IKEA: Launch Party for GILTIG

Last Friday IKEA held a launch party for the GILTIG range at the beautiful Poolside Café. The collection includes vibrant tableware and home textiles as the result of a collaboration with London-based menswear designer Katie Eary. Katie who joined the event via Skype, explained that the initial brief was to create a home range aimed at men, "They said, statistically women buy for the home and men don't, so they said, because I'm a menswear designer, could I do a range for men."

Admitting that she'd put on her best pajamas for the event (it was early morning in London), Katie went on to reveal her inspiration behind the collection. "To keep things interesting, I channeled Johnny Deep's character in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. So basically every piece I thought – what would he have on his dinner table? I thought he'd probably buy quite standard plates, but then it was about what he sees on that plate, depending on what he'd taken that day. So like, a fish with an eyeball melting away, or eyes watching him everywhere."

When styling with the range, Katie agrees less is more, "I wouldn't say go out and buy every single piece, everything is sort of stand-alone. I wanted to bring a bit of personality to every person's home, even if it's just a cushion to brighten up your living room or a puzzled eyeball for your shelf. It's a talking point. And that's what I think a home should be. Full of interesting things that spark conversation."

GILTIG is the first in a series of collaborations with fashion designers for IKEA.