Ikea exhibition showcases 50 years of functional furnishing

A green armchair, designed in the 1950s, is one of the oldest items on display at the Swedish capital's contemporary art museum, Liljevalchs Konsthall Photograph: Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images

A page of Ikea's first catalogue from 1951 Photograph: Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images

A visitor looks at Ikea advertising (slogans include Chuck Out Your Chintz in Britain and Hello Cheapskates in France). 'This is not a conventional design exhibition,' says curator Steffan Bengtsson. 'It's more an exhibition about how we live our lives' Photograph: Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images

A visitor looks at the exhibition tracing the history of the company founded by Ingvar Kamprad. Curator Steffan Bengtsson says: 'For Ingvar Kamprad, tomorrow is the only keyword' Photograph: Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty

Advertisements were put in newpapers in Sweden to collect some of the Ikea creations and adverts on display at the museum until 30 August Photograph: Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty

Founded in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad when he was a teenager, Ikea began developing its furniture based on renowned sleek and functional Scandinavian design Photograph: Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images

'Ikea lit up homes,' says curator Steffan Bengtsson. 'In the 1950s and early 1960s, almost all furniture was very dark, made from exotic trees. When Ikea started producing furniture made from light wood, something happened in all the rooms. Our homes became more open, more inviting' Photograph: Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images