In the design world, sofas can cost as much as a car, chairs as much as a month’s rent, and tables as much as a Michelin dinner for four. But even the biggest design geeks have to cap their budgets somewhere. Enter the Ypperlig collection, a new collaboration by Ikea and the ultra-sophisticated and fresh Danish brand Hay.
Hay, for the uninitiated, is a 15-year-old contemporary furniture and accessories brand that has a cult following in design circles. Some of the biggest names in the high-end design business–the Bouroullecs, Inga Sempe, Doshi Levien, Nathalie Du Pasquier, and Scholten & Baijings–have collaborated with Hay in the past. Now, Hay has brought that same sensibility to the world of Ikea, and thankfully it’s not watered down at all.
The Ypperlig line–which hits select Ikea stores in October–includes virtually everything you’d need to furnish a living room at prices that won’t make you gouge your eyes out. A powder-coated steel and birch tray table is $40; an LED table lamp with touch dimmer is $40; a stackable, indoor-outdoor molded-plastic chair runs about $50; shelving units are $99; a wood dining table is $200; and a sleeper sofa is $600. (My personal favorites are the $6 cushion covers, which sport dot patterns in contrasting hues.) Now you can shop Ikea without having that “I just got everything at Ikea” look.DB