BEIJING, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Red lanterns sway in the breeze, the aroma of dumplings fills the air, while homes are decorated with symbols of good fortune and prosperity. As Chinese families embrace the Spring Festival, the most important holiday of the year in China, home furnishing giant IKEA has found ways to weave itself into the fabric of this cherished tradition, reflecting its growing commitment to this market.

From persimmon-shaped orange door mats to cushions designed with pomegranate patterns, as the world welcomes the Year of the Snake, IKEA is once again at the forefront of the festivities with its 2025 collection, which draws inspiration from traditional Chinese culture, particularly symbolism related to food and plants.

"Food carries many memories and serves as a medium for sharing moments with family," said Qian Jing, an independent designer collaborating with IKEA, explaining that fruits like pomegranates symbolize many children and blessings, while persimmons represent "all matters going well."

The collection, named FÖSSTA, which in Swedish means new and beginning, and which resonates with China's Spring Festival that marks the start of a new year on the lunar calendar, features a series of products for the home that celebrate the Spring Festival in a way that is both deeply rooted in tradition and refreshingly modern.

Lian Zhelin, another designer working with IKEA, was inspired by Chinese painting practices in creating ceramics with delicate outlines of lotus leaves and petals, glazed in soft green and pink. "I wanted to bring a subtle Chinese aesthetic to the collection, something that people would want to use every day, not just during the festival," he told Xinhua.

In 2024, tableware products in IKEA's Chinese New Year collection, inspired by the shapes and colors of Song Dynasty ceramics, sold over 200,000 units around the Spring Festival holiday period.

"We wanted to try to break away from the usual red color dominance while still keeping it festive and colorful," Qian added, sharing the team's ambition to strike a balance between this festival and everyday life.

The Swedish brand has for 27 years been more than just a furniture retailer in China, becoming part of the cultural tapestry in blending Scandinavian simplicity with the rich heritage of Chinese festive traditions -- thereby catering to modern consumption needs based on self-expression, through blending Chinese aesthetics into daily life.

The brand's dedicated Spring Festival collection, the first edition of which was launched in 2018, has grown into a comprehensive range of products that cater to the festive needs of Chinese families.

"We started with only a few options like window decorations, Spring Festival couplets and light chains, all in the iconic red color," Carmen Xiao, a product design developer at IKEA's Development Center East Asia in Shanghai, told Xinhua.

Over time, the collection has grown, incorporating everything from dinnerware to thermoses designed for the millions of travelers heading home for the holidays during the Spring Festival travel rush. "We wanted to create products that celebrated the festival and made life easier for our customers during this busy time," Xiao explained.

As the Spring Festival gains global recognition, with its recent inclusion on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage, IKEA sees an opportunity to further promote Chinese traditions to the world.

"This recognition is a proud moment for all of us," said Lian. "It motivates us to create products that not only celebrate Chinese culture but also resonate with people everywhere."

IKEA's Chinese New Year collection has also expanded beyond the Chinese market -- starting in 2023, when the Year of the Dragon collection was made available globally. "It's not just for those familiar with the Spring Festival but for anyone interested in the celebration," said Xiao, noting that sales started in China as the main market, before being expanded to Asia and the global market.

The Swedish brand's commitment to the Chinese market stretches beyond festive collections. IKEA China in its 2024 fiscal year opted for an investment of over 100 million yuan (about 13.95 million U.S. dollars) to offer lower prices on a series of products -- resulting in a 70-percent increase in sales of these cost-effective items. The brand also expanded its physical presence in 2024, opening new stores in northwest China's Xi'an and Shanghai in the country's east, while launching its first Plan and Order Point, a customized design service center, in Shenzhen in south China's Guangdong Province.

Looking at the 2025 fiscal year, IKEA, aiming to make its products more accessible to Chinese consumers, plans to invest 273 million yuan this year to introduce over 500 products offering better value for money, according to the Swedish brand.

Xiao, meanwhile, believes Chinese customers, with "a wider view" nowadays, are more open and have developed their own aesthetic styles. "Now we need to really dive into what they need and come up with something that they really like and would take home," Xiao explained.

Her view is echoed by Lian. "In the past, customers tended to follow the changes created by the big brands, but now they are creating their own styles and even some new traditions as well," he said. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)