IKEA Museum’s exuberant textile exhibition will debut at Dovecot Studios on 18th July as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Edinburgh Art Festival
IKEA Museum’s Magical Patterns exhibition will make its Scottish debut at Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh this summer, following a successful season at the IKEA Museum in Älmhult, Sweden. The immersive exhibition will showcase 60 years of playful Swedish textile design to highlight how many artists and designers have been involved in developing IKEA’s iconic pattern work over the years. The presentation of creativity is ambitious and unique in its scope, demonstrating how the furniture giant has helped put Swedish design on the map.
Visitors are encouraged to meander through a maze of 180 patterned textiles; some are mounted carefully on the walls like coveted pieces of art while others sit encased in glass. A selection hang elegantly from the ceiling, acting as curtains that keep the outside world at bay, granting access to those willing to adopt a mindset of childlike wonder and embrace the longing to play.
Anna Sandberg Falk, curator at IKEA Museum says, “Magical Patterns is a joyful and nostalgic journey emphasising the strong IKEA identity. Our textiles teams over the years truly dared to be different and in retrospect, we can see that those risks were worth it, as several patterns have become incredibly popular.
“The stripey banana pattern RANDIG BANAN, for example, was initially hidden away under a table at the stores’ textile departments when it launched in the late ’80s, but then it became a big hit in the 21st century and continues to inspire designers today.”
The list of heritage Swedish designers exhibiting in Magical Patterns includes Inez Svensson who in the 1970s, produced the recognisable duo STRIX and STRAX, a set of bright orange and white cushions that first appeared on the cover of the IKEA catalogue in 1972.
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Göta Trädgårdh is the early ’70s fashion and textile designer who created the MAJSOL, an orange oversized daisy pattern that appeared on bedspreads and matching blinds in 1971 – and remains available to buy online today in a yellow colourway.
Sven Fristedt is heralded now as one of his generation’s most forward-thinking designers. He created patterns for companies like Borås Wäfveri AB and of course IKEA, as well as for several collections by Katja of Sweden. Fristedt designed for IKEA until the 1980s but his most recognisable pieces are still being used in modern collections. Take the POLO armchair for example, a neat and round swivel chair upholstered in Sven Fristedt’s 1967 pattern MYRTEN.
In more recent times, Zandra Rhodes created KARISMATISK, a limited collection that celebrates the joy of self-expression at home. The British fashion and textile designer is known for her bright pink hair and knack for intertwining awkward shapes together with bold colours to create art that is as impactful when printed on a chiffon skirt as it is when lining an IKEA sofa.
Curators of the exhibition say that Magical Patterns aims to reveal the creative process behind successful design and provide the tools to help inspire visitors to incorporate textile, colour and print in their homes.
How to visit IKEA Museum’s Magical Patterns at Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh
The Magical Patterns exhibition will open on 18th July and run through to 17th January 2026. Click here to book your space – tickets are £12.50 with concessions available for those over 65 years old.
Dovecot Studios
10 Infirmary Street
Edinburgh
EH1 1LT
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