"During the pandemic, we also started seeing people live stream DJ sets from their homes and studios using KALLAX as their stage. And we thought, 'there’s a fun opportunity to do a small update of an iconic product for a collaboration around making and listening to music,'" said IKEA's Creative Leader James Futcher about the OBEGRÄNSAD collab with Swedish House Mafia.
Someone stands in front of a shelving unit with a collection of records and music equipment.Courtesy of IKEA Canada.
A stand-out piece in the collection is the limited edition shelving unit that goes for $249. It's a remix of the popular square-shelved KALLAX unit with an additional rectangular shelf at the top.
In the past, DJs have added feet to the two by four KALLAX unit, making it taller so they wouldn't hurt their backs while bending over to use a record player or other music gear placed on top. But having the added top shelf in the upgraded OBEGRÄNSAD version keeps the weight of up to 50 heavy records distributed across the whole unit (instead of a handful of feet) making it more stable.
Another sleek shelving unit in the collection, designed to feature a record player and more compact vinyl collection, goes for $129.
"I think it’s really nice in this digital age, going back to something that is so physical," said Futcher of the line's focus on throw-back music gear.
"We’ve made pieces we wish existed when we used to build our own vinyl stands," added Sebastian Ingrosso of Swedish House Mafia.
The collection also features sound-dampening rugs, unique lighting, and add-on speaker stands for existing units.
You can "Turn on the Lights Again," as the Swedish House Mafia song goes, with the OBEGRÄNSAD LED wall lamp ($139). It has five different "lighting programs," so you can switch on a favourite light show or automatically loop through several settings to animate your wall.
"Every piece in the collection can be part of someone’s creative journey, if you’re a musician, gamer, graphic designer or anybody," said Ingrosso.
"There’s a lot in there to accommodate any person who values music."
You can check out the full collection here.
