IKEA collaboration celebrates heritage through design

IKEA Birmingham and Black Country Living Museum have unveiled a new room set inspired by the Museum’s historic menswear shop, H. Morrall’s Gentlemen’s Outfitters.

Open now, the room set showcases the PAX and KOMPLEMENT ranges and transports customers to the elegance and style of the 1920s and 1930s.

“Our collaboration celebrates local heritage and proudly roots our store within Birmingham and the Black Country,” said Sophie Hale, Store Sales Manager at IKEA Birmingham.

“H. Morrall’s Gentlemen’s Outfitters is a striking building and really enhanced our ideas. When we visited the Museum during our creative process, we saw real synergy between our products and the mood we wanted to create,” added Sanjana Choudhary, Interior Designer at IKEA Birmingham.

H. Morrall’s Gentlemen’s Outfitters opened at the Museum in 2010 after being translocated from Hall Street, Dudley. The Museum has set it in 1935, and it is crammed with stock, some of which is available to buy, following the then current philosophy of “show more, sell more”.

“We’re delighted to collaborate with IKEA Birmingham and bring heritage and retail together,” explained Claire Packer, Head of Audiences & Communications at the Museum.

“The past continues to influence the present, and we’re delighted to support IKEA Birmingham with this room set. You wonder what founder Harry Morrall would make of modern retail today, especially with flat caps a staple on the high street again.”

Customers are invited to dress in the style of the 1920s and 1930s and claim a free meal voucher on 11 and 18 January, with historic characters from the Museum in the room set to meet. Entertainment and photo opportunities are also planned, with more details to be shared over the coming weeks.