These New IKEA Rugs Are Already Going for Thousands on Ebay
Who says IKEA is cheap? Two weeks before the brand's latest Art Event line of carpets hits stores, Ebay is already littered with Virgil Abloh's design for the collection-selling for as much as $5,000.
The rug is one of eight models by leading designers that were first previewed at IKEA's Democratic Design Days conference at its headquarters in Almhult, Sweden, last June. Besides Kim and Kanye favorite and Off-White founder Abloh (who has done other work for the Swedish retailer, including a rug in the shape of a giant receipt), the line also includes designs by Craig Green, Chiaozza, Misaki Kawai, Seulgi Lee, Noah Lyon, Filip Pagowski, and Supakitch. Each artist created a carpet that's meant to blend art and design-users can either use the designs as standard rugs, or hang them like wall tapestries.
For Abloh's take, the designer chose a cheeky response to spaces outfitted with beautiful things that don't exactly inspire comfortable living. "I wanted an ironic take on the traditional attitude to furnishing, where the living room is just a showroom, not somewhere you sit," explains the designer of his carpet, a black-and-white version of a traditional Persian carpet emblazoned with the words "Keep Off." "The parental ‘don’t ruin the furniture’ kind of thing I think has really impacted how younger people think of furniture."
Of course, Abloh's idea works well on a relatively affordable $500 rug, turning the notion of expensive, untouchable home design on its head. It's unclear whether he could have foreseen the added level of irony in the carpet then being resold for 10 times that price-but, given the healthy online appetite for resales of his Off-White items, we're guessing he wouldn't be surprised. Nice move, Virgil.
If you're not willing to drop $5K for Abloh's rug, head to your nearest IKEA on May 10 when the line officially hits stores-but be prepared to duke it out for the limited number available.
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