Company visit, a real client brief, and ongoing collaboration with industry professionals: RUFA students transform an academic project into a real-world experience, culminating in the implementation of a concept inside an IKEA store.
From the initial company visit to the final concept presentations, through reviews, discussions, and continuous feedback from the IKEA Italia team, the collaboration between RUFA and IKEA Italia engaged students from the Bachelor’s Degree in Design and the Master’s Degree in Visual and Innovation Design in two parallel project works, united by a shared objective: designing new experiences for IKEA stores in Rome.
Throughout the semester, students had the opportunity to work on a real client brief, collaborating side by side with company professionals and experiencing the methods, dynamics, and timelines of the professional design world.
From the Company Visit to the Project
The collaboration began with a Company Visit to the IKEA Porta di Roma store, where students gained first-hand insight into the company’s approach to space planning, design processes, and working methods.
The day included an introductory session, a guided store tour with course-specific insights, and a final session dedicated to the presentation of the project briefs.
From that moment on, students worked in constant dialogue with the IKEA team, who supported the development of the projects through regular reviews and professional feedback.
Two Design Challenges, One Shared Approach
Students from the Master’s Degree in Visual and Innovation Design reimagined an area of the IKEA Porta di Roma store, developing concepts and interactive installations that combined experience, storytelling, and audience engagement.
At the same time, students from the Bachelor’s Degree in Design designed a new room setting for the IKEA Roma Fiumicino store, creating residential solutions aligned with IKEA’s design standards while working closely with the company’s interior designers throughout the project.
Both project works were led by professors Alessandro Ciancio, Paolo Parea, Francesca Gollo, and Emanuele Tarducci.
At the end of the project, each team presented its proposal to IKEA representatives from the Rome area.
Among the concepts presented, the project developed by Chiara Leonetti, Zhouhui Jiang, and Elisa D’Antonio was selected by the company for implementation inside the IKEA Porta di Roma store.
The concept is currently under development and will soon be brought to life inside the store, transforming a classroom project into a real experience for IKEA customers.
