19th-century house in the Village Museum in Bucharest furnished with IKEA products

IKEA is a company built on Swedish values such as simplicity, responsibility and caring. And the unique mix of past and present, tradition and development are and remain the heart of the company.

This year, IKEA celebrates 10 years since opening the first store in Romania. A perfect time to prepare for the future by showing respect for traditions. And the National Village Museum ”Dimitrie Gusti” is a space where traditions are cherished and brought to light in a context that IKEA is most passionate about: at home.

By blending the old and new, the Romanian and the Swedish, IKEA furnished a road survey cabin in the National Village Museum „Dimitrie Gusti” in Bucharest. “Traditions into the future” is the name of the exhibition, seen as a sincere statement of the appreciation for the unique mix inspired by the two design styles and cultures: Swedish simplicity and Romanian art handicraft.

The National Village Museum in Bucharest is one of the largest and oldest outdoors museums in Europe. The permanent exhibition covers a 14 ha area with 360 monuments and is the greatest portrayal of traditional village life in Romania.

The project was designed by Communication and Interior Designers working for the IKEA Baneasa store in Romania, who designed the home of the future, full of traditional beauty and starting with a lovely story: A young couple inherits a road survey cabin in a rural area in Romania and turns it into a holiday home. It’s a place where they chose to put into light traditional inherited objects — small furniture, ceramic pots, celebration costume pieces and accessories, together with up-to-date Scandinavian design products from IKEA. Traditional space and inherited objects have been preserved. IKEA elements have found a natural place in this space and have provided functionality.