There are pieces in IKEA’s catalog that have earned the right to be considered decor icons. Because a chair does not have to be signed by Mies van der Rohe or Le Corbusier to be a piece that forms part of interior design history. Nor does it have to cost thousands of euros. And the best proof, or proofs, in plural, can be found in the Swedish firm’s archive.
With its own museum and pieces so famous you don’t need to know how to pronounce their impossible names, we all recognize at a glance a BILLY bookcase, a POÄNG chair, or a HEMNES chest. But long before these IKEA icons, and with a name considerably more complicated, we find today’s subject: STRANDMON.
In this case, you may not recognize it by name, but by its silhouette. This wingback chair, one of the indispensable pieces in our grandmothers’ homes since we can remember, has been part of IKEA’s catalog since the early 1950s. In fact, it graced the cover in 1951 with a photograph of the STRANDMON that Ingvar Kamprad, founder of the Swedish company, had at home.
A few days ago we were talking here, in relation to the Primark Home bestseller armchair, that if something works, you don’t need to change it. New details are introduced. It improves. It innovates in how it’s shown to the world and sold. But it doesn’t change. And it’s clear that IKEA’s marketing geniuses have consciously applied this theory, because when one of its classics works, they reissue it, but do not modify its essence.
The IKEA armchair from the 1950s that your grandmother will love
«The first time we introduced this popular chair into our range was in the fifties. Seventy years later, it retains the same look, comfort, and artisanal design,” the company states about this high-backed chair, with rounded armrests and soft lines. What does change are its upholstery, which adapt to the season’s trends with the colors and prints of its covers.
This summer we saw how the limited edition of the HEMNES line in sage green swept the market, and with autumn’s arrival came new versions of BILLY that are also selling well. Now it’s STRANDMON’s turn, which in addition to its usual upholstery adds one with the season’s star print… and your grandmother’s favorite.
The footrest option costs 378 euros.
En este caso, IKEA apuesta por un elegante estampado pata de gallo en blanco y negro para STRANDMON, un print con esencia retro para poner esa nota de tendencia vintage que tanto se lleva esta temporada. ¿Mi opción favorita? Que lo conviertas en ese objeto inesperado de tu salón, dormitorio o despacho, ese mueble que no necesita combinar con nada más porque por sí mismo es capaz de acaparar todas las miradas.
Y es que no sé vosotras, pero es ver un print pata de gallo, y pensar automáticamente en mi abuela. Así que esta butaca orejera, una pieza con una silueta de por sí vintage, con este estampado en blanco y negro no me puede dar más esa sensación de mueble antiguo con historia (aunque lo acabemos de comprar en un parque comercial a las afueras por 279 euros) que me tiene fascinada.
With a green velvet finish and matching footrest.
If you prefer a simpler, timeless version, it is available in dark gray (239 euros) or in a warm beige micropile fabric (279 euros); in a mustard yellow ideal to become the color note of any room, and in an elegant moss green velvet (349 euros), perfect for a sophisticated living room with a luxurious touch.
