IKEA unveils plans for Museum of Furniture Studies designed by Cobe

Danish studio Cobe has been chosen for a "precise transformation" that will see an old IKEA warehouse in Älmhult, Sweden, turned into a furniture museum and platform for historic and contemporary design.

The Museum of Furniture Studies, which was previously located in Stockholm and recently acquired by furniture brand IKEA, will now be housed in a building designed by Cobe.

The Museum of Furniture in the snow — The Museum of Furniture will be located in a former warehouse

The museum in Älmhult, where IKEA has its headquarters, will showcase furniture design history and contemporary design, while also functioning as a platform for furniture designers.

Cobe's design for the Museum of Furniture Studies will see an old warehouse renovated. The building's existing steel frame, roof trusses, and concrete floor will be retained, while three large windows will be added to make the space more open and approachable.

Cobe will also insert a timber structure into the warehouse, which will add a mezzanine level and smaller, contained rooms in the large space.

Wooden bench on concrete floor — The building's concrete floor was kept and a new timber structure added

"We approached the project as a precise transformation, working with what was already there rather than replacing it," Cobe founder Dan Stubbergaard said. "The existing warehouse has strong spatial and material qualities: robust, flexible, and ready for renewed use."

"Our task was to extend that logic, not overwrite it," he continued. "By keeping the industrial frame, opening the facade, and inserting a new timber structure, we shift the building from closed storage to public space."

Mezzanine floor with steel shelves — Both temporary and permanent exhibitions will be on show at the museum

The Museum of Furniture Studies will have learning spaces on the ground floor, such as exhibition areas and workshops. The mezzanine floor will house an open collection of over 800 unique design objects.

At the heart of the museum, a double-height space will cut through the two levels and create a central "canyon" that will hold temporary exhibitions.

"This museum will offer something new," Museum of Furniture Studies head of collection Jonatan Jahn said.

"A place where furniture design history, the contemporary scene and future generations will meet under the same roof. Our collection is made accessible for visitors to learn hands on about furniture design."