IKEA is the latest to jump on the wellness bandwagon, with a new, limited-edition collection of furnishings and decorative objects crafted from sustainably sourced cotton, rattan, linen, cork and solid pine. Shares designer Maja Ganszyniec, who created the line with Andreas Fredriksson, “With the Hjärtelig collection, we want to reach all your senses. Namaste.”
The collection was informed by The IKEA Life at Home Report 2017, which named smartphone use, bringing work home, and “fear of missing out” as major roadblocks to relaxation at home. IKEA points out, “Many people know that their mental and emotional well-being is as important as—and can actually affect—good physical health. In our busy, modern lives, we can often feel removed from nature and even ourselves. So the Hjärtelig collection invites us to press the ‘pause’ button, if only for a little while, on a daily life that’s often hectic, complicated and online.”
Hjärtelig brings the Zen with its low furniture, soft palettes and natural materials. Some of the pieces include a wall-mount headboard, a multiuse bed (two units make a couch and four make a bed), and a clothes rack/bench combo. The headboard “fits all types of beds and since you mount it to the wall, it’s easy to set up whenever you like,” says Ganszyniec. “I chose to make it in woven rattan, a decorative and natural material that makes your bedroom feel warm and snug.”
As for the evolution of the bench, she explains: “When we looked at bedroom habits, we realized that many of us have clothes in a pile. ... Here, you can hang clothes for tomorrow and clothes that you don’t want in the wardrobe or thrown in the laundry. Under the bench, you can store your nice shoes—and try them on seated. We were also inspired to create the matching Hjärtelig nightstand. Perfect for an evening book or your favorite plant.”
The wellness angle highlights the Swedish brand’s increased focus on sustainability. All the cotton IKEA uses has been recycled or grown in a “resource-efficient way” since September 2015; by 2020, all of the company’s wood will be recycled or certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). IKEA chose this collection’s materials, in part, for their sustainable harvesting and processing.
Also upcoming for the brand is the fourth-annual IKEA Art Event, which, starting next month, will introduce a limited-edition collection of crystal glass figurines by eight contemporary artists from around the world.
