Destroying the stereotype of dark and tech-centric video game furniture wasn’t Ikea’s goal, but that may be what it’s just done. The home goods retailer has just unveiled a new collection of gaming furniture that throws huge splashes of color and vibrancy into a space that has been dominated by gunmetal black. With furniture that inflates, folds, and transforms, the new collection is an attempt to make video game furniture that doesn’t have to just be video game furniture.
“We wanted to make something for gamers and the people who live with gamers and gaming in everyday life,” says Philip Dilé, product developer of the new collection, Brännboll, which is being unveiled today. He says the collection was designed specifically for gaming, but also to be used in non-gaming contexts. “People want to be able to make space for that activity but maybe not have it take over,” he says.
The collection is Ikea’s first full line built around video gaming, though it has dabbled in the space before. The new collection, which will be available beginning in September, includes four types of seats, rolling carts and side tables, and several storage and display pieces. Dilé says it was an obvious move for Ikea. “It’s the biggest hobby in the world, with over three billion people playing on a regular basis. It’s a very important activity in life at home, and that’s our arena. We are curious about people’s lives at home,” he says.
Gaming furniture for your whole life
His team conducted research with serious and casual gamers around the world to learn more about where and how they play video games. Dilé says they learned that gaming has become very fluid in the home. Handheld game systems bring gameplay throughout a home, and console-based play happens everywhere from basements to kids’ rooms to living rooms and patios. The takeaway from this research was that any furniture designed for gaming also had to blend into the home for non-gaming use. “We knew from the start that flexible, movable pieces are really important,” Dilé says. “We want it to be easy to transition into gaming when you do it, and then have a nice home environment when the gaming is over.”
The pieces created for the collection are, by and large, more playful than formal. There’s an inflatable donut chair reminiscent of a beanbag, an armchair that folds open to become a low lounge, and an easy chair with a seat that’s suspended from its metal frame by elastic bands. That chair is a highlight of the collection, Dilé says, and represents the balance Ikea is trying to strike. “You can imagine playing a racing game, where you lean into the curves and corners of the track,” he says. “It also allows you to get some very simple, low tech ergonomics.”
A new look for gaming furniture
Bright yellow, green, blue, and red are prominent in the collection, while black only appears in small doses. “We really wanted to make something that added a lot of energy into the play space, because gaming can be very emotional and energetic,” Dilé says.
Some of the collection was informed by personal experience. One of the four designers on the project had hacked an Ikea rolling cart to store his gaming systems and a projector. “When it was time to game, he literally rolled it out and projected on the wall. And then when the game was off, he had everything all in one package,” Dilé says. The rolling cart in the collection, which doubles as a side table and a storage solution, could play a similar role, or at least be a central place for all those controllers and cords and headsets.
Another element in the collection is a simple lined storage basket. Inspired by the baskets used to hold balls at tennis courts, the metal arms that form its handles can swing down to become legs, turning the basket into a side table. Its soft interior makes it a good place to stash a handheld gaming system without its screen getting scratched.
There is one part of the collection that leans more toward traditional gaming furniture. The designers call it the gaming station, and it’s a conventional desk with room for two screens, controls, and a PC tower, in bright gray with RBG accents. It’s a central space where a player can zone into their game completely. It even has a tagalong ergonomic gaming chair. But unlike the typical gaming system, Ikea designed everything in this station to squeeze inside the closed cabinet, including the chair. “So you can have your full setup,” Dilé says, “and still be able to hide it away.” Like the rest of the collection, it’s gaming furniture, but only when you’re looking for it.
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