Since the first Ikea opened in the UK in 1987, families have grappled with the frustrations of flat-pack furniture to fill their homes with the Scandinavian store’s designs – and today it is the nation’s largest furniture retailer.
Now, to mark 30 years in Britain, Ikea has transformed a London house to recreate living rooms through the decades.
Here, SARAH RAINEY takes a look at the good, the bad – and the downright bizarre.
The 1980s
From the Jane Fonda workout video and David Bowie vinyls on the bookcase to My Weekly magazine on the table, this room is unmistakeably Eighties: bold prints, clashing colours and statement furniture everywhere.
Consumerism was on the rise in this era and house-proud Britons wanted to put what they owned on display.
Red was the most popular colour for the iconic Klippan sofa; walls were often painted blue and many items, from rugs to tables, were look-at-me round rather than rectangular. Note the zig-zag shelves; completely impractical, but certainly a talking point.
‘People were very proud of their homes in the Eighties,’ explains Clotilde Passalacqua, Ikea UK’s interior design leader.
The 1990s
By the Nineties, Ikea started to understand the British way of living. Laurent Tiersen, Ikea’s UK brand manager, explains they do more than 200 house visits a year to understand how people use the rooms in their homes.
Entertaining was a big trend in this era; sideboards, soft-lighting lamps and stackable tables (handy for canapés or drinks) were bestsellers – as was glassware including champagne flutes.
One of the iconic pieces of the decade was the PS 1995 clock, which came with an in-built liquor cabinet – another must for sociable homeowners.
Colours were neutral: magnolia walls, beige soft furnishings and wood floors. Matching furniture was important, with coordinating cushions, curtains and accessories such as these beanbags.
The 2000s
From the high-gloss surfaces to the cow hide rug and a faux fireplace, the turn of the century was all about experimenting.
This kind of gaudy feature wall – as seen on TV home makeover shows such as Changing Rooms and DIY SOS – appeared across the country as families rejected the bland serenity of Nineties interiors.
‘DIY was on the rise and people wanted to express their personalities in their living rooms,’ Clotilde says. ‘They liked trying out bold wallpaper and dark, daring colours such as black and purple. Everything was minimalist and contemporary: sleek surfaces, monochrome furnishings, industrial textures like plastic and chrome.’
As flights got cheaper and Britons travelled more, they brought back mementos to decorate their homes. Glass-fronted display cabinets, whose popularity had waned since the Sixties, were back in fashion.
The future
With its clinical lighting, bleached furniture and hushed atmosphere, it may look a little like a dentist’s surgery – but the home of the future has plenty of surprises in store.
On one wall are Floalt light panels, motion-activated by sensors in the ceiling, which have modes including soft sunset, white and dark. At present the panels (£55 for a 30cm square) are operated by a dimmer switch, but it is hoped in future we will control them with our phones.
‘The home of the future is all about control: homeowners want to be in charge with technology at their beck and call,’ says Clotilde. ‘They’re also conscious of the environment, saving energy and sustainability.’
