This is just pure genius. Put on by media agency Forsman and Bodenfors on a low budget for the opening of the new IKEA store in Mälmo Sweden, this IKEA campaign is social media at its finest. Using nothing but Facebook’s built-in and readily available tagging features, IKEA was able to gain hundreds of new ‘friends’ and fans, and virally spread the IKEA catalog offerings to thousands of Facebook profiles.

The concept is so simple, you’ll be slapping your head thinking, “Why didn’t I think of that?” First, a Facebook profile was created for IKEA Malmo store manager Gordon Gustavsson. Over the course of 2 weeks, 12 pictures of IKEA showrooms were uploaded to his profile. Facebook friends of Gustavsson could ‘tag’ the items in the photos with their name and WIN THE PRODUCT.

As word spread through profiles, newsfeeds and Gustavsson’s page, requests came rolling in for more pictures. The fans were truly engaged with the brand.

Fan / Brand Engagement

Thousands of people saw the promotion and spread the word to their friends and family through sharing links on Facebook, through email and word-of-mouth. Really, the definition of success with a social media campaign - it went viral. And for very low cost.

Viral Sharing

As the idea caught on, people shared it through their own profiles…

It was shared through the newsfeed…

And through sharing links…

Meanwhile, on the massive social media micro-blogging site, Twitter, people shared the concept and news story with their friends. (Shameless Self-Promotion: Follow us on twitter! @ikeafans)

Kudos, F&B! This is a terrific example of using the power of fans to promote IKEA products virally, and through existing channels. I’m almost weepy.

More Shameless Self Promotion

Become a fan of IKEAFANS Facebook page! We deliver content directly to your Facebook profile through the newsfeed, and you can upload links, pictures and videos to our fan page showing off your own IKEA furniture, hacks, ideas or dreams. Friend us today!

Credit where credit is due

Agency: Forsman & Bodenfors, Gothenburg

Art Director: Adam Ulvegarde

Copywriter: Robert Lund

Story via Creativity

IKEA KARLSVIK Sofa on Sale

There’s been some confusion on the $199 KARLSVIK sofa mentioned in the Black Friday Sale at IKEA: 2009 Bargains, Deals and Specials article posted yesterday. A rumor has been started that it’s actually a typo and the sofa on sale is the KARLSTAD (usually $399). NOT TRUE!

The sofa on sale is called KARLSVIK (aka KLAMBY) - it is not available in the online catalog, nor is it in the 2010 IKEA Catalog however according to IKEA, it was in the back of the 2009 catalog (page 372) and it was then called KLAMBY and was sold as part of a three piece set for $699. It is the sofa pictured above that is on sale for $199 - Saturday ONLY. See the entire IKEA Black Friday Seize the Days Sales Flyer

A KARLSVIK sofa was also listed for sale as part of a three piece set at IKEA Houston’s Blue Moon Sale (download IKEA Houston Blue Moon Sale Flyer .pdf) in June of 2009.

According to my reliable insider source,

The KARLSVIK sofa is the offer - not a 3 piece set, but just the sofa. The regular price is $299; sale price, $199. KARLSVIK was previously named KLAMBY and was sold as a 3 piece set and was in the back of the 2009 Catalog (a scan of the page from the catalog is attached), so maybe that is causing some confusion.

Clarification of the Meatball Offer

$1 IKEA Meatball plate is available on Black Friday, November 27, 2009 after 11am until the restaurant closes, and NOT ALL WEEKEND as previously reported. My bad!

Hope that clears it all up! Happy shopping everyone!

Mac lovers rejoice!  The long awaited Mac compatible IKEA Home Planner has launched in Denmark! Based on 2020 Software, the new planner allows both Macintosh and PC users to design their own kitchens from home, or in the store, save their plans to the IKEA servers or share through email. Customizability has increased tenfold and the options available are incredible.

Thankfully, it’s all in English for those of us who aren’t actually Dutch. Looks to be fairly well documented, though I haven’t been able to download it and try it yet. My laptop is on its last legs, and my new Mac Quad Pro is coming this week - just in time!! w00t! Tons of screenshots and links to resources, articles and interviews with the IKEA Home Planner IT guy after the jump!

Quickstart Video and Guide

You can download the new IKEA Home Planner in Danish here: IKEA Home Planner Download in Danish or in English here: IKEA Home Planner Download in English. I’ve been told that the site and the download may not be available at times as it is still in Beta (i.e. 404 Page not available error) and is sometimes down for upgrading. But if you want a headstart, download it now when available and get going! We’d love to see your pictures, screenshots and planner files as soon as you can upload them!

Check out the Quickstart video and the Guide - this is in English for you to navigate easily.

IKEA Home Planner

According to the (Google translation of the Danish page) IKEA Danish site’s IKEA Home Planner’s page, the IKEA Home Planner is:

Planning tool from IKEA anyone can be his own decorator. You can quickly and easily plan how you will furnish your home and see the final result in 3D. You can choose to print your favorite, with all necessary details. You can also choose to save your drawing to an IKEA server so that you, along with an IKEA employee may review your subscription next time you visit your local IKEA store.

The new IKEA planner offers Setup your Room, Furnish your Room, Decorate your Room and Print your Plan options that are wholly different from previous versions of the IKEA planner software. Read on to learn what’s new!

NEW in this Version

There are hundreds of new functions, options, abilities and applications in this new version of the IKEA kitchen and home planning software. These are just the ones I noted when doing my overview - I haven’t actually been able to run it to see how it really functions - all of the screenshots below are from the IKEA Home Planner Guide, which looks to be highly informative and a great introduction to the new application.

Discuss the new IKEA Home Planner with IKEA Fans in the IKEA Fans Community Forum.

New Print Options

Excellent! Now you can print out elevations, overhead views and frontal views as well as the price and item list inventorying all the items needed to make up your new IKEA kitchen.

Predesigned Room Options

Now you can get a jump start on your planner by using a predesigned room as a start - make adjustments for your actual room size, the location and position of your utilities and then fine tune to your delight. Either fill in the room layout information in the sidebar, or click on a wall to resize it directly. Awesome!

New Start from Scratch Options

Or, start from scratch like always, but now you can do lots more to configure your room to the exact layout of your interior.

Wall and ceiling options: Change the wall height in the 2D view to create sloped ceilings. Add ceiling wedges, bulkheads, ceiling boxes, columns, partition walls and more. Also hide walls to create rooms with less than four walls. Great for greatrooms! Paint the walls, or add moulding, trims, skirting, crown molding, and other decorative finishes to walls. Choose wallpapers, various paint colors - even split walls up and add different finishes to the top or bottom.

Floor options: Add floor obstacles, vents, radiators and columns in addition to the partition walls mentioned above. In Decorate Your Room, customize the floor to help visualize what your kitchen might look like with parquet flooring, hardwood floors, carpet, tile, stone or granite.

Door and Window Options: Now, finally (!) you can resize door openings, create a 3 sided room, change the swing of a door, select from multiple window arrangements, change the size and material of the window and door casings, and even select a window background!

Additional Room Features: Add columns, radiators, air conditioners, vents, fireplaces, stoves and pipes in many configurations. Change the swing of a door, and the position of a door handle, even! You’ll have to add the appropriate utilities and pipes in order to add appliances later on, so spend some time getting the placement of these right. The nice thing is, you’ll have a blueprint for your plumber or electrician when you’re finished with your plan. Use the print option!

Resize Options: Click to change the height of doors, doorway openings, windows, obstacles like bulkheads, ceiling boxes, columns, partition walls and more.

Furnish Your Room

Ok, this is where the real awesomeness begins! Finally - options to change everything from the direction of the door swing on cabinets, to the legs or plinth (toekick) options, the cover panels, the filler pieces, the countertop and the appliances. Even add placeholders for own appliances! Add kitchen tables, chairs, bar tables, stools and benches, entire dining sets, cabinets and sideboards and cafe items.

Filler pieces: Accurately visualize a refrigerator encased in cover panels. Understand the warnings about filler pieces with improved warnings.

Appliances and Hobs: Change the look and feel of cabinets surrounding ‘built-in’ appliances such as ovens and refrigerators (keep in mind that this Dutch version of the IKEA Home Planner has appliances that are not available in North America) by changing the cover panels, legs, handles and cornice options. Add hobs (cooktops and stove tops to us in North America).

Cover Panels: Select cover panels for the right or left side of your cabinets. Planner conveniently reminds you of the additional space taken up by cover panels and the need to plan for that in your overall length of the cabinet run.

Sinks and faucets (taps): In this new IKEA Home Planner, you can only place appliances and fixtures where you’ve previously indicated that the appropriate utilities or pipes exist to support them. Add sinks and faucets in your plan, plus mix and match to see how different taps would look with various sink options. I don’t see an option to add your own sink like you can with appliances, but I might be overlooking it.

Cabinets: Place and move cabinets with ease. Select from the regular lineup of cabinets with additional options for open shelves, microwaves, horizontal cabinets and roll-front cabinets. Make changes to any individual cabinet options such as the handles, the fronts, the cover panels legs, cornice or deco strips.

Worktops: Finally a way to put a countertop where there is no cabinet! Think accesibility for wheelchair users, open spaces for stashing footstools, work stations, breakfast bars, built-in table tops and more. Woo-hoo!

Move multiple items: You could always multi-select items and move them around, though it was always a little sketchy as to what would actually move and where it might go. Move multiple items with precision in this new planner.

Tables, chairs and other dining furniture: Now add your dining furniture to the room. Sideboards, bar tables, dining sets, tables and chairs. Make your room complete! Visualize an eat in kitchen easily by adding these items to your design.

ADD YOUR OWN APPLIANCES! What if you don’t have IKEA appliances? How many of us do, anyway? Now you can set placeholders - resizable placeholders for dishwashers, extractor hoods, microwaves, ranges, refrigerators and even washing machines. This increases the flexibility of the planner to the extreme.

Decorate Your Room

This is an awesome development* for the new IKEA Home Planner. Now you can change the wall color, add wallpaper, decorative trim, moldings, skirting boards, and more to your walls.  Add carpet, stone, tile, granite, hardwood or other types of flooring to your design to really get a feel for how it will look.

*Ironically, this is a feature that was in early versions of the IKEA Home Planner, but was removed because people using the computers in-store to design their kitchens spent WAY too much time trying to get the wall color *just* right. Now, do it at home then save it to IKEA’s servers!

Using the New IKEA Home Planner

Understand what the warnings mean, and how to avoid kitchen planning errors by leveraging the knowledge available in the IKEA Home Planner guide. The warnings will actually now make sense, and you can make relevant changes to your plan ahead of time to avoid mistakes and safety hazards in your new IKEA kitchen!

Learn how to save your plans to the IKEA server, then print or share via email. Of course, we share files here on IKEA Fans Kitchen Planning forum all the time. (FREE Kitchen Planning advice!)

Print your plan: This is a really great aspect of the new planner. Once you’ve completed your design, click on File>Print>Print all design views and you’ll get a printout of the front view, the overhead and the frontal elevation (!) as well as the list of items in your order with a total. Almost like having your own architect!

IKEA Home Planner Resources

A few weeks ago, we did an IKEA Home Planner Resource Roundup in which we reviewed all the available resources for the kitchen and home planner software.  Don’t miss our IKEA Home Planner forum for peer-to-peer support if  you have questions or problems, or need help with troubleshooting the software, new or old. We also have a wide array of articles on using the IKEA planner, understanding the IKEA Kitchen systems and more.

Learn how to save and post plans from the planner to our forums and read up on 9 Ways to Break the Creativity Block

Thanks again goes to Hadirajan, our IKEA insider who slipped us the info on this new planner being available. Don’t miss the interviews we did with Jesper on the planner:

IKEA Home Planner Sneak Peek Exclusive

New IKEA Home Planner - a Q&A

Don’t miss the update! IKEA Black Friday Rumors Squashed

IKEA Black Friday Deals are here! We’ll run down the sale items, bargains and deals available at IKEA starting on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, when all the world goes mad for sales (I”ll be at home, thank you!), and then we’ll give you Grey Saturday and Dishwater Sunday deals as well. ;)

Black Friday Sales at IKEA

Start off with FREE Breakfast and Coffee at IKEA on Black Friday! What a way to start the day - well, if you’ve been out shopping on Black Friday, by the time IKEA opens their doors it’s probably mid-day, but still IKEA breakfast for free is a deal anytime!  Pick up a small breakfast and coffee on the house until 10:30am and then after 11:00 it’s $1.00 meatball plates! w00t!

(EDIT - My bad! $1.00 Meatballs on Friday, from 11am to close only. Not all weekend as previously stated!)

LEKSVIK on Sale on Black Friday

LEKSVIK is perhaps one of the most widely varied product ranges available at IKEA, with products ranging from nursery furniture, like cribs and changing tables to entertainment centers, desks and mudroom furnishings like coat racks, entry tables and more. There’s quite a sale on!  LESKVIK CD tower shown right is only $29! Here are the rest of the Thanksgiving deals on LEKSVIK available on Friday, November 27, 2009.

LEKSVIK Thanksgiving Deals

LEKSVIK CD Tower in Antique Pine - Black Friday bargain price: $29.00  Regular price $49.99 (shown right)

LEKSVIK Coffee Table in Black -  Black Friday price: $59.00 Regular price $119.00 (above)

LEKSVIK Corner TV Bench in Antique Pine - Black Friday price $89.00 Regular Price $119.00 (above)

LEKSVIK Shoe Cabinet in Antique Pine - Black Friday price $49.99 Regular Price $99.99 (above)

LEKSVIK Side Table in Black or Antique Pine - Black Friday price $ $29.00 Regular Price $49.99 (above)

LEKSVIK TV Storage Bench in Antique Pine or Black - Black Friday price $99.00 Regular Price $179.99

Other Black Friday Deals at IKEA on Friday

Other items on sale on Black Friday include the SVALKA Red Wine Glasses (6-pack) - Black Friday Price $1.99 Regular Price $4.99 (above)

ONSKA Gift Items on Sale on Black Friday

ONSKA Gift Bags, Gift Ribbons and Gift Wrap Rolls are also on sale Friday, Saturday and Sunday! (above)

ONSKA Gift Bags (3-pack) Black Friday Price $0.99 Regular Price $3.99

ONSKA Gift Ribbons (4-pack) Black Friday Price $0.99 Regular Price $2.99

ONSKA Gift Wrap Roll (Silver or Gold) Black Friday Price $0.99 Regular Price $2.99

ONSKA Gift Wrap Rolls (3-pack, Assorted Colors) Black Friday Price $0.99 Regular Price $4.99

Black Saturday Sales

Come back to IKEA on Saturday for more deals! The IKEA Restaurant meal deals continue, and so do the specials on Gift Wrap, Gift Bags and Ribbons. Plus, find special deals on KARLSVIK (KARLSTAD’s orphaned little brother) and GOSA Back Sleeper pillows.

KARLSVIK Sofa (brown) - Black Friday Price $199.00 Regular Price $299.00 Regular Price (3 piece set) $1299.00  SEE IKEA BLACK FRIDAY RUMORS SQUASHED for more information and to clear up the confusion about KARLSVIK

GOSA VIDE / KARNA Back Sleeper Pillows on Sale

If you haven’t experienced GOSA for sleeping, you haven’t experienced good sleep! Designed to provide perfect comfort for side sleepers, back sleepers and tummy sleepers, the GOSA series will have you sleeping like a baby. Combine an inner polyurethane memory core foam form fitted for your sleeping style with an outer container pillow - either down or hypo-allergenic poly fill with a therm-regulating liner. Back sleeper pillows in King and Queen sizes on sale on Thanksgiving weekend. Awesome!

GOSA VIDE / KARNA King Back sleeper pillows - Black Friday Price $14.99 Regular Price $49.99

GOSA VIDE / KARNA Queen Back sleeper pillows - Black Friday Price $14.99 Regular Price $34.99

Black Sunday Sales

If you ask me, Sunday (November 29, 2009) is really the day to hit up IKEA for the best deals! Up to 75% off on the items below, plus ONSKA giftware remains on sale, and you can still get FREE breakfast and $1.00 Swedish Meatballs all weekend long! (EDIT - My bad! $1.00 Meatballs on Friday, from 11am to close only!)

BEKVAM Kitchen Cart - Black Friday Price $19.99 Regular Price $59.99 (above) THAT’s 66% off the regular price!!!

CHARMIG Flatware (20-piece set) - Black Friday Price $9.99 Regular Price $39.99 (above) THAT’s 75% off the regular price!!

See the entire IKEA Black Friday Seize the Days Flyer online.

I recently had the pleasure of spending 45 minutes on the phone with Illeana Douglas chatting about Easy To Assemble, working with IKEA and her thoughts on the trials and tribulations of being a 40 something woman trying to make her way in the world. I’ll be putting some of my thoughts along with hers down on paper for you to read soon, but in the meantime, check out the latest episode of ETA, and don’t forget to vote for Justine or Illeana ~> Look right for the voting box! Also, for a fun read, and tons of information about the cast, click thru to the website for Easy To Assemble: EasyToAssembleSeries.com

Plus, love Keanu Reeves? Who doesn’t?!? Check out Illeana Douglas, Keanu Reeves, Rob Mailhouse and other Hollywood stars in Sparhusen, Sweden’s almost greatest band, showing on MyDamnChannel. A spinoff of Easy To Assemble, Spärhusen is actually putting out an album - more on that in the interview with Illeana! Stay tuned!

Shopping at IKEA can be a dizzying experience - nearly 10,000 products are stocked in a typical IKEA store, and customers are expected to get inspired, find the products and in some cases, check out on their own!  Learn How to Shop at IKEA all week long here at IKEAFANS!

Today we’re going to take a look at IKEA’s seemingly straightforward labeling system - it’s not as clearcut as it may seem. Believe it or not, there’s lots of helpful information contained on those hang tags and price tags, not to mention the package labels!  Labels, tags, product stickers, article numbers, draft orders and price tags - they all have their own special codes, and we’re going to dissect them all and give you the goods.

Understanding IKEA’s Product Labeling System

It’s been rumored that IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad began naming IKEA products because he is dyslexic and names were easier than numbers for him to remember. They certainly are quirky and lend some of the fun to IKEA’s brand that we all enjoy. But with nearly 10K products to keep track of and new products entering and leaving the range all the time, IKEA has to have a solid system for keeping track of inventory, informing their co-workers and providing information to the end consumer - you.

First, some terminology that will help in understanding IKEA’s labels and tags.

Product Label

The IKEA product label is found on the plain brown cardboard box or clear plastic wrap found on most of IKEA’s products. These labels contain more information than you might imagine, including the article number, dimensions and weight, the supplier code (helpful sometimes when there’s been a change in the production run of an item), the country of manufacture, and date and time stamps and codes. Plus this is where you’ll find the bar code to scan when you’re doing self-checkout.

Here’s the label for a 76cm x 61cm (30″x24″) AKURUM Kitchen Cabinet made in Serbia during the 48th week of 2006 (on the 29th of November at 18:40 to be precise). It weighs 14kg (31 pounds).

Here’s the label for the LOVE lamp. It includes additional information specific to this product, such as the type of bulb required by the lamp. Heads up - some IKEA lamps require bulbs that are not readily available at the local hardware store!

Next up, we’ll examine hang tags and draft orders and see what secrets they hold!

Image via Flo

Wondering if you can DIY an IKEA Kitchen all by yourself? You’re not alone!

Many have wondered the same thing, and we here at IKEAFANS have reassured them that yes, you can do it yourself. On good authority! Assuming some basic DIY skills and a few simple tools, plus a plan, some time and a certain amount of determination and willingness to think outside the box, yes…you can!

Check out some of these IKEA Fans forum threads addressing the DIY issue for more information: 
What does a discount cost? - a FAN-tastic article that delves into the costs and benefits of an IKEA Kitchen.

Are you using GC/Subs?

Should we forget the hired installer and just do this ourselves?

Thinking about DIY, am I nuts?

Can I DIY in bits and pieces?

How hard is it to DIY?

The AKURUM Kitchen System (and its European counterpart, FAKTUM) is truly genius.  Find out more about what sets this system apart from the stock cabinets you’ll find in home centers in this article about the component based IKEA kitchen systems.

Plus, it’s rumored that the IKEA Kitchen Sale has been extended! Find out more!

IKEA AKURUM Kitchen System

There are often questions and misunderstandings about the AKURUM Kitchen System. The AKURUM system is a ‘component system’. Each cabinet is made up of various parts that can be ordered separately, or not at all, depending on your particular needs. For example, all 36″ base cabinets are variations on the 36″ box. On the following page, you’ll see all the standard variations on a 36″ base cabinet and ways you can hack, modify or alter the original cabinet box.

Read more …

Would these be considered IKEA Hacks? Probably not, though DIY for sure! Fantastic clothing and accessories fashioned by crafty chicas who love IKEA textiles! And what’s not to love? Gorgeous lines, bold patterns, bright colors. Find out more about these artisans, their crafts and more after the jump!

PATRICIA Textiles

A favorite for sure, the PATRICIA fabric line has been used by many a crafter for everything from children’s and women’s clothing to petbeds, chair covers, and wristlet bags. In the image at top, the child’s dress with the red bird is offered for sale by artist allthenumbers, the petbed is sold by allingwelsh, and the wristlet zipper pouch is by artisan Kaoricolor, all on Etsy.com.

Love IKEA Fabrics? Want to use one as your desktop or laptop wallpaper?  Choose from popular IKEA fabrics: CECILIA, SARALISA, GUNILLA, INGER, HJORDIS, GUNVOR, or PETRONELLA.  Download yours now!

Carly’s PATRICIA Fabric Dress

Carly from Chicsteals says, “I must admit I went on a bit of a spree in the textiles department, picking myself up 2 yds of Patricia printed fabric last time I visited the mecca of Swedish design …” She used the boldly patterned black and white IKEA PATRICIA fabric to fashion this beautiful dress for herself. Follow her on twitter @chicsteals

Melissa’s TANJA Shower Curtain Dress

First seen over at Ikeahacker.com, I’ve been in love with this beautiful shower curtain dress made by Melissa Fehr for years. Gorgeous detailing, like the hot pink piping and a lacy edging to the cotton lining on the inside make this dress a true standout.  Matches the hot pink wellies perfectly!

Melissa’s not a one hit wonder, though! Other IKEA constructions:

Melissa’s IKEA ANNABELLA Table Runner Skirt and Bag

Made with a table runner of IKEA’s ANNABELLA fabric, this flirty skirt has a matching bag custom made by Melissa. Details on the pattern used and the contstruction of the skirt here: Refashioned IKEA Patrones Skirt and Bag

You can see more of Melissa’s IKEA fabrications over at Fehrtrade, along with all her inspirations and other finished projects.

New IKEA Fabric for 2010

SNÖA is a new red and white IKEA fabric for 2010 that features a strong heart motif. Do you have plans for this fabric line? Thoughts on what to make with it? We’d love to hear about what you’re going to do, or have done. And of course, as always, we HEART pictures!

Don’t forget to vote for Illeana or Justine for Co-Worker of the Year! You have influence over the outcome of the season! Now, you can vote right here on IKEAFANS.com. Take a look in our sidebar and vote now. Heck, vote daily!