Upon hearing the term "Kallax," individuals worldwide, especially outside Sweden, are likely to think of a specific IKEA storage solution. However, similar to many products from the Swedish furniture behemoth, this shelving unit's name is derived from a geographical location in Scandinavia—a village close to Luleå in Swedish Lapland.

An internet search for the term would predominantly yield results related to IKEA's furniture offerings, but the village of Docksta, known for its round tables, is situated north of Stockholm, and the wingbacked chair named Oskarshamn is inspired by a coastal city in southeastern Sweden. In an effort to reclaim the originality of these IKEA product names, the Swedish tourist board initiated a campaign in 2022 called "Discover the Originals," linking the products to their Swedish origins.

This July, advertising copywriter Kevin Lynch, hailing from Chicago, embarked on an IKEA-inspired journey across Sweden, elevating the concept further. Over a fortnight, Lynch, accompanied by his canine companion Umlaut, traversed all 21 counties in Sweden, visiting places that have given their names to IKEA products. The 4,600-kilometer expedition spanned two weeks, with stops in locations such as Läckö, known for its wrought-iron furniture, and Norberg in northern Västmanland, which shares its name with a wall-mounted table. According to Lynch, who has resided in Malmö, Sweden for approximately three years, the trip was his wife's idea. "I suspect it was her way of getting me out of the house for a while," he jests, noting that his wife frequents IKEA stores more than he does.

An enthusiastic traveler, Lynch has always been drawn to "quirky" adventures, such as arriving at an airport and purchasing a ticket to an unfamiliar destination, which once led him to Gdansk, Poland. "I was prepared for either extreme cold or heat," he remarks, explaining that living unpredictably in China years ago accustomed him to embracing the unexpected in life. After relocating to Sweden in 2021 and settling into a home filled with IKEA furnishings, Lynch became intrigued by the products' names. "I'm not much of a shopper, so I don't frequent IKEA stores often," he admits.

"However, I was aware that the product names had an interesting ring to them, and many were named after various places throughout Sweden." When the idea of an IKEA-themed road trip was proposed, Lynch quickly recognized it as an opportunity to explore parts of Sweden he might never have visited otherwise, and he began researching the origins of product names across Sweden's counties. "I planned about half of the trip beforehand," he shares, "just to have a general idea of where we were headed." Aiming to visit a diverse range of locations, Lynch selected products named after destinations with stunning views, such as Örskär, an island and lighthouse station on the Uppland coast that shares its name with a set of tables, as well as "small farming communities." "The main goal was to ensure a unique experience in each place," he adds, "and hopefully, to engage with locals and ask if they were aware that an IKEA product bears their town's name, and to gauge their reactions." Starting in Malmö, Lynch took a ferry to Tärnö, an island in the Blekinge archipelago that also has a line of outdoor furniture named after it. "The first destination was quite an adventure," he recalls. "It's a small island with only two residents in winter and about 500 in summer. There's not much to do other than a bit of hiking." After exploring the area and visiting its lighthouse, the oldest wooden lighthouse still in operation, he proceeded to Norraryd in Kronoberg County, honored by a spindle chair.

As some destinations were in close proximity, Lynch was able to visit multiple places on his list in a single day. In more remote locations, such as Gotland County, home to Lauters, a hamlet also known as an IKEA lamp, he spent several days. "Some were just tiny pieces of land," he says. "Many towns didn't even have a traffic light. They were really small, so it didn't take long to explore... On average, we spent a bit less than a day in each place." Throughout the journey, Lynch and Umlaut took around 10 ferry rides and primarily stayed in hotels, although they slept in their rental car once. "The route roughly followed the east coast along the Baltic Sea border, then descended towards the Norwegian border, and cut straight through the center," he explains. "It formed a nice oval shape, which worked out well." While en route to Örskär, Lynch vividly remembers arriving at the dock with Umlaut and boarding what he thought was a ferry to the island, only to ask the captain about their return time. "He looked at me puzzled..." he recounts. "We had accidentally joined a four-hour guided nature walk, all in Swedish..." According to Lynch, it's these unexpected moments that fuel his desire for continuous adventure. "These are the moments that make you feel most alive," he says. "Just getting on board without knowing where you're headed. I love that feeling." When engaging with locals, Lynch often found that many were unaware that their area shared a name with an IKEA product and were not particularly excited when he informed them. "In maybe five places, people were aware of it," he notes. "Coming from the United States, I feel that if you lived in a town with such fame... 'Oh my gosh, you'd have a T-shirt shop celebrating it. There'd be parades. It would get a lot of attention.' And I think it reflects Swedish culture that they're like, 'You needed a name, so why not this town?' People seemed quite indifferent." Although some product name choices seemed logical to Lynch, such as bathroom items named after rivers or lakes, others were less apparent. "You arrive at some places and wonder, 'I don't even know how they found this on a map, let alone thought it worthy of a beautifully designed lamp,'" he says. Of the many places he visited, Lynch is most eager to return to Frösön, a larger island in Lake Storsjön, which has a collection of cushions and cushion covers named after it. "In winter, it apparently has a nice ski hill," he explains. "I'd love to show my wife that place. It was really special." Interestingly, Lynch hasn't visited an IKEA store—of which there are at least 21 in Sweden—since his road trip earlier this year.

However, after spending so much time contemplating its furniture products and discussing the significance of their names, he admits that his perspective on IKEA furniture has changed forever. "There are many I didn't get to," he says, hinting at a potential music-inspired trip next. "So I will definitely view it differently." When asked if he's heard from IKEA since his memorable journey, Lynch mentions knowing "a few people who work there" and having been in contact, but without any response. "I think they were somewhat amused," he says. "But I think I found it more amusing than they did."