Broad City‘s Abbi might be captain of the Bed, Bath, and Beyond cheer squad, but you can find us in IKEA’s corner. Since 1943, the Swedish superstore has blessed us with inexpensive and deceptively minimalist (did you think that Vittsjo would take seven hours and a Rosetta Stone to build when you bought it? Didn’t think so) furniture. But those pristine white Dombås and Åfjärdens better brace themselves for the brand’s completely unexpected new collaborator: Belgium’s most balls-to-the-wall design maverick, Walter Van Beirendonck.
Van Beirendonck, known for his bubble wrap pants and neon feather crop tops, was tapped to create five prints for IKEA that will be incorporated in a full range of interior design objects.
In a short video produced by IKEA, the designer explains his desire to tell a story through his collaborative textiles. This lead him to develop a guiding concept he’s dubbed Wondermooi (Flemish for “beautiful”) in which characters live inside clouds. “Every character had a very specific pattern and specific look. I used this to create different ranges of prints and fabrics,” the Anterwep Six God said.
No images of cloud covered cushions—sorry, Kråkris—have been released yet, but you can spend an entire Saturday wandering through your local IKEA in pursuit of Van Beirendonck’s collection in June 2016.
Credits
Text Emily Manning
Portrait Ronald Stoops