Get a sneak peek at IKEA’s new PS Collection: This inflatable chair could be an instant classic

IKEA has unveiled a first look at three pieces from its upcoming PS Collection — and the showstopper is an inflatable chair.

First launched in 1995 at the Milan furniture fair, the IKEA PS collection was created to go back to its roots and focus on understated Scandinavian design at affordable prices, rather than tracking global trends.

Set to launch in May, the 10th collection continues the core mission combining form, function, quality and sustainability at affordable prices, while adding a touch of playfulness to the designs.

"This Ikea PS collection is all about challenging and being playful while staying simple and creating interesting design. I hope you're as excited about these products as we are," said IKEA creative lead Maria O'Brian.

Apart from the playful element we’ve come to expect from IKEA, the three pieces are functional and will appear in stores alongside 32 other products in the PS Collection on May 13.

1. An inflatable chair that looks comfy

IKEA has revealed an inflatable chair that doesn’t look like an inflatable chair. Designed by Mikael Axellson, this emerald-colored beauty (it just happens to be my favorite color) sits in a metal frame.

And in true IKEA fashion, it arrives flat-packed with a foot pump, so you’ll have to exert some energy to inflate it.

"An electric pump would’ve made assembly slightly faster and easier,” explains Mikael, “but it would have pushed the price higher and, once the chair is ready to use, you’d be left with electronic waste.”

He also adds that the inflatable chair means there is minimal packaging and overall raw material use.

2. A rotating lamp that’s bendy

In true IKEA style, this flexible light is versatile. Designed by Lex Potts, with two angled intersections, it can be bent and converted into an uplight, into a spotlight, and a reading light, each creating a different atmosphere within the same space.

The patented design features a trumpet-form shade and slim metal stem rising from a wide cone-shaped base, available in chartreuse yellow, deep burgundy and cobalt blue.

“When you rotate the lamp it doesn't just change the light, but the atmosphere of the space" Potts said. "We reduced the design to its clearest possible form, and the function doesn't reveal itself at first glance — but that's where the joy and playfulness live."

3. Rocking bench

‘The bench that rocks’ is designed by IKEA designer, Marta Krupińska, who was determined to create a product that was both playful and sustainable. And it does exactly what it should do, it rocks you from side to side but also acts as a bench.

Krupińska designed the bench so it features a clever construction where the wood grain is reversed to create strength without metal reinforcement, ensuring it remains fully recyclable.

Made from solid pine, this playful rocker is designed to handle the movement that comes from repeated use.

"From the first prototype, I noticed people couldn't help themselves," says Marta Krupińska. "They'd sit down, start rocking, then call someone over to try it. Furniture shouldn't take itself too seriously. That instinctive childlike impulse to just play is something we rarely express as adults, but it’s so important to have objects that invite that side to come out.”

We're excited to see the other products in IKEA's newest PS Collection, which will be revealed in May.

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