‘Tesammans’ means 'together' or 'in company' in English. It is also the name of the latest collaboration between Ikea and Raw Color, a studio based in Eindhoven and founded by Christoph Brach and Daniera ter Haar (whose ‘Link’ sofa for Sancal won a Wallpaper* Design Award 2024).
Ikea’s creative brief given to the pair was direct yet liberating – reveal the potential of the spectrum. ‘Raw Color possesses a distinctive grasp of colour’s potency, its emotional impact, and its role in shaping our living environments,’ says Maria O'Brian, creative Leader at Ikea of Sweden. ‘We aim for this collection to spark creativity and empower individuals to craft vibrant and cheerful living spaces in their daily routines.’
Ikea and Raw Color present ‘Tesammans’
Colours have the power to stir emotions and influence people's psychology. Warm shades typically evoke vitality and enthusiasm, while cooler tones are frequently linked with a sense of calm, serenity, and relaxation. ‘As designers, we are captivated by the transformative potential of colour and the ways in which various hues interact with light, motion, materials, and one another,’ ter Haar says.
‘Tesammans’ blends Raw Color’s unique design language of colours, minimal shapes and graphic lines with Ikea's home furnishing expertise. ‘As we progressed with the design, the composition of the collection became clearer, both for ourselves and internally at Ikea. The main challenge for the company was the multitude of colours used in one collection, which took them some time to get accustomed to,’ continues ter Haar. The collection encompasses a range of objects, from hanging mobiles to lampshades, rugs, and storage units on castors, all in vibrant yet soothing hues.
Brach and ter Haar sketch in colour and also create prototypes in colour. It's not in order to immediately define a product’s final colours, nor to impose limitations. Rather, looking at things through colours gives the duo a different perspective, not only influencing the forms that emerge but also their emotional impact.
The colour-glazed stoneware vase set consists of two pieces – the larger, shorter one serves as a plant pot, while nestled inside it is a taller, thinner vase. The glaze on the outer surface forms a façade striped in various colours, offering users the flexibility to choose which shade to display, based on their moods or the flowers they picked on different days; they can also create a warmer or a calmer atmosphere.
‘We love textiles, and we work extensively with them. We had previously created the “Temperature Textiles” collection at the TextielLab (located at the Textiel Museum in Tilburg, the Netherlands), which is solely knit-based. We expressed our interest in working with knit to the Ikea team, and the resulting throws are impressive,’ ter Haar says.
The collection's most alluring characteristic, besides its carefully curated colour palette, is the transformative nature of its objects. The throw is designed with multi-colour trimmings at both ends and is divided into four large colour blocks along its length. When it is folded in different ways or draped loosely over a bed or sofa, the colours meet together, creating completely different looks.
Raw Color surely had fun with building the colour palette, but in terms of working under such scale in production, it was a steep learning curve: ‘At Ikea, it's a guiding principle in product development that designs should appeal to a wide audience and be democratic. It was a nice challenge for us; we had to find the logic for production,’ Brach says. ‘The two lampshades were designed to match with an existing base from the regular product catalogue, and we've given it a different colour. So there's no need for extensive technical and safety testing, which typically demands significant effort and resources.’
‘It was challenging for us and the team because it is a limited collection – with only a small quantity available for a set period of time. Take the carafe as an example: the decision on its final production size is driven by the choices made by buyers in their respective countries. If 500,000 pieces of this carafe are ultimately ordered, it presents the challenge of pricing it competitively against another model from the regular collection, which could receive an order for five million pieces,’ Brach adds.
‘Tesammans’ will make its debut at the Ikea+ exhibition during Paris Fashion Week from 29 February to 3 March 2024. The collection will then be available in Ikea stores globally from April onwards
