Us & Our Planet: This Is How We Live

by Maisie Skidmore (Editor), Jonas Kamprad (Foreword), Mathias Kamprad (Foreword)

In collaboration with IKEA, this inspirational study explores how to live more sustainably and well based on the experience of both ordinary and extraordinary lives, showing how small changes at home will work positively towards sustainability for our planet

Ever since the 1950s, IKEA retailers have visited homes all over the world to find out more about how we live. Inspired by this approach, Inter IKEA Systems and Phaidon have teamed up to explore the greatest challenge of our generation - living sustainably - through the lives of activists, artists, athletes, entrepreneurs and many more.

Achieving a more sustainable life at home is one of the most pressing social and environmental challenges we face today as a society. Together with IKEA, we visit homes, workplaces and shared spaces from Mexico to Moscow, Bali to Beirut to find ways in which we can improve how we live. Our everyday actions might seem inconsequential, but the future of our planet starts with us.

Genres: Design, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published March 2, 2022

About the author

Maisie Skidmore is a writer and editor specializing in fashion, art and design, and their intersection in contemporary culture. She is the editor of Noon, a biannual magazine that explores art and commerce, and a contributing editor of Apartamento, an everyday life interiors magazine. She is based in London.

Reviews

[Adriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deliberate unpretentiousness marks the cover of the book. Cheap, non-designer and ubiquitously found items - a bleached plastic chair, broom, clip, hanger, inflatable planet ball - draw us into a surprising game between first impression and what's to come. On one hand, easy to consume and without emotional value objects for disposal and on the other 250 pages, carefully selected ideas for inspiration and a gentle motivation for a more meaningful lifestyle.

Don't let the cover fool you. In essence, this is a book made by and for IKEA in an unexpected, fascinating and sincerely human way. Without claiming to replace the iconic 70-year catalog of the brand, this beautiful print edition rather points to the right position of the furniture manufacturer in relation to the urgent requirements and the serious challenges of the time. How to continue to "create a better life for more people" by reducing tons of garbage, depletion of resources and destruction of nature.

Time, space, food, rest, play and togetherness frame the content of the book and each holds stories of amazing people and their small and big acts of care towards their environment leading a life of example.

[Kirill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got if for free in IKEA. Finished in 2 days. Colourful design, interesting short stories about the iconic ikea furniture pieces and design behind it.
But also interviews with the random people doing random things: hey we have a unique tradition of gathering around the table while we eat, and we like seating in the living room to watch tv. Perhaps I didn’t get the deep artistic idea of the book. Didn’t like it, would not recommend buying it.

[Emanuele Broglio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Autoreferenziale e inconcludente. Vago e inutilmente (e deleteriamente) teorico. Una rivista...

[Emanuella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring stories and people from around the world. And some very nice pictures.

[Vera Pear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly fun

[suukiyaki · Rating 3 out of 5]

i think i liked the physical book-making more than anything (exposed spine binding + very matte + bold ish colors came together nicely);