Published 28 August 2026
The story has been told many times before, but IKEA – Our Story is the first time IKEA is telling it itself, through the people who have been part of the journey. Why did moose dance in fishnet stockings at IKEA in Germany? Why did co-workers in Kuwait weld steel beams across store windows? And why did IKEA sometimes end up in crisis just when business was going so well?
IKEA was shaped by the co-workers at drawing boards, in factories, warehouses and stores around the world – people who tested ideas, questioned and challenged things, made mistakes and found new solutions. Ingvar Kamprad was a driving force, but he was never alone.
IKEA Museum has now compiled stories from pioneers and trailblazers, innovators and long-serving co-workers who speak openly not only about the big successes, but also the major mistakes. Alongside hundreds of photographs, artefacts, letters and drawings from the IKEA Museum Archive & Collection, the book offers unique insights into what has kept the wheels at IKEA turning, and how the future is shaped. Many of the images and stories are being published for the first time.
“When we were building the IKEA Museum, Ingvar Kamprad said that the uncomfortable parts must also be told; otherwise, the museum would not be credible. Getting behind the myths and allowing the people who were there to speak openly about both mistakes and successes helps us understand the history and build the future,” says Per Hahn, an IKEA veteran who, after retirement, has assisted the team behind the digital museum and the new book in ensuring the accuracy of the historical narrative.
The book makes no claim to be exhaustive, but rather delves into memories and moments from different eras and different parts of the world. Minor details go hand in hand with major decisions, humour with seriousness and tough choices that have changed IKEA.
“We look back so that we can move forward. At IKEA Museum, we tell the story of IKEA from the inside and from many different perspectives, not least through the people who have been involved and made IKEA what it is today. It feels both fun and exciting to show these new perspectives in a book and short film, this year in particular: the museum is celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2026, Ingvar Kamprad would have turned one hundred, and it’s also the fiftieth anniversary of The Testament of a Furniture Dealer. History should not just be preserved. It should also provide inspiration and direction for the future,” says Pär Gustafsson, Managing Director of IKEA Museum.
IKEA – Our Story is being published in connection with the tenth anniversary of IKEA Museum in Älmhult, and the fifth anniversary of the digital IKEA Museum. The new book and film make room for further stories that can reach even more people.
2026 marks the 100th anniversary of founder Ingvar Kamprad’s birth, and 50 years since his thoughts on entrepreneurship, responsibility and IKEA culture and values were published in The Testament of a Furniture Dealer in 1976. This is being highlighted by IKEA Museum with the new short film Never Standing Still, about the history of the testament and its tremendous significance for IKEA co-workers.
Watch the film here: Never standing still – The Testament of a Furniture Dealer
As Ingvar Kamprad put it: “Every business needs its roots. It is from the past that we build our future.”
About IKEA – Our Story
Title: IKEA – Our Story
Publisher: IKEA Museum
Publication date: 27 August 2026
Length: 304 pages
Languages: Swedish, English
Price: 199 SEK
Available to purchase from: IKEA Museum, Älmhult, Sweden
For interviews and further questions, please contact:
Media Relations
Mobile: +46 (0)732 32 13 00
Email: media.relations@inter.ikea.com
Web: IKEAmuseum.com