Ikea leaf table: the story of a flat-pack icon that sparked a design revolution

The Ikea leaf table (the unofficial name for the Swedish furniture company's ‘Lövet’ table) was launched in 1956, marking the brand’s first foray into flat-packed furniture. Now reissued as part of ‘Nytillverkad’, the collection celebrating Ikea's 80th anniversary, the table returns in a series of bold colours, including blue, green and orange. 

Ikea leaf table: a flat-packed icon reimagined

When the original 1950s table made its first appearance in the Ikea catalogue, it was described by company founder Ingvar Kamprad as ‘a lovely little thing, in ultra-modern design’. The leaf-shaped design was defined by a jacaranda wood top and brass-covered feet, the wooden top assembled to resemble the veins of a leaf. 

As the legend goes, Ikea team member Gillis Lundgren was tasked with photographing the table as part of a set. When the object did not fit in his car, he sawed off the legs to transport it, and reassembled it on set, kickstarting Ikea's flat-pack revolution (Lundgren went on to design the company's best-selling ‘Billy’ bookcase, once again making Ikea history).

The leaf design was in production until 1962, when it was discontinued until 2013. That year, Ikea product developer Glenn Berndtsson was sifting through the archives (known at Ikea as 'the treasure chest') with Kamprad when he rediscovered the table. 'We knew that a lot of people were interested in these design classics, and felt the time was right to resurrect some of them,' Berndtsson remembers. 

That year, the table was part of a series of reissues (the 'Re-imagined Classics' collection), and its design returned as the ‘Lövbacken’, a name it keeps today. The 2013 design replicated the original with a poplar veneer top (as Jacaranda had since become a protected species) and beech legs with gold-foiled tips. 

Fast-forward to 2023, and the leaf table is once again back in the spotlight, with Ikea reissuing it as part of the celebratory ‘Nytillverkad’ collection in new colours. 

The collection includes cobalt blue, sage green and tangerine orange interpretations of the 1950s classic, in keeping with the anniversary theme of applying bold hues to Ikea's best sellers from the past eight decades. 

ikea.com