We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.
If you’ve ever searched for vintage IKEA furniture online, you know that it’s a hot market. But now the Swedish retailer is making it easier than ever to purchase some of its most iconic pieces. This week in a presentation at Salone del Mobile in Milan (aka Milan Design Week), IKEA announced two new spins on products from the archives: the Klippan sofa and the Poäng armchair, both by Japanese designer Noboru Nakamura.
The Klippan sofa, which was introduced in 1980 and has been a bestseller ever since, had its catalog cover star moment in 1984 with three primary-colored puffy versions. “It’s so postmodern, it’s like a Lego piece,” says the brand’s creative leader, Karin Gustavsson, who didn’t want to change the colors—yellow, blue, and red—from how they appeared back then, so the company is launching slipcovers in those hues. “It would have been easy to do mint or even light pink, but this is cooler,” she says. She also loves the versatility of the sofa itself: “You can have two or three and push them together.” Much like, well, Legos.
The Poäng, which has been tweaked over the years into a rocker and lounger, will reappear this fall with a clipped look: a lower-back version sans headrest, which the designer, Nakamura, had in his own home but IKEA never produced. With the launch comes new mix-and-match colors: red, black, and a neutral birch. (We’re partial to the red frame with the off-white cushion.)
Both pieces, part of the vintage-inspired Nytillverkad collection, will launch this August—no time travel or online bidding required.