IKEA PS 2026
My history with Ikea and what I bought and plan on buying from their newest collection.
On Thursday morning, I did my usual 30-minute Instagram scroll. That's when I learned that Ikea was launching their PS 2026 collection that very day. I immediately went on the Ikea app to check the wares and was not disappointed.
But first, some context.
- Ikea's PS collections
- Ikea and me
- PS 2026
- Quality checking in person
- What we bought
- What we will buy
- Buy now, cry later
Ikea's PS collections
PS 2017 – Live It! collection. (Source)
The "Post Scriptum" (PS) collection first launched in 1995, by 18 young Scandinavian designers who wanted an addendum to Ikea's standard range.
"The common denominator for all the collections has been to develop Scandinavian design and make good design available to the many people." (Source)
The designs are more experimental and playful, teetering on the precipice between fun and functional. Some pieces might even feel like a prototype, where later, a revised version makes it way into the main Ikea collection.
You can learn more about the origins of the PS collection via their online museum.
A lot of these are now going for double or triple their original price tag on secondhand shops.
Ikea and me
Ikea was a huge influence in my childhood. My mother was an artist and designer, so our home was filled with her paintings as well as self-made furniture. She didn't care for designer pieces so Ikea was an affordable and welcomed option.
As a child, my imagination was my home, and I dreamed of a room completely decorated in Ikea furnishings. I eagerly awaited their seasonal catalogs and read them cover to cover, dog-earing my favorite spreads. My treasured catalogs were stored alongside my books.
My preteen heart yearned for this side table. (Source)
As much as I would like to continue down memory lane, I fear it is getting in the way of the main topic.
PS 2026
A crop of the collection.
With the influence of social media, I find that lately, design is becoming more homogenized, from home furnishings to posters and everything in between. The new range is no exception, featuring bright, trendy color combinations of pale blue, pink, electric orange, and rich aubergine.
The elements and shapes also feel familiar, like an echo of something that already exists, whether from Ikea's previous collections or from other brands. For example, I definitely see that they took some, uh, inspiration from the Danish brand, Hay.
Ikea's lamp on the left; Hay's PC Portable Lamp on the right, which they launched a few years ago. (This color is no longer available.)
But that's Ikea for you: making high-end design affordable to the middle-class family.
And while the example above can be interpreted as inspiration rather than blatant copying, I believe that stealing from other designers is WRONG, and exceptionally vile when it's a large corporation stealing from an individual, lesser known artist.
Quality checking in person
It's always worth paying the store a visit to test out the furniture and wares because stylized photos are meant to sell, so the actual quality can be cheap and/or poorly made. I'll happily pay more for an item that will last me decades.*
* I was once told by a Swedish person that if Ikea priced something higher, then the quality is solid. IDK if this is true and whether simply being Swedish meant that he was a credible source.
Due to social media, a new launch could mean that items sell out quickly. Ikea's last few collabs and products that went viral proved this. Thus, and with nothing better to do, we decided to check out the collection in person the very next day, to make sure that it lived up to our expectations.
First look at the collection.
Thankfully (for my wallet), I didn't want it all. I decided to pass on their paper masks. The base material was described as "moulded paper pulp" which sounded like a thick hand-made paper. Nope, it's just paper. Like, construction paper. It's only 6.95 CHF for three masks but that's 100% not worth it.
I really wanted the pine shelving unit which looked like an improved, sturdier version of their failed relaunch of the BYAKORRE shelf, but it was too wide to fit in the bedroom and Daniel didn't like that the wood was completely unfinished.
I argued that it's so people can paint it however they liked, but he said he "knew me" and said that I would never get around to it. Despite his lack of belief in my abilities, I had to concede that it wouldn't be the right fit for the bedroom.†
† I want to create a reading nook and move my big comfy recliner to the bedroom. Technically this shelf and the recliner could fit, but it would be very squished and the shelf would be off-center. I'd rather search for a smaller credenza or sideboard.
What we bought
Solid birch rack with 5 hooks; 14.95 CHF. (Source)
My long-time contender was the much more expensive Hay Korpus Shelf but I couldn't decide on the colors and didn't like how tiny the hooks were. Well, now I don't need to worry about that and saved 90 bucks. Downside: I won't have a shelf to decorate but I'm sure I'll manage.
Chair, bright blue; 79.95 CHF. (Source)
This was a Daniel purchase. He has a weakness for chairs and water bottles. He previously bought the ergonomic Varier Kneeling Chair (in forest green), but eventually sold it because it was quite uncomfortable. The point of the chair is to get one to move around, but we could never manage to sit in it properly. My feet would go numb within like, 10 minutes of sitting. Maybe we're just not ergonomic enough.
Anyway, this Ikea chair offers some variation of sitting for a fraction of the price. (TBH, I wouldn't be surprised if they also took inspiration from the Varier chairs, as the two colors available are similar to the Varier colorways.)
And finally, Daniel bought the dimmable LED portable lamp mentioned earlier in the post, in blue, for 34.95 CHF. Compared to their other lamps, this one feels solid and sturdy. The base is made of steel and the bulb can be replaced. It can also be charged with a USB-C cable and the battery lasts for 10 hours. So far, so good.
What we will buy
We bought what we could carry. We don't drive, so we have to take the bus 40 minutes out to Ikea (why is it always 40 minutes away from where you live), and carry everything on our backs and in our arms to our apartment. Thus, we'll have to purchase the larger furniture online.
Short story
We actually made two trips that day because Daniel came home and built the chair without reading instructions and kinda messed it up. Since we have an Ikea Family Card, they said we could exchange it free of charge. So we made the journey back and had dinner there, which was what enticed me to come along. (And I had bought an all-day ticket so the bus ride would have been "free.") Daniel was willing to pay extra money for them to build the chair for him ("I was nearly done building the chair and I don't want to do it again," he said), but they ended up building it for free.
The main reason I wanted to buy from this collection was because we had just been discussing our guest bed situation. We currently offer an air mattress and I wanted to up our game because I have been staying in peoples' lovely guest beds and I want to provide a similar, comfortable experience.
We were saying how the best solution would be if a bed folded up into a chair when it wasn't in use so we could leave it in the office (where our guest would stay).
Low and behold:
Chair-bed, Skiftebo bright orange; 299 CHF (Source)
Yeah it's not cheap, but it's a chair that also transforms into a bed! Plus, this would be a joint purchase so we'd go halfsies.
Glass-door cabinet, light pink; 169 CHF (Source)
I'd been searching for a cabinet solution for bathroom. Right now, we're using the flimsy RÅGRUND shelving unit which I've come to detest. For 69 CHF, it's not worth it at all.
I hate that it sways slightly, and one thing I've learned is that exposed shelving is a concept for CLEAN and TIDY people. The RÅGRUND shelf collects dust like no other, and when things get dirty and grimy, I tend to stop taking care of them. We also use the RÅGRUND under-the-sink shelf which is even more gross.
The PS 2026 cabinet feels perfect: it's in my favorite color, the grid pattern looks like mesh but it's completely encased in glass so you can see your items, which I've heard is a problem for some neurodivergent people (you tend to forget things you don't see).
Unfortunately, it wasn't perfect for Daniel because we'd have to move the litter box next to the toilet, and he doesn't want to do that. I almost let Daniel sway me until I realized that I've been casually searching for a solution and haven't found ANYTHING better, so this is it. And I just love it and want it in my life right now.
Folding chair, birch blue/black red; 59.95 CHF. (Source)
Ok, so I'm a bit skeptical about this one. I love the colors but we don't really need these chairs. Daniel hates our current dining chairs though (they are fake Cesca Cane chairs that I scored at the thrift store for 15 CHF a pop; we only have 3 cause one broke and Daniel immediately threw it out even though I insisted I could've fixed it!!), and Daniel would rather us buy a full set of these chairs to replace them, which is a resounding NO from me.
We were also unable to test them at the store as the only two were props that were fixed onto the shelves, and I'm hesitant to buy something I can't try out first. However, since we only have 3 chairs and a few stools (and we usually have about 2-3 guests over), I figured that as a compromise, we can buy 1-2 chairs in which I would also hang them onto the wall when unused, as in the picture.
The only reason I'm also ok with buying this is because there is a resale value when it comes to these limited edition Ikea pieces. As mentioned, one piece I was looking at from the PS 2017 collection, the wire cabinet designed by Nike Karlsson‡, is now selling at 1,199 CHF on Ricardo. I don't remember the original price, but it was definitely a fraction of that.
‡ I wish I bought this back in the day. Kicking myself now.
Buy now, cry later
You could say that home goods and furniture are my "special interest," and with any of these comes the downside of wanting to buy things you can't afford and spending too much money. As mentioned yesterday, to offset this, I finally willing to sell other coveted pieces I was holding onto but are now sitting on the floor collecting dust, like the Ikea x Hay YPPERLIG table lamp and Hay Tray Table in toffee.
In addition to passing down a love of home decor and Ikea, my mother also passed down the tendency to hoard things, a habit that both my sister and I are trying to correct as adults. I'm trying to be as responsible and mindful as possible, and I've come a long way from my compulsive eBay bidding days where I bought absolute junk simply because I could. However, I am still human and I will bend to a glass cabinet in dusty pink.
While I respect the minimalist lifestyle, that just isn't for me. I tried it once and it made me sad. I am a maximalist through and through. Give me that dopamine decor, right fucking now.