What happens when a café becomes a playground for design? Starting 3 June, IKEA has opened its first creative pop-up in the Beans & Dots Cișmigiu café (Palatul Universul – Mezzanine), on the occasion of the launch of the tenth edition of IKEA’s boldest collection, IKEA PS 2026.
The inauguration event brought together press representatives and professionals from the creative and cultural industries, in an afternoon dedicated to the exchange of ideas and exploring how design can respond to the needs of contemporary life.
The IKEA PS 2026 pop-up can be explored in the café until 10 June, in a relaxed atmosphere and over an authentic coffee. The entire IKEA PS 2026 collection is available online and in all IKEA stores in Romania.
The space was specially arranged so that everyone who arrives at the café can interact with the new pieces, touch them and discover them at their own pace, in a familiar setting. During the launch event, guests were able to test products that bend, rotate, change their function or conceal surprising details, all built around a common principle: simplicity does not have to be boring.
The IKEA expert team, comprising Alexandra Matei, Shop Design Manager, and Theodor Nica, Home Furnishing & Retail Design Manager, alongside Alina Gologan, entrepreneur and content creator, discussed with those present about democratic design, the arrangement of modern living spaces and the importance of creativity in everyday life at home.
“IKEA PS has always been a bold collection that gave designers the freedom to explore new ideas and to question the way we live and enjoy our home space. Through this collection, we wanted to show that functionality and the playful creative spirit go hand in hand, and that exceptional design can be accessible to as many people as possible,” stated Theodor Nica, Home Furnishing & Retail Design Manager, IKEA.
The new IKEA PS 2026 collection brings together 44 unique pieces that explore the future of Scandinavian design through movement, flexibility and interaction. The collection includes furniture, textiles and decorative objects created for the contemporary lifestyle, with a special focus on small and multifunctional spaces.
Behind the collection are 12 designers who received a simple yet bold brief: to explore the future of modern Scandinavian design. They worked independently, without knowing what the others were doing. And Maria O’Brian, the creative lead of the process, Range Identity Leader Inter IKEA Group, coordinated everything behind the scenes for several years, ensuring that the pieces, colours and functions complement each other and ultimately form a cohesive collection.
The designers of the IKEA PS 2026 collection are: Henrik Preutz, Mikael Axelsson, Matilda Lindstam Nilsson, Ellen Hallström, Lex Pott, Lukas Bazle, Maria Vinka, Ola Wihlborg, Michelle Armas, David Wahl and Friso Wiersma.
