Ingvar Kamprad, the Swedish entrepreneur who founded and built the IKEA furniture empire, died over the weekend. The company released a statement on Sunday confirming his death at his home in Småland, Sweden, following a short illness. He was 91 years old.
Kamprad started IKEA at the age of 17. The company began as a mail-order business for home goods that over the decades grew into an empire with over 400 stores in 42 markets. Though Kamprad hadn’t been at the helm of the company since 1988, he continued to assert his influence from afar. Judging by a few profiles of him that have emerged in the wake of his passing, he sounds like quite the character. Naturally, publications took to Twitter to remember Kamprad and his legacy:
Here at Food52, we’re big fans of IKEA and its commitment to accessible, simple, democratic design, all values instilled into the backbone of the company by Kamprad himself. We’ve thrown together some of our favorite IKEA moments in recent memory.
We excitedly await upcoming releases and celebrate ones that we've loved for a while. The designs are known for being on the cutting edge, but have a way of keeping us consistently pleased and coming back for more.
We've long been in love with their quirky, inventive approach to advertising. These two examples had us in stitches. In one, they mimic ASMR, that strangely relaxing Internet-subculture phenomenon, while in the other they poke well-meaning fun at a certain tech behemoth.
We love the way they keep us busy at home: Whether it's assembling furniture, a weekend DIY adventure, or even getting us cooking, IKEA knows how to get us using our hands.
What are some of your favorite IKEA moments? Tell us how you shop in the comments.
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