Life
Beyoncé may be the Reigning Queen of Music and potentially God herself, but Solange Knowles is her incredibly cool baby sister, creating A+ tunes and sporting an even funkier style. So it is with great pleasure, then, that I peruse IKEA's new collaboration with Solange Knowles' Saint Heron, the much-touted collaborative compilation album and multimedia hub that was launched to elevate unique independent artists from across the artistic mediums.
It's not entirely clear what the new line will hawk, since, as Apartment Therapy reports, details about the collaboration are still under wraps. Saint Heron announced the collaboration via Instagram. Per the 'gram:
Saint Heron is excited to announce an upcoming creative collaboration with @ikeatoday, exploring architectural and design objects with multifunctional use.Saint Heron has been at the forefront of beautiful creative pieces that challenge intersectional culture themes, foster thoughtful fellowship, and push the conversations of our communities to the forefront. We’re excited to continue to push the conversations forward. Stay tuned for more information!
Obviously, there's a lot of excitement regarding this collaboration online. After all, buying Saint Heron furniture and home accessories is basically the same thing as having Solange personally decorate your apartment, right? If you buy furniture connected to one of the world's coolest, most talented humans, doesn't that mean that you will absorb some of that coolness and talent, by osmosis? Isn't that specifically what sofas are for? No? Then why did I spend $500 on mine???
As you can see, the hype for this is already very real.
IKEA is pretty excited about the collab, too. Marcus Engman, the head of design at IKEA Range & Supply, released the following statement: "At IKEA we are curious about the creative space in between architecture, design, art, and music and how that could come alive in the homes of the many people. This is what we want to explore together with Saint Heron." A trip to IKEA with your partner might still be a breakup catalyst, but at least you'll go home with Solange's lamp.
Of course, the Saint Heron collaboration isn't the first time IKEA's been the headline for some excellent design-related news. Here are a few more fun IKEA plotlines, for your perusing pleasure:
IKEA's Bea Åkerlund Collection
IKEA actually has a connection to another Knowles: in March, they announced a collaboration with Bea Åkerlund, Beyoncé's stylist. The collection is inspired by Alice in Wonderland, and includes everything from Victorian corset bed overhangs to White Rabbit wall clocks to vases shaped like the Mad Hatter's shoe, all of which are sure to transform your home into a Mad World fit only for the toughest Queen of Hearts.
IKEA’s HJÄRTELIG Collection
This collection is specifically designed for fans of wellness and self-care, and is made "with special attention to the use of beautiful, natural materials that appeal to the senses." Items include, obviously, yoga mats, candles, and pots for greenery, but the collection also features therapeutic-looking ottomans, wicker headboards, and low-lying tables, for a super zen set up. Basically, if you're in need of a space to chill out (and don't we all?) this is the collection to stock up on.
IKEA's Tea Menu
Okay, so this isn't exactly a collection, and it already happened, but it was still a reason to hightail it over to last IKEA, provided you were in ... Manchester, England at the time. Last month, the Swedish furniture giant hosted a special FIKA event at its Manchester store, feeding the masses Swedish coffee, a slew of canapes, meatball open sandwiches and cheese open sandwiches, herring or cheese crostini, a Daim cake, cinnamon buns, and other dessert-y delights. Manchester's FIKA time has come and gone, but that gives us a year to demand IKEA host a similar event on our side of the pond, preferable in Red Hook, Brooklyn, so I can personally attend.
