JÄRLÅSA Series

Safety first, form and functionality always

The designer Niels Gammelgaard had the ingenious idea to reuse the tabletop construction from his popular foldable table, TED. By doing so, he and IKEA could reduce the production cost of the simple yet stylish wheeled cart. When not in use, it could easily be folded up. This was a bonus for those with limited space: one day they could effortlessly serve drinks and snacks on it, and the next day fold it up and store it away in a closet.

In his original design, Niels attached the shelves of HOFF with hinges. But when IKEA released an updated version of HOFF in 2023, the shelves were held in place with solid metal brackets and nuts to reduce the risk of injury. The revamped rolling cart was named JÄRLÅSA. It’s also quick to fold but no longer accidentally collapses – a problem that occasionally occurred with its predecessor, HOFF. JÄRLÅSA also had to meet contemporary standards for durability: for instance, it’s designed to support up to 100 kilograms. However, the sleek design and practical functionality essentially remained unchanged.