Sonos, Ikea team up for a collaboration and we have an idea of what it could be

Home audio company Sonos is teaming up with everyone’s favorite Scandinavian supplier of simple-yet-stylish furniture and appliances, Ikea, to create … something?

Ikea calls this partnership the next phase of its smart home push, following the launch of Qi wireless charging products in 2015 and smart lighting in 2016, so we can expect that this will influence the store’s products in some way.

In a press release, Business Leader of Ikea Home Smart Björn Block said, “When we asked people what sound they associate with their homes many people mentioned that it is music that makes a home. Together with Sonos, we want to democratize music and sound in the home, and we want to create products designed for how people listen together at home. By teaming up with Sonos, we want to combine Ikea home furnishing knowledge with Sonos’ expertise within great home sound.”

That still leaves the question of what, exactly, will come of this collaboration, but let’s try to connect a few dots.

Sonos recently launched its first brick-and-mortar store, which features seven different “mini-homes” outfitted with furniture and a Sonos sound system where shoppers can demo Sonos’ various sound systems in different room environments.

Sound familiar?

Ikea stores already feature demo rooms to show off its furniture and home products, so slipping in a few speakers into these rooms and selling Sonos products in-store doesn’t seem too outlandish of a possibility. It’s certainly a more cost-effective solution than building more Sonos stores. Plus, including live sound systems in Ikea demo rooms could enhance the sense of homeyness they attempt to instill in shoppers.

In the press release for the collaboration announcement, Ikea cites that 65 percent of millennials stream music to feel at home, and that up to 25 percent of people who listen to music together feel more inspired, and 14 percent feel more loved, and that they spend up to three more hours together at home. Then again, looking at those numbers, maybe this is just a way to further reduce the instances of the dreaded “Ikea fight?”

Whatever it ends up being, the companies are expecting an in-store launch sometime in 2019, and we can safely expect that more details will surface at some point between now and then. In the meantime, be sure to check out our list of the best wireless speakers if you’re on the market.