An interview with Viveca Olsson, the creative leader behind IKEA’s STOCKHOLM range 2017.

It’s wonderful now that Summer is here. We have been lucky with the warm and dry weather in London.

I’ve enjoyed spending more time in our garden. It’s actually quite therapeutic to have that quiet time with nature, to unwind and think.

We’ve invested in an IKEA outdoor sofa, and I’ve decided to style it with the new IKEA STOCKHOLM range.
Here are some of the IKEA STOCKHOLM 2017 products, styled in my living space.  I was excited with the opportunity to interview Viveca Olsson, the creative leader behind IKEA STOCKHOLM.
It’s always fun to delve behind the creative process of a collection.

So here goes: What has been the key inspiration for STOCKHOLM 2017?

VO: STOCKHOLM collection always take its inspirations from nature. This time the blue colour comes from my private photo of a winter night sky in South Sweden, and the orange came from a beautiful sunset image. Talk me through the design process for creating a new iteration of the STOCKHOLM collection.

VO: We take extra care in designing the best quality in our range. Care in material, tactile surfaces, details, colours, sizes and proportions to be long living products over time in different living situations. I like to see the new products as a continuation of the previous collection, with new elements. We wanted to continue the visual direction, but make sure it felt new. We also continued to work with the same values in mind that STOCKHOLM has always stood for — exciting quality for everyday use, long-lasting products made with graceful materials, pieces with well-thought-out, everyday functions and warm, human qualities with a caring, homely feel. The STOCKHOLM collections are also about wellbeing, sustainability, and most of all convenience. What is your favourite piece from this year’s STOCKHOLM collection?

VO: The rattan products, for the beautiful tactile expression and the sofa is my absolute favourite piece. It’s a 24/7 sofa — somewhere to socialise, relax, sleep, eat, work, do homework, play, listen to music, be together, and have a space of your own. It’s casual, convenient, comfortable, and beautiful, with many uses, and is made to fit any expression of style. I believe it will become the favourite piece in many homes. How important is showcasing sustainably sourced materials in STOCKHOLM?

VO: Sustainability is one of the key pillars of the IKEA Democratic Design process and STOCKHOLM is no different. In each element of the design, we have worked closely with suppliers to ensure that, where possible, materials are sustainably sourced and recyclable. Rattan and glass feature heavily in this year’s collection. Is this responding to trends which we are seeing in the home?

VO: We like the tactility in both- the materials are different and makes an interesting contrast. We were looking for materials with a soft, smooth touch in order to give the collection a sense of warmth and a homely feel.

Materials with different textures that would work well together, such as rattan, velvet, hand-blown glass, woven carpets, as well as the natural feel of beautiful wood like ash. Why do you think STOCKHOLM continues to be a popular range for IKEA?

VO: The collection is a perfect example of our Democratic Design process, and our customers love the stylish designs of the IKEA STOCKHOLM ranges. We are sure that it will continue to be popular for years to come!

Hope you’ve enjoyed reading Viveca Olsson’s responses to the questions posed. It’s always so interesting to get a behind the scenes view.

You can find many of the IKEA STOCKHOLM products used for this post’s garden styling here.

I will be back soon with more outdoor living posts. Have a good day all.

( All photography and styling are by Geraldine Tan, editor of Little  Big Bell. The IKEA STOCKHOLM home wares were gifted to me.. this is a sponsored collaboration with IKEA UK. All views are my own. )