Ikea asks artists to upcycle products to build Wildhomes for Wildlife

IKEA really, really want us to be excited about its latest London store, the super-sustainable furniture emporium plonked on the evocatively named Bugsby’s Way in Greenwich.

Just the other week they floated a rubbish-collecting vessel into the murky waters of Deptford Creek. The Good Ship Ikea set about sucking up around 20k of waste from the creek an hour. We’ve always said it: a publicity stunt that does its bit for the future of the planet is the exact sort of publicity stunt we can get behind here at It’s Nice That.

Guess what? They’ve only gone and done it again. Working as ever with Mother’s London office, this morning the meatball manufacturers have launched its Wildhomes for Wildlife project, which sees them teaming up with local artists to create a series of animal homes, crafted from upcycled Ikea furniture. “Now,” Ikea says, “all of our new neighbours can enjoy an amazing home. Even our furry, feathered and flying friends.”

Tables, lamps, and chairs have been transformed into plush pads for blue tits, bats, and bees. Proving that it isn’t just recent-graduates who’re happy to fill their living spaces with flatpack furniture, the scheme features eight bespoke dwellings for a set of exceptionally lucky animals.

Creatives chosen to provide snazzy shelter for all manner of animals include Hattie Newman, Supermundane, and Nathaniel Furman.