Ikea is building more than do-it-yourself furniture. The Swedish giant announced new brand partnerships with the likes of Adidas, Lego, and Sonos at the 2018 Democratic Design Days in Älmhult, Sweden last week, according to Fast Company.
It’s not yet clear exactly how all of these new products will fit into those tidy model rooms, though some examples seem more obvious than others. For example, the Sonos-Ikea networked speaker, called a Symfonisk, is only the first in what Ikea promises will be more audio products. The Symfonisk debuts in 2019. Another more unusual offering, a body scent called Osynlig, will come courtesy of perfume designer Ben Gorham. Big-name designers, including Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson and Swedish ceramicist and glass artist Per B Sundberg, are also planning new designs.
Like a nice Ikea table, some of the partnerships aren’t even fully built out yet. Lego is expected to announce more about its Ikea dealings “soon,” according to the Danish toy brick company.
One thing is certain. The new partnership program builds on other recent Ikea initiatives to bring more products and services under one roof, including its acquisition of Task Rabbit for an undisclosed price.
Last year, Ikea also announced that it would sell smart lights compatible with voice-command activated devices such as Amazon Echo and Google Home. The move placed Ikea in direct competition with Phillips Hue lights, one of the most popular smart bulbs on the market.
