Ikea is selling two iconic pieces of furniture in bright new colors

Ikea proudly touts its Swedish design, but two of its favorite and longest-running pieces were actually made by a Japanese designer. Ikea coaxed designer Noboru Nakamura out of retirement to reimagine his popular Klippan sofa and Poäng armchair in bright primary colors for the latest edition of its anniversary Nytillverkad collection , out in August.



Nakamura was born in Hokkaido, Japan, and studied at the Carl Malmsten Furniture School and the University of Arts, Crafts and Design in Sweden before joining Ikea in 1975. He collaborated with Ikea on the new collection before died last year.



[Photo: Ikea]



Nakamura often credited simplicity as key to his work. “The Japanese flag only has a circle,” Nakamura said. “It’s so simple. I like to approach my design in a similar way.”



Nakamura’s Klippan sofa wasn’t immediately a bestseller when Ikea first released it in 1980, but it eventually became a fan favorite thanks in part to washable covers. For its rerelease, the sofa comes in a bold red, yellow, or blue.



[Photo: Ikea]



Poäng gets an update



For the release of Poäng (originally released in 1977), Nakamura gave the chair a lower back, removed the headrest, and changed the originally laid-back angle of the chair to be more upright. While inflation has the price of some other furniture pieces going up, Ikea says its Poäng armchair is 21% cheaper now due to its ability to be flat packed. When it first came out, the chair had a tubular steel seat, and it’s now made from a wood frame.



[Photo: Ikea]



“New designs are normally more expensive to produce,” Ikea production innovation leader Sebastian Svensson said in a statement. “But by making adjustments to an already existing production lie, the prince for Poäng low-back armchair can start low.”



Ikea has previously rereleased other items for its Nytillverkad collection, including an updated Jerry stool and floral patterns from the 1970s. The company also announced its first-ever gaming furniture collection.