IKEA's new sofa celebrates the retro home trend that designers love
SMEDSTORP draws from the shapes of the past – and it's the sofa of the moment
IKEA has just made it even easier to bring the retro design trend into your scheme. Their new sofa, SMEDSTORP celebrates the best of a 1960s aesthetic, but it's making headlines in the contemporary day – and every home deserves one.
The sofa of the moment is (according to IKEA) for those who like soft shapes of the past – but still crave modern comfort. And it's right on-trend. Whilst it may be hard for the SMEDSTORP to endure an IKEA hack, there is little that needs changing with this sofa.
The piece comes complete with resilient foam cushions, comfortable armrests, and cone-shaped legs that epitomize the retro style. IKEA suggests this look will last for many more years to come, and we'd be inclined to agree. However, we're not alone. Here, top designers share why you should embrace the retro trend – and invest in SMEDSTORP before the crowd.
SMEDSTORP – and the retro sofa trend
In the past three months, Google searches for 'retro sofas have risen by 46% (according to Swyft). But what is the reason for this surge? Alongside the launch of IKEA's Scandi-cool statement, designers suggest the demand comes from our longing for nostalgia.
'We look to shifting cultural trends to inform our style choices, so with retro-inspired content being at the center of the media right now, people will be taking inspiration from the past,' says their head of creative Kelly Collins.
The SMEDSTORP comes in various hues and materials, but their velvet offering is perhaps their most apt in terms of the trend.
'Velvet sofas make the perfect addition to a retro-interior scheme and are being chosen in bold colors such as jewel tones of yellow, orange, green, and blue,' says David Norman, the Director at Furl.
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To embrace this interior design trend completely, David adds that you should style your sofa with geometric patterned cushions, mid-century style sideboards, and deep pile rugs.
However, this isn't the only way to style the SMEDSTORP. This sofa's curves pay homage to the retro trend, so why not accentuate them? Sam Hood, the co-founder, and chief creative officer of AMARA, explains that, when styling your sofa, you should pair furniture styles from the same decade (rather than aiming just to go 'retro) so your pieces work seamlessly together.
'That's because the designs tend to work well together,' she says in the discussion of her modern decorating ideas. 'Curves meet curves; boldness feeds off boldness; ornate styling threads through the whole space.'
We're picking up a SMEDSTORP as we speak. It's available globally now.
Megan is the Head of Celebrity Style News at Homes & Gardens. She first joined Future Plc as a News Writer across their interiors titles, including Livingetc and Real Homes, before becoming H&G's News Editor in April 2022. She now leads the Celebrity/ News team.
Before joining Future, Megan worked as a News Explainer at The Telegraph, following her MA in International Journalism at the University of Leeds. During her BA in English Literature and Creative Writing, she gained writing experience in the US whilst studying in New York. Megan also focused on travel writing during her time living in Paris, where she produced content for a French travel site.
Megan currently lives in London, where she relocated from her hometown in Yorkshire. In her home, she experiments with interior design trends and draws inspiration from the home decor ideas she observes in her everyday work life. Her favorite pieces include her antique typewriter and her expansive collection of houseplants. When she isn’t writing, she is browsing London’s coffee shops and bookstores to add to her ever-growing library, taking over the open shelving in her apartment.
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