Every year, we examine and explore the way people live around the world in the IKEA Life at Home Report. In 2022, we found that 48% of people don’t feel their lives at home are regularly shown in the media. So, we set out to change that view, through the lens of American photographer, Annie Leibovitz.
In her role as the first IKEA Artist in Residence, Annie Leibovitz presented 25 portraits that tell 25 unique stories about how people live their lives at home.
The four-day event named IKEA+ was held in a venue close to the Bastille area and gave a platform to young creatives from the French capital and around world. The IKEA+ daily and nightly programme was centred around self-expression and representation, featuring collaborators from the worlds of music, art, fashion, design, and life at home.
Over the course of a year, we examined what home life looks like in Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Sweden, the UK and the US. No sets, no stylists, just real people and real lives. You can view the portraits and read the stories here.
IKEA Creative Director, Marcus Engman said: “At IKEA we do thousands of home visits all the time. Looking at how we portray home for the 80 years we’ve been around, it’s always been about the furniture pieces, without noticing that there might be something missing.
“What really makes home is people and how we interact together. So, this collaboration focused on the people and their lives at home.”
Annie Leibovitz and the mentees.
As part of the Artist in Residence collaboration, Annie and Marcus worked together with aspiring photographers in The Mentorship programme.
The Mentorship allowed us to share Annie’s expertise with young photographers from around the world. Throughout a series of activities, young creatives were able to learn, share and present their perspective of Life at Home.
Guided by Annie and Marcus, they delivered a portfolio of photography that was showcased in Paris and also online.
Praise Hassan, who was one of six mentees on the programme, said: “It was a surreal experience, to be able to talk about my work to media and public, I loved it. It was a beautiful moment to see my work go up on the wall.
“All my friends and family back in Lagos, Nigeria, are so happy and proud for what I’m doing. I feel like I believe in myself more now and I just want to the next thing and the next thing after that.”
Toma Hurduc, from Romania, added: “I was really happy to have a platform that IKEA has provided us with. To have people come to see our work was amazing because honestly, that was what I needed. At this stage in your development, you really need to have your work seen by people.”
Go inside the homes
Inspired by the insights of the Life at Home Report, renowned photographer, Annie Leibovitz and IKEA step inside the homes of people around the world, creating authentic portraits of their life at home.