You know that weird thing we do with tech products? We buy them, we use them every day, but then we kind of hide them. Tuck the speaker behind the plant. Stash the lamp in the corner. As if apologizing for needing functional things in our homes. IKEA’s new collaboration with Swedish designer Tekla Evelina Severin (known as Teklan) is here to flip that script entirely.

The Teklan collection, which launches globally this December, is all about making your speakers and lamps the main character instead of background extras. We’re talking bold patterns, nostalgic color combos, and shapes that look like they wandered out of a really cool vintage store and somehow learned to play your Spotify playlist.

Designer: Teklan for IKEA

At the heart of the collection is the SOLSKYDD family, a trio of round Bluetooth speakers that refuse to be boring. The smallest is an 8-inch portable speaker in orange with a pattern that practically demands attention. The medium version comes in green with brown and beige diagonal stripes that feel very 70s but in the best possible way. And the largest? An 18-inch wall-mounted beast in textured orange that can even connect to a screen. These aren’t speakers that blend in. They’re conversation starters that happen to have excellent acoustics, designed by Ola Wihlborg to balance form with serious sound quality.

Then there’s the KULGLASS lamp speakers, which might be my favorite thing about this entire launch. Teklan designed them to look like soft-serve ice cream, because why shouldn’t your tech look like dessert? They come in mint green and a red-brown with pink combo, and they work as both lamps and Bluetooth speakers. The built-in volume knob is a nice tactile touch in a world where everything is controlled by tapping a screen.

What makes this collaboration feel special isn’t just the aesthetic, though the colors are definitely doing the heavy lifting. It’s the intention behind it. Teklan literally went to her grandparents’ house to match the exact shade of mint green to an old bar of soap from her childhood memories. That level of personal storytelling in product design is rare, especially for mass-market furniture retailers.

“We wanted to bring that softness and friendliness into technology, to help people see home electronics differently and invite more colour into their everyday spaces,” Teklan explained. And honestly, mission accomplished. These products feel warm and approachable in a way that most tech doesn’t. While the insides are packed with all the technical complexity you’d want from quality speakers, the outsides feel almost playful.

The collection also includes a refresh of IKEA’s cult-favorite VAPPEBY speaker, now decked out in Teklan’s signature colors, plus a whole range of braided charging cables called SITTBRUNN, RUNDHULT, and LILLHULT that are inspired by climbing ropes. Even your charging cables get to have personality now.

All the speakers can connect to each other and other compatible IKEA Bluetooth speakers for multi-speaker mode, and they support Spotify Tap, so you can seamlessly continue whatever you were listening to. The SOLSKYDD also comes in a plain white version if you’re not quite ready to commit to orange geometric patterns (though I’d argue that’s missing the point). Price-wise, we’re still solidly in IKEA territory. The portable SOLSKYDD starts at $80, the medium at $100, and the largest at $140. The KULGLASS lamp speakers are $130. Not cheap for IKEA, but reasonable when you consider you’re getting both form and function wrapped in genuinely unique design.

This collaboration represents something bigger than just pretty speakers. It’s part of a shift in how we think about the stuff that makes our homes work. After years of minimalism telling us to hide everything, make it all white, keep it neutral, there’s this growing appetite for objects with personality. Things that reflect who we are, what we love, the colors that make us happy.

IKEA has been experimenting with this more expressive approach since ending its partnership with Sonos earlier this year. The Teklan collection feels like a confident step into that space, proving that affordable design doesn’t have to mean boring design. The collection starts rolling out in December, with specific dates varying by market, so check with your local IKEA for availability. And maybe start thinking about where you want to display, not hide, your next speaker.

The post IKEA and Teklan Turn Tech Into Eye Candy first appeared on Yanko Design.