14 Ikea Facts That We Had To Build Ourselves
![14 Ikea Facts That We Had To Build Ourselves](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/3/8/808838_320x180.jpg)
Ikea company designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture, kitchen appliances, and home accessories. The company was founded in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad, and it is headquartered in Älmhult, Sweden. Ikea has over 340 stores in 43 countries, and it employs around 172,000 people. The company's name is an acronym for the initials of its founder's name (I.K.) and the first letters of the farm where he grew up (Eketorp). Ikea is known for its minimalist Scandinavian design and its flat-pack furniture, which can be assembled by the customer. The company also offers a furniture rental service, and it has installed solar panels on some of its store rooftops to generate renewable energy. In recent years, Ikea has been criticized for its environmental impact and its treatment of workers. However, the company has taken steps to improve its sustainability practices, and it remains one of the most popular furniture retailers in the world.
We all know that Ikea is the go-to store for affordable furniture. But what you may not know is that there are a few hidden secrets behind the company. For starters, did you know that Ikea isn't actually a Swedish company? Or that many of the products are actually built by the customers themselves? If you're curious to learn more, keep reading. We've rounded up some lesser-known Ikea facts that will surprise and amuse you. So dive in and get ready to be amazed!
![IKEA is not headquarted in Sweden. CRACKED.COM They moved to The Netherlands for tax purposes.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/2/7/810027.jpg)
Source: Insider
![In 2009, comedians secretly filmed a soap opera in an IKEA entitled IKEA Heights. CRACKED.COM The web series starred Randall Park who would go on to star in Fresh Off The Boat and Always Be My Maybe.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/5/2/808852.jpg)
Source: Entertainment Weekly
![IKEA stores are confusing on purpose. Living rooms GRACKED.COM IKEA stores are specifically designed to confuse you and lead you to buy smaller impulse items.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/5/1/808851.jpg)
Source: Mental Floss
![IKEA sells its own beer. ITE 117% vol = 24756 NOT IN 47% vol-D 347% vot = IKEA IKEA СКВА IKEA IKEA de TOUS LAGER du MDRX LAGER OL was سير de MÉRK LAST ÖL MOTO LASER Dark Jagar been Light - Laper been Dark lager - Dank lagor - CRAGKED.COM However it is only available to purchase in the United Kingdom.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/5/0/808850.jpg)
Source: IKEA
![The average IKEA store is 300,000 square feet CRACKED.COM That is approximately the size of 5 football fields.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/4/9/808849.jpg)
Source: How Stuff Works
![IKEA uses 1% of the world's wood for its furniture CRACKED COM They are the 3rd largest wood consumer- after Home Depot and Lowes.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/4/7/808847.jpg)
Source: Thrillist
![People have a lot of sex on IKEA beds. KING CRACKED.COM It's been estimated that 1 in 10 Europeans were conceived on an IKEA bed.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/4/5/808845.jpg)
Source: House Beautiful
![At one point there were more IKEA catalogs printed every year than bibles. with 249 229 249 +249H IREA THEA IREA CRACKED.COM At its height of circulation, IKEA printed over 200 million catalogs. They ceased printing the physical catalog in 2021.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/4/8/808848.jpg)
Source: House Beautiful
![IKEA makes tiny homes. CRACKED GOM The homes start at 47,000 dollars and are outfitted entirely with IKEA products.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/4/4/808844.jpg)
Source: Architectural Digest
![IKEA meatballs contained horse meat. KOTTBULAR GRACKED COM grams Swedish Meatballs dish Meatballs-just In 2013, independent testing showed that IKEA's meatballs contained trace amounts of horsemeat. It affected 1% of all of IKEA's meatballs.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/4/3/808843.jpg)
Source: The New York Times
![There's an IKEA museum. IKEA museum CRACKED COM The museum has digitized every page of every catalog since the 1950s.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/4/1/808841.jpg)
Source: Insider
![IKEA has a strict naming system. - - VILBORG 145x300 e groes Organizan - - - - - Dit product is in bestelling. جبيع People's - - 49.95 Gordijnen, Ipaar a - VILBORG ONEA - NO 145x300 beige Each category of furniture at IKEA has OF - - vergen wer postar je - with - Agiban a different source of names. For Effective segno г de with - - - example, outdoor furniture is named - CRACKED.COM after Scandinavian islands and rugs are named after Swedish or Danish towns.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/4/2/808842.jpg)
Source: Insider
![The name IKEA is an acronym. IKEA Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd CRACKED.COM The letters stand for Ingvar Kamprad from Elmtaryd, Agunnaryd.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/4/0/808840.jpg)
Source: Insider
![IKEA was founded by a Nazi-sympathizer. CRACKED.COM The founder of IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad, was a member of Socialist Unity, Sweden's far-right party that supported the Nazi's efforts.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/5/3/808853.jpg)
Source: The New York Times