IKEA introduces its first gaming furniture collection

Swedish furniture giant Ikea is launching its first toy collection at Milan Design Week 2024. Led by Philippe Daily, product design developer at Ikea, the Brännboll collection hopes to capture the growing popularity of casual toys; presents 20 new pieces of furniture designed specifically for this new audience.

“We aimed to create a collection that reflected today's casual games,” says Daily. “Making pieces that perform well for gaming and blending in elegantly or nicely in the home; making products that work effortlessly, adding to the gaming experience, while contributing to a beautiful home for gamers and those who live with them.”

Brännboll: IKEA's first toy furniture collection

Maintaining the brand's reputation for distinctive, practical and affordable furnishings, Brännboll represents an expansion of the Ikea catalog to match the rise of gaming among young people, and those who share their living spaces with others. Many of the pieces on offer are designed to allow for quick home remodeling. Either using lightweight materials, or often including transformative construction, to suit a variety of potential uses.

Whether it's a discreet, built-in 'gaming station' cabinet, or a foldable 'gaming lounge chair', Brännboll additions are designed to allow gamers to quickly take the space from home-oriented to gamer's paradise. The set also includes a shelving unit and side tables on wheels, allowing gaming materials to be easily moved around the room, maintaining the multi-functionality of their home.

One of the highlights among the new items is undoubtedly the new “Easy Gaming Chair”, developed by designer David Wahl to accommodate a range of gaming habits that casual gamers often adopt during long online sessions. The seat of the chair is suspended within its frame by four finely tuned straps, adapting and changing with the player's movements, capturing how people move in their chairs as they engage in their video games of choice.

By allowing lateral movement in four directions, along with sturdy support for players to recline and rest for longer periods of play, the piece hopes to beautify an immersive gaming experience. As a former gamer, Wahl brought his unique insight to the product design process: “I noticed that when less experienced players get into the game, they tend to move a lot in their chairs, so I wanted to create something that would enhance that movement…embrace the fun of gaming.”

Although it's a cheery hobby, conveying a sense of maturity to the gaming audience was a key focus for the IKEA team, and greatly influenced both the sports-inspired design of Brännboll pieces and their funky colours. While many gaming furniture brands use a darker, cooler aesthetic, the IKEA team embraced a vibrant palette; Hoping to appeal to the less serious and more playful tastes of a growing audience. Working seamlessly within Ikea's established brand, and infusing a playful approach to the format, Brännboll aims to capture the imagination of gamers with a diverse range of interests and lifestyles, while bridging the gap between the popular hobby and the wider home.