IKEA may be all about Swedish minimalism, but it’s making a splash with a new Marimekko range. Marimekko is a Finnish brand known for its bold, colourful prints and this is the first time it’s created prints exclusively designed for a brand collaboration.

The Bastua collection, which means sauna, is inspired by Nordic nature, sauna culture and self-care rituals. The limited-edition range is priced from $4-$119 and spans 26 products across furniture, glassware, and textiles. You’ve got robes, towels and a sauna bucket, as well as table settings such as coordinated trays and glassware.

The hero print is the rhubarb leaf, which was inspired by the large, decorative rhubarb leaves that grow next to sauna buildings in Finland. It’s used on trays to give a fun, colourful vibe to any table setting, as well as floor cushions, towels and a shower curtain.

Other tableware includes textured clear glassware, such as jugs and cups. In the context of saunas and self-care, they’re part of the sauna ritual – a light meal and hydration are encouraged pre or post sweat session. 

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The range was designed by IKEA’s, Mikael Axelsson and Henrik Preutz, and Marimekko’s, Maija Louekari and Sami Ruotsalainen. Minimalism and maximalism are strange bedfellows, but the designers bonded over their common Nordic heritage, “particularly from the singular joy that comes from spending time in the sauna.”

And the collection is joyful. It’s a bright mash-up of pinks, green, blues, orange and red that make you smile. So far, so Marimekko. “The pattern I created for Bastua is inspired by the soft, curved cuts of the carved grey log walls in the sauna cabin that my grandparents had,” Ruotsalainen says. 

But then the pared back shapes are also very IKEA. “Nordic furniture design has always been characterised by clean lines and simple constructions that focus on function” says Axelsson.  

“The Bastua side table is my take on this heritage as it is made of birch veneer and with a high edge that keeps things in place.”

The Bastua collection is available from March. 

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