Iconic designer Tom Dixon has joined with IKEA to create the Living Platform, a concept that acts as a base for the many different functionalities of your life as it evolves. The projects comprises a series of components from which to build your life – beginning with an upholstered furniture base inside an aluminium frame structure. It allows for flexibility as components are added and taken away – cushions, a table, lighting or backrests, to name a few - to create a functional piece of furniture that you have essentially designed yourself.
The idea of the DELAKTIG project, says IKEA’s Head of Design Marcus Engman, “Is not to do a product, it’s to do a platform for other people’s creativity."
Designed to last a lifetime, the piece can be a bed, a sofa, a chaise lounge or any number of seating combinations. Bolt, slide or clamp other components and modules to customise as your heart desires.
“We don’t want to just make something that is beautiful, it needs to tick all the points of democratic design”
James Futcher
True to the essential IKEA concept, “[It needs to be] very functional, have good quality," says IKEA Creative Leader James Futcher. “But we’d also like it to hit the right price point so it can be available to the many people.”
Floor lamps can stand alone or be clamped onto the DELAKTIG; side tables attach to hold cocktails or bedside reading material – the options are endless and fascinating.
Covers are removable and available in an array or finishes to truly customise to your taste – demonstrating the genuine flexibility and design expertise at hand here. A neat chevron monochrome stripe makes way for a striking electric blue boucle loose throw cover, or perhaps an oddly elegant, dark and hairy haute couture monster-like suit that would have Han Solo pining for his best friend. Simply splurge, style and update “as your life evolves”.
“The collaboration with Tom started in a completely different place… we came up with the idea of actually challenging the whole upholstery industry,” says IKEA Head of Design Marcus Engman.
The results are at once fun, approachable, exciting… and of an incredibly high design standard – a credit to all parties involved in the project.
“What’s nice about the collaboration is that I can do what I do, and IKEA can do what they do but we can each play in the other’s sandpit”
Tom Dixon
Launching in Europe in February, the DELAKTIG range is expected to be available in Australia too. No date is confirmed yet, but never before have you been closer to designing an IKEA piece yourself.
Stay tuned to create a new platform for your life.
You might also like:
This is the new Ikea designer collection everyone has been waiting for
