IKEA Democratic Design Days

Overview

The end of August will bring with it the end of winter, but will also herald the arrival of IKEA's Democratic Design Days. At the festival's first Australian iteration, you'll find out what exactly — besides fiddling with Allen keys — goes on behind the scenes of product development and design at the Scandinavian superstore. Over three days at the MCA, expect workshops, showcases of new designs and never-before-seen prototypes, appearances from creative leaders of design, and a glimpse into what the future holds for IKEA and design in general.

IKEA's head of design Marcus Engman will be the keynote speaker on the Monday, talking on the evolution of design — but the real keynote address might be given from your plate to your stomach as you make full use of the pop-up Swedish meatball restaurant that's coming along, too. The IKEA Social Enterprise Meatball Restaurant will create balls of all description (beef, chicken, vegetable, and the newly created IKEA salmon ball) on all three nights of the festival, and all proceeds will go to Foodbank, Australia's largest food relief organisation.

There will also be an after-work games night (with cocktails) on Tuesday and an 'unwind' session on Wednesday that will let you kick back with DJs, drinks and IKEA snacks.