun places in the museum that are dedicated to all the people who supported the company. There is also an IKEA catalogue cover that is available for photos. You can take a photo of yourself on the cover, which will be printed right away for your viewing pleasure.
The IKEA museum also has a restaurant and offers a program where you can learn about technology, design, entrepreneurship, society, and history. See more interesting facts about IKEA
