Header: IKEA
Swedish furniture manufacturer IKEA follows the needs of urban city dwellers. The latest collection, named KOMPISHÄNG, consists of 13 portable pieces for those who need to move often and settle quickly. Made of solid pane wood, powder‑coated steel, and durable canvas.
Designed together with young adults
IKEA professionals spent time with central London residents aged 20-28 to gain valuable insight. After spending some time visiting the young Londoners’ homes, they gathered some valuable insight into their living patterns: improvised storage, moving boxes that doubled as furniture and a few selected objects taken from one rental to the next. Every furniture piece had to be lightweight, easy to transport, durable and look good in a small space.
Even before a single sketch was made, the company decided to include young people in the design process. Two recent participants of IKEA’s semiannual internship program for design graduates in Älmhult were included in the project from the start. Throughout their five-month-long internship, the interns initiated, tested and proposed six out of thirteen products.
One of the first insights they provided was colour-related. Realising that a colourful visual language looks noisy in small spaces, the interns advocated for a more restricted colour palette. Natural pine, soft beige with accents of red and green composed a calmer visual colour palette fit for smaller places.
Portable mattresses, tables, wardrobes…
Portability is the main quality of the KOMPISHÄNG collection. The solid pine desk can be set up with just two pulls and two clicks. No tools required. The foldable mattress features adjustable shoulder straps, so it can be carried as a backpack. Suitable for guestrooms, the mattress can easily transform into a pouffe for comfortable seating. The hanging wardrobe organiser can be zipped into a bag to carry the clothing from one place to another without unpacking.
Personalise your place
But portability isn’t the only quality that makes this collection stand out. Opportunities for customisation and personalisation are another. The solid pane mirror allows users to put photographs, tickets and reminders directly into the caved slots inside. Two door hangers, made in washable canvas and pine with 12 hooks, can turn any doors into a useful storage space without any screws.
The jute plant pot contains cover rolls to protect your plants in transport and ensure a safer relocation without extra packaging. The red metal bookend was also designed around a specific issue: the lack of bookshelves in rentals. The bookshelf enables users to easily move and showcase their book collection in every new rental.
“Even if you move often, you don’t want your home to feel temporary. We saw how carefully people chose the things they carried with them from place to place, and that insight shaped the collection. We wanted the collection to be portable but still have a permanent look, people should feel settled and considered.”
Dora Ding, Product Developer at IKEA
By making a new affordable, portable collection of furniture, IKEA ensures it will remain a popular choice among young generations of 20-somethings. The KOMPISHÄNG collection will be available in all IKEA markets starting August 2026.
