Ikea is not just fyndig with ya — there’s a specific method behind the Swedish furniture chain’s hard-to-pronounce names.
Nomenclature for the flat-packed items that you assemble at home originate from actual Scandinavian influences, including flowers and plants, bodies of water and animals.
Rugs – like the Ådum, Stockholm and Silkeborg — are named after locations in Denmark or Sweden, while the Häxört, a white and gray duvet set, is an herb in the primrose family, according to Quartz Media.
Outdoor furniture draws its titles from Scandanavian Islands, like Äpplarö and Västerön.
The ever-versatile Kallax bookshelf — a fixture in dorm rooms worldwide — was dubbed after a city in Norrbotten County, Sweden.
Children’s products are named after mammals, birds and adjectives, names for bathroom items come from Swedish bodies of water and kitchen accessories are derived from fish, mushrooms and adjectives.
Oumbärlig, a line of pots and pans, means indispensable.
There are some exceptions, though.
Ikea employee Billy Likjedhal inspired the name behind the bestselling Billy bookshelf.
And Ikea took things literally when it named its new bicycle Sladda, or skid, in Swedish.
It called its spice mill a Krossa, which means to crush or grind.
The iconic Poäng chair translates to point in Swedish.
Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad, who was dyslexic, came up with the unique naming system.
The name Ikea is actually an acronym for Ingvar, Kamprad, Elmtaryd and Agunnaryd – the latter two names for Kamprad’s family farm and the village where he grew up.
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