Throwback Thursday – January 2026

IKEA catalogue, Swedish edition, 1972, page 65. Scan via the Internet Archive. Product history from the IKEA Museum.

When Gillis Lundgren’s IMPALA seating series appeared in the 1972 IKEA catalogue, the introduction called it “a furniture event”. Its low chrome frames and deeply upholstered seats brought a bold, continental look into the living room.

IKEA knew the unusual shape would divide opinion and invited readers to decide for themselves: luxurious, different, difficult, fashion-conscious, or simply ordinary? IMPALA was designed to be noticed and talked about.

The series included armchairs, coffee tables and a sofa that unfolded into a bed. The bright upholstery and sculptural metal frames gave the group a striking presence, though its complex and costly production meant it stayed in the range for only about a year.

Would you have chosen the vivid yellow upholstery, or the red version shown elsewhere in the catalogue?