The Swedes are joining forces as ubiquitous Swedish furniture store Ikea taps Swedish cult fragrance line Byredo for a collaboration to explore home scents. The actual release is scheduled for 2019 although the internet is already buzzing about the possibilities of merging an exclusive indie fragrance brand with the mass global furniture empire. All we know at present is that the collaboration will feature candles and perfumes, at what we’re assuming will be lower price points that won’t be out of place at Ikea, purveyor of sub-$100 beds and sofas.
“I know most people have associations of visiting their grandmother’s house — whether it’s her perfume or the flowers or her cooking — smell is a very relevant part of the home,” Byredo founder Ben Gorham said on Ikea’s official announcement on their blog last week. “It creates a sense of comfort and security. We seldom speak of it and I think this project enforces that as well: getting people to think about smell.” The collaboration is intended to take a “democratic approach to smell,” which involves using scent to set a scene and tell creative stories.
We’re curious how the brand identities merge with Byredo’s aspirational exclusivity on Ikea’s democratized, mass-market platform.