IKEA’s New Collection Looks Straight Out of 1800s Sweden — and it’s Surprisingly Fresh

Borrowing trends from the past isn’t anything new. Just look at the success of retro-inspired kitchen appliances and the comeback of vintage decor. IKEA’s upcoming OMMJÄNGE range also takes its cue from history, traveling back to 19th-century rural Sweden for inspiration.

Today’s Desirable Designs Find Inspiration in the Past

Look around and you’ll realize that many of today’s trends aren’t brand-new. Instead, plenty of the things we love today were first popular once upon a time, decades, even centuries ago.

According to Zillow’s latest trends report, terms like “nostalgia” and “vintage” are on the rise in real estate listings, showing increases of 14% and 9% respectively.

Perhaps it’s because many people find something comforting in things they remember from their childhoods. Indeed, nostalgia can elicit positive feelings and imbue us with a sense of peace.

But these nods to the past go well beyond what we remember when we were kids. The same report even shows an uptick in back kitchens, akin to Victorian-era sculleries.

People like the idea of a secondary kitchen where the dirty side of meal prep and cooking remains hidden. Today, these spaces might not be used for all of the same reasons they were historically, but the concept has roots in the past.

A survey of interior designers from Chairish revealed that 70% of designers are buying more vintage pieces for their projects. And you don’t have to be a design aficionado to know the enduring timelessness of classic styles like mid-century modern and Scandinavian.

IKEA Gets It: Bringing Back Vintage and Reimagining the Past

IKEA made its debut in 1943, starting small with its founder, 17-year-old Ingvar Kamprad, selling wallets and pens. At its core, IKEA has always focused on making the most of a little, which is evident in its space-saving designs and simple, clean styles.

The Swedish superstore is also a genius at recognizing when something works. Good design doesn’t fade away over time and get replaced with something brand-new. Instead, it reemerges, often with a fresh look or a modern twist.

When the store celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2023, it did so by paying homage to some of its most iconic pieces with the NYTILLVERKAD collection. Items like the MILA swivel chair got a makeover into the new DYLINGE chair, which features an added leg for extra stability.

Another great example of design being continually inspired by the past is the BAGGBODA side table, currently a customer favorite and featured item in the IKEA Summer Sale. The piece is a revamped version of IKEA’s original CROMI table, which designer Karin Mobring created using inspiration from the Bauhaus art movement of the early 20th century.

Most recently, IKEA is at it again, blending vintage and modern aesthetics and function with the new IKEA OMMJÄNGE collection. Merging old and new continues to work because the new products build on past successes, whether it’s giving new IKEA pieces vintage makeovers, or designing a brand-new series inspired by age-old Swedish folklore.

Creating the OMMJÄNGE Range for IKEA

Imagine a time of scarcity, when people lived in tiny cabins, eating, sleeping, and socializing in one room. This was the epitome of living in rural Sweden in the 1800s.

However, these spaces were anything but bland and boring. On the contrary, they held unexpected colors, patterns, and surprises, including a beautiful bridal portrait from 1846. This portrait became a defining, inspiring moment for the collection’s designer, Maria Vinka.

That image became my canvas, on which I painted a new story with intricate patterns and vibrant colors to evoke curiosity and integrate history into contemporary design. I hope people embrace the historical connection and appreciate the roots of our Swedish heritage.”

Vinka teamed up with industrial designer Matilda Hunyadi to create a colorful collection that showcases practicality and playfulness. The series shatters the stereotype that tradition equals boring. Instead, the pieces encompass a variety of historical influences while remaining fresh and relevant to today’s consumers. Hunyadi says,

Connecting to our heritage keeps us grounded in a fast-evolving world. OMMJÄNGE celebrates our history in a playful way.”

The OMMJÄNGE Series Embraces the Idea of Less Is More

The growing trend toward small-space living creates the perfect stage for the OMMJÄNGE collection. The pieces invite people to ponder the idea that having less room encourages more creativity. When you have limited space, you need versatile solutions, but that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve stylish pieces.

The collection also reinforces the ongoing trend and benefits of reinventing and embracing design trends from yesteryear. No matter where you live, the pieces in this series are sure to encourage conversation, spark joy, and show that there’s still plenty we can learn from the past.

Look for IKEA’s OMMJÄNGE collection this fall, September 2025. The limited series will be in select stores and online.

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