Known for its innovation in retailing and quirky advertising, Ikea is now moving into content production with Space For Living, a new weekly television series set to debut on HGTV in April.
The show’s attitude is fun, friendly and relaxed. Although Ikea product and its budget-friendly living philosophy play prominent roles, the program goes well beyond simply a way for Ikea to peddle its wares. Space For Living offers insight into a world of creative living by combining travel, home décor, art, design, and lifestyle into a half-hour show. Segments were filmed in Vancouver, Montreal, the greater Toronto area, and around the world in places such as Chicago, Paris, Milan and Stockholm. Viewers are given a feel for each country through a vignette of the city and its people.
The idea for Space For Living began with Ikea Canada. The company brought in independent television producer France Fontana Hart to develop the concept and shepherd the project through a new production company it formed called Space For Living Television.
Hart brought in other freelancers including creative director, Neil Asselin.
Hart stresses that Space For Living is not an infomercial for Ikea. ‘The show is completely clean. There’s not a mention of Ikea anywhere, not a bag, a yellow, a blue, nothing. There’s Ikea furniture in it, Ikea product, but we don’t say ‘That’s a Billy bookcase.’ There’s also the homeowner’s furniture. A lot of what we do is to work with what the homeowner has.’
Ikea’s presence will be a billboard at the beginning and end of each show. Viewers will really only see Ikea’s involvement on the show’s Web site (which is still under construction) where they will get information about the episodes and the design elements used, as well as specific Ikea product.
A total of 13 episodes have been created for the first season, and it’s expected that it will be back for a second. Hart says currently the program will only be seen in Canada and in Ikea stores but hopes it will be picked up in other countries.
Each episode is divided into four segments. The ‘Space’ segment tours homes around the world showing how real people live and put together their homes, hopefully providing ideas viewers could use in their own spaces.
‘Transform’ is the makeover portion that also takes viewers around the world – but this time to discuss and illustrate before and after transformations. The Solution section offers ideas for design problems, organizing and using a space – whether a hall, mud room, laundry room, or closet – more efficiently.
‘Foreign Exchange’ is the part of the program that showcases design from other countries and, in some cases Ikea furniture, to show how designers in different countries utilize the same piece of furniture.
