Plenty of room to grow

If anyone knows about nursery furniture, it's Sarah. As a designer and mother of three, she has spent many the sleepless night thinking up smart solutions for parents and their newborn bundles of joy. So when given the brief to create a series of baby furniture that could grow beyond the needs of a newborn, she had lots of ideas. "I remember how innovative I was when my babies were small," recalls Sarah. "During the nights, I was coming up with solutions for how to get better sleep for the baby, me and the rest of the family. Sometimes, through frustration, really good ideas came along."

The look of ÄLSKVÄRD is modern, soft and timeless. Think light blonde bentwood, warm curves, and minimal materials used in elegant ways. Birch bentwood was the wood of choice, loved for its strong connection to Scandinavian style. Following the IKEA Democratic Design principles of function, form, quality, sustainability –  and of course, with a low price – Sarah uses bentwood accents to frame each piece, creating beautiful understated forms.

The bassinet

Although cots and cradles aren't new to the IKEA range, bassinets are. With no other existing product to compare it to, one of the most testing aspects of the design was safety, a top priority. "With nothing in our range to benchmark it to, it had to live up to requirements that were new to us, which was quite a challenge," recalls Sarah. A basket made from see-through, breathable materials and stretched-out legs for stability and so that it cannot be placed too close to the wall, are just some of the solutions the designer and her team came up with.

No stranger to the sleepless nights of parenthood, Sarah tapped into her box of memories for some really smart solutions. Thanks to castors on each leg, you can simply move the bassinet from the living room to the bedroom, without the fear of waking the baby, or roll it back and forth to inspire slumber. Another great feature is that the basket and mattress cover are washable, so it's easy to refresh before being stored away, sold or passed on to friends or family.

The cot

The ÄLSKVÄRD cot grows with your little one, thanks to a height-adjustable base that can be lowered when they start climbing, and a removable front panel that transforms it into a junior bed. In terms of style and comfort, the light wood and rounded form of the bentwood ends create a softer look for the nursery. "As a new parent, you may be sensitive to things that feel hard and sharp and want to surround your baby with soft and embracing shapes," says Sarah.

The changing table

Changing tables are an important piece of parent kit, especially for late-night nappy changes. When it came to designing a versatile changing station for the ÄLSKVÄRD series, accessibility and safety topped the list of priorities. For example, the open compartment under the changing area provides easy access to essentials like nappies, without leaving the baby unattended. And the best part? When they're out of nappies and into underwear, it can be transformed into a chest of drawers.

Our curiosity about life at home often unearths many interesting facts. Did you know that many parents in the US and North America place their infants sideways when changing diapers, while in Europe and many other parts of the world, we approach nappy changing head-on, with legs in front? This led to Sarah and the team designing a customised version specifically for the US market.

Unmistakebly Scandinavian, undeniably IKEA

At IKEA, we believe that children are the most important people in the world. Every product in the ÄLSKVÄRD series was rigorously tested during the development phase by Sarah and a team of experts – including new parents. "When designing for children we have a lot of requirements and parameters," says Sarah.

Whether you're looking to create a Scandinavian-inspired nursery with plenty of style or welcoming the new family member into a shared space in the home, as the ÄLSKVÄRD series attests, you're never too young for beautiful design!