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IKEA Unveils ‘Home of Tomorrow’ to Inspire Sustainability as a Plant-Filled Urban Oasis

By Jessica Stewart on June 28, 2020

IKEA is looking toward the future with a fresh home design. Located in a 120-year-old abandoned building in Poland, the IKEA Home of Tomorrow is an innovative look at city living. Through the incorporation of nature, the team behind the design is teaching the public how to live more sustainably in a zero-waste environment.

By thinking of the home as a living organism, the design connects the spaces by circulating waste, water, food, and other resources. Over 600 plants filled the 2,700-square-foot space, which was conceived by Polish designers Joanna Jurga, Paulina Grabowska, and Justyna Puchalska. They took inspiration from research by IKEA that estimates that 70% of the world's population will live in cities by 2050. As a response, they are showing the public how city living can still mean being in touch with nature.

Herbs, vegetables, fruit, and fungi are all grown within the space to show how food cultivation can happen in an urban setting. By employing different types of gardening—from hydroponics to soil-less agriculture—they are able to easily demonstrate a wide range of possibilities.

The home is broken up into different public spaces that include a workshop where the public can learn how to repair or modify household items. This will allow people to renew their existing furniture without creating excess waste. There is also a special kitchen area where IKEA employees will consult with homeowners on how to make their kitchens environmentally friendly.

If you are looking to relax, a minimalist lounge area has a special feature. The room is illuminated by Home Sun, an installation that imitates sunlight. Designed to give you a boost of energy, it's one of two installations in the space. The other, made of 100 TRÅDFRI light bulbs, explores the effects of color on the body.

IKEA Home of Tomorrow will be open to the public until early 2021, when the Szczecin IKEA store will open. Until then, it will be used for workshops and discussions on sustainable practices.