2022 Winners & Shortlists

Cultural / Context information for the jury

Have you ever been inside a house that hasn’t been refurbished, in Saudi or Bahrain? It’s like going back in time. it’s sentimental, it’s floral, it’s kitsch, baroque, it’s retro, it’s shabby chic and it’s everywhere, because they are all sentimental and they’re holding on to memories, handed down in the shape of furniture. The old furniture style shows how Saudis used to furnish their houses back in the days, by commissioning a carpenter that has a few templates that are very French baroque or retro, or sometimes a mix and match, and that’s the style of all big houses of parents and grand-parents. And the more they spend time with their inherited furniture, the more it grows on them and the less they feel the need to change it.

Tell the jury about the photography. Do not name the photographer.

At IKEA, we shot 3 visuals that illustrate exactly how, when you own furniture for too long, well, you start blending into it. literally. Because fashion taste gets influenced by furniture colors. And we filled the visuals with details that reward the viewer’s attention. We used them to promote a 70% sale without using a single IKEA product or a discount icon. The BEDROOM visual transports the viewer in a baroque land of floral patterns and endless shades of pink. It depicts a grown woman, completely blended into her childhood bedroom, that still has all her childhood memorabilia and furniture. To stay authentic, the whole set was captured in one shot. No digital photomontage. No extra elements were added post shoot, digitally. To take in the details of the whole scene we used a wide lens. To make sure the lighting was recognizable, we let the set light itself.