If inflatable design is certainly nothing new, somewhere between a ’90s aesthetic and a certain idea of affordable design, IKEA is starting again from there, while shifting the perspective. At Milan Design Week 2026, during Food For Thought, the Swedish brand unveiled a new armchair that seems familiar only at first glance: it is extremely lightweight, yes, but also designed to truly work within domestic spaces as we know them today.
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Part of the new IKEA PS 2026 collection, the seat designed by Mikael Axelsson completely rethinks the concept of inflatable furniture. At its core, there is still air, but this time it is integrated into a hybrid structure: a carbon steel frame that defines the shape and an emerald green textile covering that brings it closer to an upholstered armchair than to an inflatable object.
The result is an object that retains its main strength—lightness—while eliminating almost all the limitations that had made it less convincing in the past. Inside, a system of air chambers distributes weight and provides ergonomic support, avoiding that unstable, slightly precarious feel typical of ’90s versions. On the outside, the fabric solves practical issues such as noise and slipping, bringing the seat into a more solid territory, both visually and in everyday use.
It’s not just about comfort. It’s about material. “Air is free and accessible to everyone,” as Axelsson explained to Hypebeast, bringing the discussion back to one of IKEA’s founding principles: democratizing design. Using less material without giving up function.
The assembly system follows the same logic. No electric pump, but a manual foot-operated solution: slower, perhaps, but consistent with the idea of reducing costs and waste. A small choice, but one that clearly defines the project. This armchair is the most striking piece of the new iteration of the PS collection, originally launched in 1995 to make more experimental ideas accessible. The 2026 edition continues along this line with objects designed to be adaptable and lightweight, both in use and in impact: among them, a transformable lamp by Lex Pott and a wooden rocking bench designed by Marta Krupińska.
And yet, it’s the armchair that stood out to us the most within the collection. Not so much for its shape, but for what it represents: taking an object often perceived as temporary or unserious and proving that, with the right design choices, it can become a real and long-lasting solution.
