BJÖRKSTA Frame, aluminium-colour, 140x100 cm (55x39 ¼ ")

Art and images have an ability to evoke emotions and moods in us. Certain images create a sense of calm and harmony, while others kick-start our imaginations and make us daydream. Anna Ohlin works with communications at IKEA. She sees a growing interest for more personalised decorating throughout the world and believes that wall space can be used much more in many homes. “If you live in an apartment of 25 m2, of course the space will be limited, so the walls can be used to enhance a personal style”, says Anna. “Maybe a nature picture, 2 metres high, could help you relax and feel really good when you come home after a long day at work”.

In our stores, there's a wide range of picture frames and images in various sizes. But how do you carry your new picture home on the bus or on your bicycle if it measures 2 x 1.40 metres? And how do you squeeze such a big picture into a small elevator to get it up to your apartment on the tenth floor? It's not enough that the package is flat, it also needs to be small. “It’s rather strange actually; most of our range is sold unassembled, to take up as little space as possible for transporting and storing, but for some reason our frames have always come assembled”. It was this insight that triggered Anna's technically-minded colleagues to begin developing BJÖRKSTA unassembled picture frame. The goal of the project was a picture frame you carry home with you in a package that is easy to carry. And when the product developers had already started thinking outside of the box, they found a solution for greater freedom of choice: the canvas can either be spanned inside the frame, or over it to cover the frame.

Freedom of choice was something of a mantra for everyone who developed BJÖRKSTA. The frame was developed in different colours and different sizes and was complemented by a number of canvas designs (yes, with the canvas rolled up under your arm, you also carry it home easily). “For many people, the home is an ongoing and ever-changing project, and therefore we want it to be easy to change the canvas”, explains Anna. So the next time you plan to make an investment in art, the only other thing you’ll need is a bus ticket or your bicycle. What image would provide the right mood if it were on the wall of your home: a lush-green tropical jungle or a black-and-white urban jungle? “Or why not have a beautiful fabric spanned to the frame?” suggests Anna.