'100 IKEA items we would have liked having at VINÇON'

From 17 October 2024 to 23 February 2025, Disseny Hub Barcelona (DHub) will be hosting 100 IKEA items we would have liked having at VINÇON, an exhibition that completes the tribute to the iconic Barcelona shop, which began with the publication of the book Vinçon. 1929-2015 after the business closed in 2015, when the owners gave their extensive archive to Barcelona City Council, which housed it in the DHub Design Museum. The exhibition is based on an original idea by Fernando Amat, the heart and soul of VINÇON, who, together with Sergi Amat, proposed ah exhibition based on selecting 100 IKEA items  that they would have liked to have had in their shop  – a nod to the Swedish brand. The curator, Juli Capella, developed the initial idea with a view to going beyond the selection of the 100 objects and establishing a game of mirrors between the two brands. Two leaders in the world of design in recent decades, although they are clearly different in terms of scale,  also have much in common. 

This comparative analysis, which examines 14 items covering everything from  the history and the founders of the shops to statistics and geography along with naming, the logo, communication, advertising, bags, the democratisation of design, the promotion of culture and the architecture of the shops, highlights differences  such as  geographical scope, turnover and type of management. Yet it also brings to light certain traits shared by the driving forces behind them, the importance the two brands have placed on aspects like communication, naming, a sense of humour and the promotion of art, and their shared commitment to good design and the democratisation of that design.

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