Blending craftsmanship with Scandinavian restraint, Stockholm remains IKEA’s most enduring expression of democratic design.
For 20 years before IKEA opened in Manila, a trip to an IKEA store was always part of my itinerary every time I went abroad. I once hand-carried lamps from Düsseldorf, Germany; took the train to the suburbs of Stockholm to buy bedsheets; and on countless trips to Singapore and Hong Kong, my luggage was always on the verge of bursting—stuffed with IKEA’s Kassett storage boxes.
Those boxes, originally designed for CDs and DVDs, now hold random knickknacks in my TV room, where about 20 of them still sit on shelves—black boxes with metal edges stacked so neatly that an obsessive-compulsive would weep with joy. I still mourn the day IKEA suddenly took them off its inventory.
And then there were the things too big to hand-carry or squeeze into a checked suitcase: items that I would obsess over, and then leave behind, telling myself to save money for a forwarding company that would ship things too small for a container and too big for a balikbayan box.
So when IKEA opened in Manila, it wasn’t just another retail store opening for me. It was, to put it bluntly, freeing my suitcase and itinerary from having to find an IKEA store abroad. At the time, however, I was living and working remotely in Boracay as did so many others during the pandemic. So it was only when I came home to Manila permanently that I really was able to browse the new store. Now I could finally buy the big stuff and renovate two bedrooms with IKEA beds (Tufjord), mattresses (Vagstranda), four-drawer chests (Malm), bedside tables (Vikhammer), and matching bed linens and duvets.
I felt like a kid in a candy store.
Old habits, after all, are like old pajamas—they’re hard to let go of. And well-designed pieces are the same: quietly present, endlessly relevant through every phase in your life and changing tastes.
Stockholm for today’s homes
IKEA’s Stockholm collection is like a design companion that matures with you—never too loud or showy, but always there, adapting to new spaces, evolving trends, and shifting moods. With its natural materials and lived-in warmth, it feels less like furniture and more like a part of the home’s emotional landscape—anchoring memories, routines, and the quiet joy of coming back to something familiar.
First released in 1985, the Stockholm range is now in its eighth and largest iteration with 96 pieces. All but three are available in IKEA’s store at Mall of Asia. The collection was launched last week at the upscale Opus mall in Bridgetowne, which tells you the kind of positioning this line holds within the IKEA universe: elevated, curated, quietly luxurious.
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“The purpose of the Stockholm collection has always been to prove that high quality doesn’t need to come at an intimidating cost,” Karin Gustavsson, creative leader for the 2025 collection, said in the collection’s notes. “We have worked to create a no-compromise kind of collection where every piece tells a story. Craftsmanship is at the heart of this project, where traditional techniques and hands-on methods have resulted in durable and beautiful design pieces that stand the test of time.”
Stockholm 2025 offers a diverse range of furniture, textiles, dinnerware, lighting, reversible rugs, and accessories across the home. Taking center stage are materials chosen for their quality and how they age and interact with one another. Solid woods are paired with tactile surfaces and natural fibers, linen, and leather to create unique expressions in sturdy wood furniture, handwoven wool rugs, mouth-blown glass, handcrafted rattan pieces; and two glass chandeliers with a retro feel.
Even though Stockholm’s current range is made for how people live today, some pieces carry a hint that they’re the progeny of the original range with silhouettes reminiscent of mid-century masters’, echoing the quiet confidence of Scandinavian design icons who came before.
A lounge chair and coffee table, for example, features smooth, curved lines in light-toned wood with an upholstered seat and backrest—blending sculptural form with comfort. Paired with a rounded coffee table in a matching wood finish, the set creates a cohesive and calming silhouette, ideal for minimalist living spaces.
Then there are softly rounded edges and sculptural forms, curved backs and cushioned seats; a low-slung, richly upholstered sofa with elevated armrests; a palette of both neutrals and rich tones, yet remaining visually soft to lend lightness to spaces.
During the launch, IKEA Philippines country retail manager Ricardo Pinheiro was on the panel with IKEA Philippines sales leader Madel Mercado and special guest-vlogger Wil Dasovich to discuss the collection.
Pinheiro said, “The new edition of Stockholm was thoughtfully designed with the elements of quality, affordability, sustainability, form and function in mind to ensure that it’s accessible to real homes. This is why it feels both global and deeply personal—warm, welcoming, and made to last—perfect for Filipino spaces, whether it’s a condo or a spacious family home.”
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Dasovich, who recently went on a familiarization tour at IKEA’s headquarters in Sweden, said he’s renovating his condo unit and has his eye on several Stockholm pieces, which would fit very well in his Japandi style and his current beige era.
He added that visiting the IKEA Museum at the company’s birthplace in Älmhult, Sweden took him back to his childhood in the 1990s, when his interior designer mother filled his bedroom with IKEA pieces. “These days, I just like a lot of space—as minimal clutter as possible. That’s kind of my style and I’m also into multifunctional pieces, because when you say ‘less is more,’ you want to really do more with what you have.”
Scandinavian values
IKEA’s democratic design philosophy is anchored on five pillars: form, function, quality, sustainability, and affordability—values that align with how Filipinos of all budgets choose their furniture. In short, we want pieces that look good, work well, last long, don’t harm the planet, and won’t break the bank.
This is one of the many insights the local IKEA team learned when visiting real homes to observe how Filipinos live, move, and make spaces their own.
Pinheiro emphasized that IKEA being a Swedish company, democratic design is “deeply embedded in our culture and values. It’s the way we develop our range.” But he admitted that what’s “both challenging and inspiring is the connection between sustainability and low price.”
That’s where their design philosophy comes into play. “We believe that sustainability only becomes real when it’s affordable for the many. It’s better for the planet—and it’s better for everyone”
Check out the new Stockholm collection at IKEA, Mall of Asia or on IKEA Philippines’ website.
