5 best retro Ikea catalog covers to celebrate the end of an era

As we say a sad farewell to the Ikea catalog, we look back at our favorite iconic covers...

The best Ikea catalog
(Image credit: Ikea)

As if 2020 couldn't get any worse, this month Ikea announced that they will no longer be printing their iconic catalog. The catalog has had a good run though, first being printed in Sweden in 1950 and was only 16 pages long!  Oh far it is has come and will be much missed on our coffee tables, but alas, we have used it's passing as an excuse to delve into the Ikea archives and pay homage by picking our fave Ikea catalog covers of the years gone by...

Oh and if you love an Ikea hack as much as you love a retro magazine cover head over to our gallery. 

1. 1962

Ikea catalog archive

(Image credit: Ikea)

Who else would kill for a living room that looked that this? We know Ikea is our go to for affordable Mid-century modern style furniture, but this is something else! All these pieces look like the stuff we trawl eBay for, Ikea place bring back that amazing wall unit!

2. 1978

Ikea catalog archive

(Image credit: Ikea)

The room just fills us with nostalgia, the orange woods, the stripy sofas, the wallpaper! Tbf, this living room looks like it's come straight off of Instagram in 2020 rather than the Ikea catalog in the '70s.

3. 1980

Ikea catalog archive

(Image credit: Ikea)

Well it doesn't get more '80s than this! Pink and blue neon is something we do think can be left in that decade, in fact there are very few things from this cover we would want to bring into the 21st century. No bashing, loving the vibe but 80s interior design was not the one. 

4. 2003

Ikea catalog archive

(Image credit: Ikea)

Oooh very simple, very statement. This definitely stood amongst all the very busy covers and definitely sums up what Ikea furniture is all about – simple, sculptural and always on trend. We have trawled the Ikea site and unfortunately they don't seem to make this gorgeous chair any more – shame. 

5. 2005

Ikea catalog best picks

(Image credit: Ikea)

Okay, so this one isn't as whacky as our previous best picks but what a gorgeous bedroom. It's light and bright and everything we think of when it comes to Scandi interiors. No black iron bed on the Ikea site in 2020, bu t they do still make those lovely storage pouffes!

Hebe Hatton

Hebe joined the Real Homes team in early 2018 as Staff Writer before moving to the Livingetc team in 2021 where she took on a role as Digital Editor. She loves boho and 70's style and is a big fan of Instagram as a source of interiors inspiration. When she isn't writing about interiors, she is renovating her own spaces – be it wallpapering a hallway, painting kitchen cupboards or converting a van.

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