The ever-chugging Ikea branding locomotive has, unsurprisingly, taken a turn for the weird, this time with a vertical apartment erected like a rock climbing wall in (of course!) the middle of a French commune. It's actually a lot less random than it sounds. In fact, it's pretty much par for the course for a 70-year-old company whose marketing modus operandi is throwing flatpack furnishings and Swedish flair into gondolas, train cars, Tokyo alleyways, airport lounges and metro stations. What's the point of putting Ikea furniture on what is essentially a giant pegboard? To create buzz for a new store, of course. After all, nothing—nothing—says "Ikea Grand Opening" like a semi-ludicrous marketing gimmick. And, hey, with this one you can climb on stuff.
· IKEA + ubi bene install climbable vertical apartment in france [Design Boom]
· All the crazy crap Ikea did last year. [Curbed National]
· All Ikea coverage [Curbed National]