For 70 years, the Ikea catalogue was a crucial arm of the brand’s sales and communications strategy, at one point outdoing the Bible in terms of circulation according to urban legend. However, in 2020, Ikea took the “emotional but rational decision” to cease publication, leading to an outpouring of grief over the loss of what had, in a strange way, become a legacy publication.

Now it has returned in a slightly different guise with the help of Dazed. Catalogue!!! is a one-time poster zine that delves into how young people are making their homes their own, and what the meaning of home means to them. The zine is launching exclusively at Milan Design Week this year, where Ikea is celebrating firsts with an exhibition dedicated to the experience of flying the nest for the first time.

The zine lifts inspiration from Ikea’s own catalogues, particularly examples from the early 2000s, which were dug up from the brand’s archives. Features include an introspective piece by food and recipe writer Riaz Phillips; a conversation between young creatives in London and New York; and a showcase of the domestic objects treasured by creatives around the world – all exploring the meaning of home to them.

Philips’ piece is accompanied by a tiny dining setup made out of yams and beans by artist Daisuke, whose other miniatures in the zine include a sushi lamp, a mushroom chair, and a chocolate table (furniture collab, anyone?). Meanwhile, Imruh Asha, Dazed’s fashion director, has created a myriad of sculptural wearable pieces composed of Ikea products like chairs, lampshades and clothes hangers.

Further visuals have been provided by photographers Angèle Châtenet, Erika Kamano, Anton Gottlob, Nikolai Ahn, Taito Itateyama, and Andrew Miksys.

Ikea has a track record of moving with the times to reflect how we live now, rather than clinging onto ideals that for many young people have become outdated or simply out of reach. See its recent foray into the fitness category, with a range of conspicuous workout accessories that slot into our home-work-gyms. The zine is a continuation of this, showing how creatives are (forcibly) adapting their homes to double as their studios in the era of expensive studio costs and side hustles.

“Quite simply the home has become the new creative space. This generation is redefining fundamental ideas about what a ‘home’ means and how it functions for them as a form of identity, experimentation, community, expression and/or independence,” explains Dazed Studio executive creative director Fred Paginton.

“In Catalogue!!!, we’ve tried to give space to new ideas, perspectives and interactions with objects, places and spaces, spotlighting a new understanding of progressive living by utilising Ikea’s ubiquitous appeal to index creativity within the home.”

With Dazed’s cultural cachet as a youth media title, and Ikea’s price points making it a go-to for young people starting out on their own, it’s an organic pairing that makes for a particularly savvy approach to commercial partnerships.

Catalogue!!! is available at Ikea’s exhibition 1st, running at Milan Design Week until April 21; ikea.com