The arrival of Lunar New Year has always been about a moment to reset the home, welcome new energy, and spend time around the table with the people who matter most. For the Year of the Horse, IKEA approaches the season with a sense of lightness through its FÖSSTA collection, offering pieces designed to move effortlessly between celebration and everyday life.
Rather than treating Lunar New Year as a once-a-year moment, FÖSSTA reflects a more contemporary way of celebrating, one that fits naturally into everyday home life.
Designed for Contemporary Homes
The collection strikes a balance between festive detail and everyday practicality. Recognisable festive elements like the horse, lantern shapes, paper-cut motifs are present, and creatively reimagined. Colours are cheerful without overwhelming, and forms lean towards rounded, approachable silhouettes that sit comfortably in modern homes.
The horse, a central symbol for the year ahead, is reinterpreted with a sense of play. Its flowing mane and softened proportions give it a playful, approachable character. As Ting Liu, Product Developer of IKEA Development Centre East Asia shares, the intention was always emotional rather than decorative.
“The playful reinterpretation of the horse – with its rounded body, slender legs and flowing mane – captures the emotional tone of the collection best. It brings together the cultural symbolism of speed, strength and optimism with a light-hearted, approachable expression,” he explains. “This modern horse also reflects the spirit of ‘just be who you are,’ encouraging self-expression, ease and joy at home.”
One of the quiet strengths of FÖSSTA is how naturally it slips into daily routines. Bowls, chopsticks, cushions and textiles are festive enough to mark the season, yet restrained enough to remain on display long after the visiting slows and the decorations come down.
Motifs traditionally tied to prosperity and abundance — horses, goldfish, water plants — are rendered in a contemporary way, allowing them to blend seamlessly into everyday interiors. These are pieces meant to stay in use, moving easily from Lunar New Year meals to everyday gatherings like steamboat and weekend family dinners.
For Ting, this sense of longevity was intentional.
“A seasonal product becomes worth keeping when it carries cultural meaning but fits naturally into everyday life,” he says. “When a design is emotionally resonant, visually versatile and genuinely functional, it becomes something people want to keep, use and value daily and throughout the year.”
What Celebration Looks Like Today
Designed for a global audience, FÖSSTA recognises that Lunar New Year is experienced differently across households. Some celebrate with large family gatherings, others in quieter, more intimate ways. Many mark the season far from where they grew up, recreating traditions in spaces that are constantly evolving.
For Ting, celebrating Lunar New Year at home today is about striking a balance between heritage and personal expression — creating warm, personal rituals that honour tradition while still feeling authentic, modern and emotionally uplifting.
There’s still time to get your festive décor in place. The FÖSSTA collection is available in-store and online until 15 February 2026.
