1968 until today: in celebration of a storage icon
Long live IVAR!
Though this storage system has had many names, configurations and add-ons over the years, its sturdy design in solid pine and simple, modular style have remained virtually unchanged for over half a century. Today, the IVAR system is as much an IKEA classic as a plate of meatballs and potatoes! From basements to bedrooms, see how the IVAR system has revolutionised storage in homes around the world since it first launched in the late '60s.
1971
Going by the name of “BOSSE” at the very beginning, these shelves first appeared as factory samples in the late ‘60s. A couple of years later, the shelves made their catalogue debut in the 1971 edition.
1974
Page 31 of the 1974 IKEA Catalogue tells the tale of a couple moving in together: combining each of their BOSSE shelves to make one bigger unit... and painting it blue! Personalisation and modularity make for a timeless match, don't they?
1975
Halfway through the decade, and the shelves get some small design updates and rebranding – bearing the new name "INGO".
1977
From morning coffee to afternoon admin, evening entertaining and back again! Flexible storage works a charm for fluid spaces: true for this ‘70s dining area, and just as true today.
1980
“Good furniture should not be expensive” read the back cover of the 1980 IKEA Catalogue. Hear hear! The popular shelves were also renamed once again the year before: goodbye “INGO”, hello “UFFE”!
1983
“The UFFE shelf and some imagination are all you need,” according to the 1983 catalogue. Filling this living room from corner to corner, the plain pine shelves frame the bold splashes of red beautifully.
1984
A new year, a new name! The fourth time is the charm, it seems, because the latest name, “IVAR”, has stuck around – all the way to today!
1988
Here a living room's IVAR corner unit is jazzed up in pink, blue and black for a quirky, colourful and oh-so-’80s close to the decade.
1990
Welcome to the ‘90s! Boy bands are extraordinarily popular and (not too surprisingly) so is the IVAR system, even at 20+ years old.
1993
Not one, but two IKEA classics here. Eagle-eyed readers might recognise the MOPPE mini storage chests in plywood on the shelves to the right. Like IVAR, they remain in the IKEA range in many countries today.
1995
No studio, no problem! A tall IVAR combination sections off a corner where creativity can flow, and oil paint steers clear of the sofa.
1996
Books, boxes, or a living wall of lush greenery? The IVAR system has always delivered it all.
1997
Ignore the boxy computer screen, and you might be fooled into thinking this picture was taken recently. Proof if you ever needed it that clean design, punchy patterns – and the IVAR system – stand up well to the test of time.
2000
It’s the dawn of a new millenium, and IVAR fits as well into this one as the last. Still, the new era brings a new style of home furnishing: stacking and wall-mounting the cabinets is a fresh approach that hasn’t been seen much before.
2002
The age of small-space living is well underway, and multi-functional furniture keeps it moving. Case in point: a sofa that folds out into a bed, and an IVAR combination that’s a bookshelf, media unit and wardrobe in one.
2005
Shelves packed with CDs were common before streaming became, well, mainstream! And while the basic IVAR components have stayed more or less the same, other parts (like these multimedia shelves) have come and gone as storage needs change over time.
2012
Bedroom in the front, kitchen in the back! See how this IVAR system helps to divide the space while servicing each side: grab your cup and bowl for breakfast, or a paperback book to wind down before bed.
2017
It’s hard to choose what’s more charming in this kitchen. Is it the IVAR cabinets painted in assorted shades of pastel, or the IVAR shelves tucked away behind a soft linen curtain and bouquets of drying herbs?
2018
IVAR brings the functional, so that you can bring the fun. Here’s a glimpse of what can happen when imagination, yellow paint, power tools and IVAR cabinets come together!
2020
Five decades down, and IVAR isn't losing steam! This small student’s room shows IVAR still has several tricks up its sleeve. Combining a foldable desk with space-maximising storage? Now that's smart.
2021
It's no surprise that IVAR made it into the final IKEA Catalogue. Here, a shelving unit steps up a pint-sized kitchen pantry for a young couple living light, perfectly complementing their lifestyle – and longboard!
2022
Woven bamboo doors add a soft, sophisticated new expression to the storage system that has been loved for more than fifty years.
2023
A splash of orange and storage boxes on wheels down below and IVAR feels just as modern as it did almost 60 years ago. What does the future hold for this storage superhero? We can't wait to see!
Welcome an icon into your home
Looking for a low-price, reliable storage solution that can grow with your home? Then look no further than IVAR – it ticks all the boxes! Check out the IVAR storage system online or at your local IKEA store.