EKENABBEN Open shelving unit, aspen/white, 70x34x86 cm

Being a student can be tough. No matter where you study, you probably have too little money, a lack of space and a need for smart storage. That was anyway our starting point when we began working with EKENABBEN.

“We put up notes at a university and came in contact with pupils from different countries,” tells Sara Montes from IKEA. She and the development team visited the students and got to see how they lived. “We realised that many of them want flexible and adaptable storage solutions since they don’t have the luxury of having a piece of furniture with only one function or just because it looks good. They also want to be able to find their stuff fast; books, papers and other things you need when you’re in a hurry and have to rush off to lectures.”

“When we presented the prototypes to the students, we were curious to hear if they preferred a lacquered or raw wood frame. After some reasoning, they gave thumbs up to the raw version – for a good reason,” says Sara. Untreated wood is easier to paint if you want to create an own, unique look or simply just refresh if you want to resell your EKENABBEN. “It’s an example of collaboration at its best. The untreated wood frame made it possible for us to keep the price down and at the same time create a piece of furniture that easily can be inherited by someone else when the needs change.”