ikea ommjänge

Happy days on set with model Aili, art director Mulle Metcalfe and producer Anna Olsson taking this picture.

I am holding a bowl designed by Maria Vinka for this IKEA OMMJÄNGE collection.

Darlings,

Here is another saga on one of my many favorite topics, More Folklore.

This time it is about the IKEA collection OMMJÄNGE, where I was part of the creative team creating the global campaign. It is always such a joy to be part of the IKEA marketing and communications team, creating the set designs for their global campaigns.

The OMMJÄNGE collection is only available for a limited time, so if you’ve seen anything that you like - make sure to get it while you can. Once the supply is out, it will not come back.

I got the chance to see the prototypes in the early spring of 2024 ,and amongst my faourites through the project where the glassware designed by Maria Vinka. The combination of the brown see-through glass with the opaque white looks both playful and has a historic tale to tell. Also the cute cabinet in pink and orange designed by Mathilda Hunyadi - a favourite with roots in Swedish historic homes from centuries ago.

So, what is this IKEA OMMJÄNGE saga about?

Well, the inspiration for this collection was the way furniture looked and felt back in the day. Back when Scandinavian style was anything but white, sleek and minimalistic. Back in the day when it was all about mixing patterns, bold colours everywhere, on the walls, on ceilings, no surface was left without either color or decor and items were created by hand. If you have been to the open air museum Skansen here in Stockholm you know what I am talking about, if you have not been - then have a look here to get a hint.

Folklore, one of my many favorites

Image styled and produced by me with carefully sourced modern day items placed in one of the many Swedish historical buildings in the open air museum Skansen. See more about this story, here.

As seen published in Elle Decoration Netherlands and Elle Decoration Sweden.

Photo by James Stokes.

Back in the day, here in Sweden and in many places around the world - a brides dress was not white when she was about to marry. Her gown would have been merrily coloured, often with a black base and on top of that embroideries of imaginary flowers in brightly colored silk threads mixed with geometric patterns in contrasting hues. Colored textiles where rare and expensive, so of course one would elevate ones appearance in this manner for the big day. Paper was also rare and expenive, especially colored paper, so instead of wearing a crown made of ,say beautiful freshly picked flowers from the nearby meadow - the bride would have precious flowers made out of thin, colored paper as a crown. Only the finest, most colorful was good enough for her on the special day.

A typical Swedish folkloric brides dress from a couple of centuries ago.

As seen at the Dalarnas Museum in Falun.

Another example of typical Swedish Folkloric fashion from the past.

As seen at Dalarnas Museum in Falun.

And as so happened, around the year 1846 the artist Nils Månsson Mandelgren was traveling around in rural Sweden where he sketched a bride in Vånga on her wedding day. A couple of centuries later that very sketch is where designer Maria Vinka and Mathilda Hunyadi picked up the thread and in their turn started to sketch out a collection for ikea around the theme Nordic Folklore. Inspired by the colours, materials and shapes from the bride in Vångas dress.

Nils Månsson Mandelgrens sketch of the Bride in Vånga

Original Scandi style, from 1846

When we in the creative marketing team got the chance to see the products for us to create the global campaign for the collection now known as OMMJÄNGE, we talked a lot about how life was lived back in the day here in Sweden. Colorful interiors filled with patterns and handcrafted items, yes. But also, very poor. Homes were only grand for the very few that had the means, the many people out there usually lived in one tiny cabin. One (1) tiny room where everything happened and everyone in the family lived together, mom, dad, all of the kids - and these were often many, plus a few grandparents.

The original Scandinavian style.

Part of a historical home belonging to what once was an upper class family, exhibited in its entirety at the open air museum Skansen here I Stockholm.

Including actors dressed in time appropriate clothing (not pictured here), engaged in everyday chores, just like it would have been back in the day. They will gladly tell you all a bout the daily life and customs of those times.

We translated this thought to modern times and created the concept around the kind of person living in a tiny home in present times. Maybe it is someone that chose this as a way of getting away from the grid ,and back to a simpler way of life, with lesser but better items. Furniture and items both then and now needed to cater to more needs than just one. Stackable, foldable, multipurpose objects that also serve as decorations in their own presence.

One of my simple sketches handed over to the skillful carpenters, created for this IKEA OMMJÄNGE set.

A tiny home, with all functions needed in one room.

Most of the functions integrated in the interior architecture itself, all built in wood.

The bed frame with storage underneath, a tiny kitchen, built in walls and a pillar for the fire place.

A modern day cabin was what we continued working on and that is what I sketched out. We wished for a container and our producer got hold of a perfect example, with floor to ceiling windows on three sides and an opening at the front. For the inside ,I made the sketches for the essentials to be mostly integrated as parts of the interior architecture. The bedframe, shelves, a tiny kitchen, a pillar for the fireplace/stove, all built in, mostly in wood. Wood being the predominant material in interiors both then and now ,and for this collection.

I chose to work with tiles in the entry and around the fireplace. Placed in a checkered pattern, inspired by traditional weaving techniques.

The tiles are from Golvabia.

We translated our thoughts around the historical Scandinavian home into this concept.

A modern day, joyful tiny home, a cabin, with all functions needed in one room.

Hope you enjoyed this IKEA collection, the campaign that we thoughtfully created for it, the images and this text where I tried to explain our thoughts when creating it all :)

If you would like to read more on the same topic, about Folklore, you are welcome to click here and here. To see all the images we created for this IKEA OMMJÄNGE collection, click here. For more IKEA behind the scenes, click here.

Have a nice day!