I Tested the IKEA PS 2026 Collection in Milan: The $45 Shape-Shifting Lamp and a Rocking Bench are the Real Winners

Milan Design Week is often filled with items visitors can look at but not touch. Crowds stand a few feet away and look at chairs that cost more than a mid-sized sedan. But I spent my morning in a different world at the IKEA PS 2026 preview.

The Swedes aren't into somber product unveilings. They're leaning into the modernity of a real, lived-in apartment. And it feels like home.

They call it playful functionality for this tenth PS collection. I spent the morning testing the three standout pieces. No ropes. No "Don't Touch" signs. Just steel and pine you can actually get your hands on.

Alexander "Lex" Pott's $45 IKEA PS 2026 Lamp is the Steel Shape-Shifter Milan Needed

I went straight for the lamp by Alexander "Lex" Pott. From across the room, it looks like a clean, industrial cylinder. But the backstory is better. This lamp was born when Lex chopped up a broomstick in his studio. He refigured the scraps until he found the inspiration for these 45-degree angles.

I tried it myself. It really bends.

The joints move with a heavy, satisfying click. It feels expensive. You can twist it into a spotlight. Or a reading light. You can even flip it into an uplighter in about a second. And the price is the real headline. It's 39 Euros (about $45).

"My initial idea was to create a metal frame with a balloon trapped inside. It not only makes it firmer and sturdier, but also gives it a more playful expression, like a balloon bulging out," Axelsson says.

The collection doesn't drop until May. But if the buzz in Milan is any indication, these pieces will sell out fast. It's furniture that is in on the fun. And after a week of looking at designs meant to be exclusive, a rocking pine smile is exactly the vibe shift we needed.

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This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 4:05 AM.