100 objects, two icons: IKEA and VINÇON

The Barcelona Design Hub presents an exhibition of two design icons: IKEA and VINÇON. With the title '100 IKEA objects that we would have liked to have in VINÇON', the exhibition explores the parallels and differences between these two brands that have had a profound influence on contemporary design, despite their differences, both in size and of philosophy

The VINÇON store closed its doors in 2015, after almost 75 years of activity, leaving a great legacy in the world of Barcelona design. In the post-war era, the store was transformed into a cultural reference that brought international design to the city, becoming a true institution in the sector. Its Sala Vinçon was the first space in Barcelona dedicated to design as a cultural discipline, organizing more than 300 free exhibitions until its closure, becoming a bridge between commerce and culture.

The exhibition, which can be visited until February 23 at the Design Hub Barcelona, is a tribute to this legacy, and culminates the recognition of the store after the publication of the VINÇON book. 1929-2015. The initial idea for this exhibition came from Fernando Amat, who together with Sergi Amat, selected 100 IKEA objects that would align with the vision they had for their store, and which are now exhibited in the rooms of the DHUB. All together, under the curatorship of Juli Capella, who has developed an interesting game of mirrors between VINÇON and IKEA, comparing the history, values, communication, and even the architecture of the stores of the two brands .

Sala de l'exposició al DHUB.

Historically, both the founders of VINÇON and Ingvar Kamprad, creator of IKEA, were visionaries who understood design as an essential part of a modern social system. Both entrepreneurs shared the idea that design should be for everyone, a notion that is reflected in their respective slogans and in their willingness to go beyond commercial purposes. For VINÇON, the identity was also forged in its peculiar naming, with the famous "ç" becoming a distinctive sign and giving rise to puns in the establishment, such as Tinc Çon for the bedroom or Kitchen Çon for the kitchen On the other hand, IKEA revolutionized the way of naming its products because of its founder's dyslexia, who preferred memorable names instead of numerical codes.

Throughout the exhibition, several key aspects of the two brands are analyzed, such as the history of their founders, business figures, logo design or the promotion of design culture. This study highlights the obvious differences, such as IKEA's global reach versus VINÇON's local presence, but also reveals shared traits: both democratized design, promoting it as an essential pillar of society, and with a clear idea of quality, functionality and accessibility.

The exhibition is not limited to exhibiting objects, but also opens up a debate on the meaning of design in our daily lives. Through an audiovisual projected at the exhibition, figures from the creative world such as designers, writers, journalists and philosophers, among them Mercedes Abad, Joana Bonet, Manuel Delgado, Òscar Guayabero, Nani Marquina, Ana Mir, Marc Morro, Rosa Pera, Lluís Permanyer, Oscar Tusquets, Juan Evaristo Valls and Anatxu Zabalbeascoa, reflect on the values of design and its social and ecological impact.

In addition, another fundamental part of the exhibition is the Reviu workshop, designed by the designer Curro Claret and the TAKK studio. With the collaboration of social entities from Barcelona, this project will build a pilot floor with disused materials in the same DHUB, putting on the table, once again, the role of sustainability and the future of design beyond commercial dynamics , and highlighting the importance of reuse and ecology in this field as well.

Bosses de paper VINÇON exposades a DHUB.