The 2021 IKEA Art Event Is Here - Elle Decor

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IKEA, the flatpack juggernaut responsible for revolutionizing home design and the Swedish meatball, has today unveiled a new limited-edition drop of home accessories in partnership with a group of international artists and designers. The 2021 IKEA Art Event—the company’s sixth such collection—features everyday objects playfully reimagined by artist Daniel Arsham (part of the design collective Snarkitecture), Tokyo-based collective Gelchop, Stockholm creative duo Humans Since 1982, Rotterdam-based product designer Sabine Marcelis, and German illustrator Stefan Marx.

“We want to show that being an artist or being a designer does not mean that you have to stay in one box,” said Henrik Most, a company creative director, in a press release. “You can work within different fields, and that this new movement [of straddling different disciplines] has had a profound impact both on the design and art scenes today.”

The 10-piece collection includes a graffiti-influenced vase, a shadowbox of (yes) mini faux drones, and (our personal favorite) lighting inspired by IKEA’s ubiquitous Allen wrench. Select items are available online now, but be sure to check with your local IKEA for in-store availability.

Peruse the IKEA Art Event offerings below—before they sell out.

IKEA Stefan Marx - Vase

$25 at IKEA

This sculptural glass vessel designed by German artist and illustrator Stefan Marx is a clear homage to some of his chief influences—skate culture, graffiti, and techno. “It’s great when art and functionality blur,” he said in a statement. And, when this vase is paired with some pretty spring blooms, we couldn’t agree more.

IKEA Sabine Marcelis - 16-Inch LED Wall Lamp

$60 at IKEA

Product designer Sabine Marcelis looked to the slashed paintings of Italian artist Lucio Fontana (a favorite of ELLE Decor A-List designer Axel Vervoordt) for this minimal luminaire. During the design process, Marcelis experimented with sheets of paper to achieve different optical effects. “I think a lot of inspiration comes from doing,” she said. The lamp comes in two sizes (12" and 16", shown here) and can be tuned to five different colors.

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IKEA Gelchop - LED Table Lamp

$50 at IKEA

“We are always thinking of ways to use existing items and combining the concepts or phenomena of different things to change the meaning or application of the original item in a fun, playful way,” Tokyo-based collective Gelchop said in an artist’s statement. And what better jumping-off point than IKEA’s ubiquitous Allen key? Here, the artists made it jumbo-sized and transformed it into a minimal LED table lamp.

IKEA Gelchop - LED Flashlight

$30 at IKEA

Here, another wrench-inspired piece, only now in the form of a flashlight—perfect for when you drop your actual Allen key between your sofa cushions during a marathon flatpack assembly session. Also available in silver.

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IKEA Stefan Marx - Throw

$25 at IKEA

Marx has also contributed a graphic, graffiti-inspired throw blanket into the mix. When unfurled, it reads: “I wait here for you forever as long as it takes”—the perfect message for a year of self-quarantine.

IKEA Daniel Arsham - Clock

$45 at IKEA

Here, artist Daniel Arsham (best known as part of the Snarkitecture design trio) makes time really fly in this surreal powder-coated steel-and-glass wall clock. “When I can latch onto something that people already know and it’s shifted outside of the everyday, that can be an interesting experience for them,” Arsham says.

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IKEA Humans Since 1982 - Drone Wall Art

$50 at IKEA

Is it a bird? A plane? For Stockholm-based design duo Humans Since 1982, it’s a drone. Here, replicas of the flying objects are scaled down and mounted in a shadowbox like butterflies. It’s meant to be a comment on technology and surveillance, but we think it would make a cool addition to a children’s room or office. Also available in a smaller, single-drone version.

Anna FixsenDeputy Digital EditorAnna Fixsen is the deputy digital editor of ELLE DECOR, where she oversees all facets of ELLEDECOR.com. In addition to editing articles and developing digital strategy, she writes about the world's most beautiful homes, reviews the chicest products (from the best cocktail tables to cute but practical gifts), and reports on the most exciting trends in design and architecture. Since graduating from Columbia Journalism School, she's spent the past decade as an editor at Architectural Digest, Metropolis, and Architectural Record and has written for outlets including the New York Times, Dwell, and more.Watch Next Advertisement - Continue Reading Below