Today marks 30 years since Swedish furniture retailer Ikea brought its simple, affordable, flat-pack designs to the U.S. From the first U.S. store, which opened in Philadelphia on June 12, 1985, the brand's American presence has now grown to forty stores strong, with ambitious expansion plans in the works.
As part of the 30th-anniversary celebrations, Ikea USA is launching a social media sweepstakes campaign, inviting the public to share their "Ikea throwback" photos on Instagram and Twitter. And to get the nostalgia kick started, the brand has pulled a bunch of images from vintage Ikea USA catalogs, a good amount of which are presented below. So go ahead, stroll down Ikea memory lane, interspersed with essential Curbed reads on the brand's past, present, and future.
1985—1989
Curbed's Ikea must-reads:
· How Ikea Became America's Furniture-Selling Powerhouse
· What the Kitchen Will Look Like in 2025, According to Ikea
· Here Come 10,000 Ikea Flatpack Refugee Shelters
1990—1994
1995—1999
Ikea's new or upcoming collections:
· Ikea is Bringing Back its Furniture from the '50s, '60s, and '70s
· In Stores Soon: Ikea's Gamechanging Furniture Line with Built-In Wireless Charging
· Ikea's New 'Low Key' Collection is All About That Cork
· Game-changer: Ikea's Latest Can Assemble in Mere Minutes
· A Romp Through Ikea's New Collections Launched in February
2000—2004
2005—2009
And just for fun:
· Ikea Debuts Cutesy Emojis, Doesn't Forget the Meatball
· Ikea's 'Bedroom Cinema' Replaces All Movie Seats with Beds
· Ikea's New 'Low Key' Collection is All About That Cork
· 14 of the Wildest Things People Made with Ikea in 2014
2010—
· Ikea 30 in 30 Win [official site]
· All Ikea coverage [official site]
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