Overblown Opera Number for Ikea Demonstrates the Tensions that Design Can Solve

The new global spot for the 2019 Ikea catalog, conceived by Ikea Creative Hub and agency Acne, is a huge operatic affair set to ‘La Donna e Mobile’ from the Verdi opera Rigoletto. 

Research from the Ikea Life at Home Report strongly shows that, in homes all around the world, there is an inherent tension between space and relationships. People always long for more privacy but also want to make sure that home is also a place that supports their most important relationships with friends and family. The 2019 catalog features products and solutions for situations that reflect the push-and-pull of finding time and space for both “me and we.”

This was the strategic insight that led to the dramatic, musical spot directed by Acne's Tompa & Rondo.