Gustaf Westman designs IKEA plate to serve meatballs "like they're sitting on little thrones"

Swedish designer Gustaf Westman has revealed the first piece from his upcoming IKEA collaboration, an elongated plate designed to serve and display the Swedish furniture company's classic meatballs in a row.

Dubbed the "first-ever dedicated plate" for the retailer's meatballs, Westman's design has a cheerful turquoise-blue colour.

The porcelain serving plate was designed with a central indentation that is wide enough to fit "the perfectly sized meatball", IKEA said, of which the company sells one billion every year.

Westman aimed for the design to honour the Swedish tradition of serving meatballs for Christmas.

"I love designing objects for a specific function – it brings a touch of humour and makes them instantly easy to grasp," the designer said. "In Sweden, meatballs mean Christmas, and this plate is my way of honouring that tradition."

"The design is simple, lining up the meatballs so each one is visible, like they're sitting on little thrones," he added.

In true IKEA tradition, the plate comes with assembly instructions, showing how to cook the meatballs before placing 11 of them on the rectangular plate.

IKEA suggested that the blue porcelain plate could also be used for serving other foods, such as olives, cheese and fruits.

"While it was created with meatballs in mind, it works just as well for many other dishes," Westman said.

The plate is the first piece from Westman's upcoming IKEA collaboration, with the full line set to be released on 9 September.

The collection is set to include 12 pieces that playfully reimagine tradition.

"This collaboration is about taking the traditions of gathering in the home and reimagining them through playful and unexpected designs," IKEA of Sweden creative leader Maria O'Briam said.

"Partnering with Gustaf Westman was the perfect way to do that, and together, we've created a bold, expressive design that uses an unconventional shape and colour to give this Swedish staple a well-deserved new stage."

Westman also recently unveiled another playful food design, a handbag-style baguette holder, and collaborated with car brand Mercedes-Benz to create a pink car with an integrated tent and picnic table.

The images are courtesy of IKEA.

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