UTÅKER Stackable bed with 2 mattresses, pine/Minnesund, Twin

That's why IKEA product developer Ina Klepper and designer Henrik Preutz looked to create a bed that could move from home to home multiple times and adapt to any decor or room size while becoming a double or a single just as easily. It seems like a big task, but for Ina, Henrik and the rest of the design team behind UTÅKER bed, it was just a question of drawing inspiration from their own lives.

Whether you love or hate the word "millennials" it's no secret that life for many people born in the 80's and early 90's is different from earlier generations. One home, jobs and neighborhoods are just not the set paths they once were, as people travel more, look to gain meaningful experiences, and seek to have a lighter environmental footprint. Falling into this age group herself, Ina found that traditional beds didn't fit her or her friend's lives in the way that they could. "A lot of the time beds and daybeds can be pretty heavy and are not so easy to move from one space to another," Ina says, "and to be honest you probably only want to put them together once." Not exactly ideal for people who might be moving often, or who might have changing living arrangements. "So we came up with this idea of a stackable bed, which could be easily assembled and taken apart again for moving, while also being made from solid wood so it would be long lasting," Ina says.

The design floor at IKEA of Sweden in Älmhult is nothing if not busy. Amongst the buzz and energy of new products taking shape, the UTÅKER design team managed to tape off 269 square feet of floor space to stand in as an apartment, and came up with two people called Dieter and Hanna to live there, while they worked out what would be good for them. "We had the idea that she lived in this small apartment while he was travelling a lot and they were only together on the weekends," Ina explains. "To fit that lifestyle we designed the bed to work as a single with both bedframes stacked on top of each other during the week to save room, then sit side by side to become a double when Dieter came home." For friends or colleagues the bed also can be separated to make two single beds just as easily.

"Our second thought was that since they only had a small place they couldn't fill it with too much stuff," Ina goes on. "We wanted the bed to fill as many furniture roles as possible," She says. "So we made sure that it could work as a sofa, seating for casual dining or if you have a weird shaped room, you can just move both pieces around to fit into any combination as you like." Lastly was the idea that the bed could be adapted to fit any decor or personality. "We tried to keep the bed as minimal as possible and not waste any material when making it," Ina says. "It's really functional without any frills so you can adapt it how you want. You could paint it as bright as you like, or keep it clean and stripped back. If you wanted to add a leather handle or something just go for it. It's your clean canvas to do what you want." So for those moving to small homes, in (or out) with partners, or who just want to add personality to their furniture, we hope UTÅKER bed helps you live and move easier.

Forests contribute to maintaining balance in the atmosphere, purify the air that we breathe and are part of the water cycle. They nourish wildlife biodiversity and provide homes for indigenous communities who depend on forests for their livelihoods. 90% of plant and animal species living on the planet need forests to survive. They provide sources of food, fuel, timber and many other ecosystem services that we rely upon. Sourcing approximately 19 million m3 of roundwood per year from some 50 countries, IKEA has a significant impact on the world’s forests and the timber industry and a huge responsibility to positively influence how wood is sourced. Responsible wood sourcing and forest management ensure that the needs of people dependent on forests are met, that businesses can work sustainably, that forest ecosystems are protected and biodiversity is enhanced.

At IKEA, we work with strict industry standards to promote responsible forestry. We don’t allow any wood in our supply chain from forest areas that are illegal or contain high conservation values or from forest areas with social conflict. Before starting to work with IKEA, suppliers must demonstrate that they meet IKEA critical requirements on wood sourcing. IKEA requires all suppliers to source wood from more sustainable sources (FSC-certified or recycled wood). All suppliers are audited regularly and non-compliant suppliers are required to implement immediate corrective actions. By working together with our suppliers, we are proud to announce that we have reached our more sustainable sources goal, which we set out to achieve by 2020. Today more than 98% of the wood used for IKEA products is either FSC-certified or recycled.

As pressure on the world’s forests and the surrounding eco-systems increases due to unsustainable agriculture, the expansion of infrastructure and illegal logging, it is time to take an even more holistic approach to protect and support these important resources for generations to come. The IKEA Forest Positive Agenda for 2030 set out to improve forest management, enhance biodiversity, mitigate climate change and support the rights and needs of people who depend on forests across the whole supply chain and drive innovation to use wood in even smarter ways. The agenda focuses on three key areas: • Making responsible forest management the norm across the world. • Halting deforestation and reforesting degraded landscapes. • Driving innovation to use wood in smarter ways by designing all products from the very beginning to be reused, refurbished, remanufactured, and eventually recycled.

For many years, IKEA has partnered with businesses, governments, social groups and non-governmental organisations to fight forest degradation and deforestation and increase the volume and availability of wood from responsibly managed forests both for our own supply chain and beyond. We are on a journey to improve global forest management and make responsible wood sourcing the industry standard, contributing to building resilient forest landscapes and improve biodiversity.