IKEA's new collection is 'ugly,' IKEA says

IKEA is setting aside its signature minimalist design style for something a little more ... ostentatious.

The Swedish furniture company is going a little avant-garde with some upcoming "pretty, ugly, lovely objects," Fast Company reported Friday. Instead of clean lines and simple functionality, IKEA is collaborating with decidedly un-IKEA-like artists who are bringing a new sensibility to the store's decor items.

In its latest "maximalist" collection, artist Per B Sundberg is creating a line of "future antiques" that are meant to look one-of-a-kind, quirky, and handmade. Poodle-shaped candle holders will be sold alongside sculptural trinkets that would definitely add some intrigue to any apartment — especially if that apartment was previously furnished with IKEA's comparatively dull Grönlid sofa.

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The line is set to launch next month, with items like banana-shaped vases available for less than $30. "Each piece of the Föremål collection is different, representing more than function and going beyond reason," the company said in promotional materials. Indeed, shoppers looking for both reasonable, inexpensive flatware and "beyond reason" skull-shaped planters need look no further. Read more at Fast Company.