5 picks from IKEA PS 2026 for your small apartment

The IKEA PS collection (short for Post Scriptum) began in 1995 at the Milan furniture fair and ran for nine editions before going quiet in 2017. 1 This week, IKEA brought it back — the 10th edition, with 44 products designed by 12 designers under creative leader Maria O'Brian. 1 Everything hit stores globally on May 14, 2026; US online sales open May 28. 2

The theme is "playful functionality" — pieces that rock, inflate, fold flat, or transform, but that are genuinely useful in a real home. 1 In O'Brian's words: "Simplicity doesn't have to be boring, but it can reveal design in its purest and most engaging form." 1 Designer Lex Pott framed the whole collection's logic cleanly: "When something is only playful, it risks becoming a gimmick. And when it's only functional, it can lack joy. But when you marry function and play, that's when it becomes interesting design." 3

The full 44-piece range covers everything from a handwoven pine cabinet ($499) to moulded paper wall art ($4.99). 2 For this week's issue, we filtered to the five that make the most sense if you're living in a small apartment, working from home, or cooking for one — practical, space-efficient, and priced within reach.

Best for: WFH setup, reading corner, living room accent

The floor uplighter by Rotterdam-based designer Alexander Pott (also credited as Lex Pott) is a 72-inch steel pole with two 45° swivel joints — the same joint geometry you'd see on industrial lighting rigs. 3 Rotate it to a different angle and it becomes a spotlight, a reading light, or a ceiling uplighter. That mechanical flexibility is the whole pitch: one lamp that replaces three. 2

Pott put it simply: "This lamp invites you to use it, which is a simple way to bring playfulness and joy into your daily activities." 2

Comes in dark red (article 406.085.05), cobalt blue (206.085.30), and butter yellow (706.085.42). Cord is 12'6". Max 8W. Requires a GU10 bulb — the standard screw-base spotlight bulb used in most track and downlighting fixtures (sold separately). 3

Assembly: No screws, no tools — the jointed pole sections click into each other. Low parts count.

Best for: Studio apartment, guest office, anyone who needs a spare bed without buying a sofa-bed

Designer Matilda Lindstam Nilsson grew up in Småland, Sweden, with a similar piece of furniture tucked under her loft bed. 3 She was specific about what that childhood chair lacked: it was smaller and far less comfortable than what she eventually designed. The result is a 31½"-wide upright chair that reclines into a lounger and then unfolds flat into a 79⅞"-long single bed — all in three steps. 7

Construction: powder-coated steel frame, 100% recycled polyester fabric, polyurethane foam, and pocket springs. 7 The cover is machine-washable (warm). There is also a protective fabric included to drape over the chair surface during daily use, so it doesn't wear out before a guest needs it as a bed. 3

Available in bright orange (article 806.203.79) and light grey-beige (106.203.73). 7

Assembly: 3-step transformation with no tools required once assembled; initial frame assembly is moderate — one box at 49 lb 6 oz. 7

Best for: Beside your bed, or beside your WFH desk as a cable-managing companion unit

Ola Wihlborg got the idea on a walk through his garden. 3 The result is a solid pine cube (11¾" × 11¾" × 19⅝") that looks like a birdhouse — the circular "bird hole" on the front face is the handle that opens a fold-down door. Behind the door: a small compartment with a cable route cut into the back panel, so your phone charges out of sight overnight. 3

Wihlborg, who has contributed to five previous PS collections, was clear about his favorite detail: "The little hole on the birdhouse that serves as the handle to open the storage space is my favorite aspect of the design." 3

Article 606.199.42. Pine with clear acrylic lacquer. 9

Assembly: Low complexity. Single package, small cube form. No wall anchoring required.

Best for: Compact kitchen pantry, WFH supply station, bathroom shelf-on-wheels

Most utility carts are rectangular, which means they end up jammed into a corner and stay there. Lex Pott designed this one circular on purpose. "Rectangular things tend to end up in a corner, a round object has no direction," he explained. "It makes sense to make a mobile product like this round, so it can go anywhere." 3

The three-tiered "wedding cake" shape is powder-coated metal with matching-color wheels. 3 At 89 × 48 cm (roughly 35" tall × 19" wide), it fits beside a kitchen counter, under a desk, or next to a bathroom vanity without blocking doorways. 4 Available in blue and beige.

Assembly: Tool-free snap-together assembly typical of IKEA trolleys. Wheels lock into base.

Best for: Living room seating with nowhere to store extra items, WFH underdesk footrest

Hand-woven rattan over a metal frame, available in brown-red. 3 Lift the top and there's a full storage compartment inside — large enough for throw blankets, slippers, or the tangle of extension cords you've been ignoring. Designer Marta Krupińska, who describes her design philosophy in three words: "Function is my priority." 3

The rattan surface doubles as a footrest under your desk — the right height to take weight off your lower back during long video calls without taking up more floor space than a small side table.

Assembly: No assembly required — arrives as a finished woven piece. Lid lifts off. 3

Availability note: The full PS 2026 collection is in stores globally now. IKEA US online launches May 28; UK online June 1; Sweden online from May 21; Norway online from June 4. Japan's online listing is expected in late May 2026 — prices are not yet published. 1112