21 Ikea Product Names and What They Actually Mean

Trying to resist the desire to redo your entire home (or build an Ikea greenhouse cabinet) once you step inside an Ikea can be difficult. Trust me—been there, done that! But besides the Ikea Swedish meatballs and aisles of modern furniture, there’s one more thing we need to talk about. The incredible Ikea furniture names and product names!

How Ikea Chooses Product Names

While other companies choose number codes to catalog products, Ikea does things a bit differently. It’s all thanks to Ikea’s founder, Ingvar Kamprad. Due to his dyslexia, referring to products with numbers was troubling, so Kamprad opted for Swedish names instead. This practice helped him immensely when it came to remembering items and filling out paperwork. It’s a win/win for everyone, really!

Mackenzie Williams for Taste of Home

What Ikea Names Really Mean

• Stodja: Swedish for “support.” This flatware organizer doesn’t really support much, but it does keep kitchen drawers tidy.
• Finiss: Swedish for “giggle.” How sweet-ish.
• Bolmen: A gorgeous lake in Southern Sweden—and a gorgeous Ikea trash can!
• Ektorp: A suburb of Stockholm, and your new favorite sofa.
• Voxnan: A river in the Halsingland region full of waterfalls and rapids. Also holds towels. It’s connected to water, right?
• Ingatorp: Historic village in Småland or a table? You decide.
• Askersund: A town in central Sweden that will also look lovely in your kitchen!
• Sparsam: Swedish for “sparingly” or “economical.” You’ll save a lot of money with these light bulbs.
• Ödmjuk: Swedish for “humility” and a simple coffee mug. I like that.
• Fyrkantig: Swedish for “square” and the Ikea name for…block candles.
• Mastholmen: A Swedish island southeast of Korsvik. Of course you’d think of outdoor furniture!
• Billy: Swedish for “comfortable” and one of Ikea’s most popular bookshelves.
• Skärhamn: A quaint fishing village. Also a door handle?
• Toftan: A crisp lake in the region of Dalarna.
• Björksta: A village close to Uppsala and a picture frame. No relation to the singer.
• Rimforsa: A small village in eastern Sweden. They must do a lot of work to have this wondrous workbench named after them!
• Järvfjället: An absolute mouthful! It’s named for a mountain in Swedish Lapland.
• Stupparb: This one might be my favorite to say. They’re cabinet legs named after a town south of Stockholm.
• Himleån: Ravines in the Halland region. Gotta keep dry with those luxurious bath towels.
• Mästerby: A historic battleground on the island of Gotland.
• Knutstorp: A castle and birthplace of astronomer Tycho Brahe. It was built in the 16th century! I wonder if they would have decorated the outside with these rattan chairs?

Now that you know the meanings behind Ikea furniture names, discover the secrets Ikea employees won’t tell you.