Citation
Time Travelling with IKEA Catalogues 1951-2021
TL;DR
Showroom model (1958) responded to customer desire to see/touch products
This historical documentation of IKEA's catalog evolution provides primary source evidence for the company's phototropic pivots over 70 years. The catalogs show how Ingvar Kamprad detected and followed resource gradients from mail-order sundries to furniture, from catalog to showroom, and from Swedish to international markets.
The archive demonstrates how consistent the company's core model remained (flat-pack, self-assembly) while growth direction shifted every 10-20 years.
Key Findings from Museum (2021)
- 1951 marked first furniture-only catalog after detecting 40% higher response rates
- Showroom model (1958) responded to customer desire to see/touch products
- International expansion targeted markets matching Swedish housing patterns
- Core flat-pack model maintained through all directional shifts