IKEA has teamed up with EDM supergroup Swedish House Mafia for a new collection of furniture and electronics called OBEGRÄNSAD, designed to stimulate your creativity. The company, which has previously collaborated with the likes of Sonos and ASUS Republic of Gamers, unveiled the first three products from the OBEGRÄNSAD range (translating to ‘unlimited’ in English) at the IKEA Festival yesterday as part of Milan Design Week.
The focal point of the line-up is IKEA’s first-ever turntable built around the brief of being simple and accessible with plug-and-play functionality. The design is slickly austere and chunky-looking, in contrast to slim modern record players that product designer Friso Wiersma describes as: “Almost trying to hide, but we wanted something very bold, and we wanted the record player to be a very physical manifestation of music.”
Few technical details have been revealed besides that it includes an in-built pre-amp and can be powered by a USB cable. There’s also a replaceable cartridge and needle that IKEA says is of a well-known, good-quality make. Pricing is also TBC, but the OBEGRÄNSAD record player will work with the company’s ENEBY Bluetooth speakers costing £50 / $70 / AU$79.
IKEA had previously tried to produce a turntable as part of its FREKVENS series in 2020, but despite being announced, it did not make it into the final collection. Design Engineer Carmen Stoicescu has said that the challenges involved in the company’s previous attempt have informed the build of the OBEGRÄNSAD. “In the previous project, we tried giving a specific design to all parts,” she said. ”[This time] we tried to limit the molds. We wanted to make it simple, mechanical – so we looked into what gives the best sound.”
If you like the Brutalist look of the OBEGRÄNSAD turntable but aren’t sure where you’d put it, rest assured IKEA has you covered. The range also includes a desk aimed at bedroom producers and music creators, incorporating two speaker stands and a pull-out shelf below the desktop, perfect for a midi keyboard.
OBEGRÄNSAD also includes an armchair of unknown sonic credentials that IKEA says “represents the perfect balance of form and function central to this collaboration” with adjustable straps to fine-tune your comfort level.
The IKEA and Swedish House Mafia OBEGRÄNSAD record player and furniture range are set to launch this Autumn.
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