At this year’s Salone del Mobile in Milan, IKEA made two big announcements: One, it’s bringing back two iconic furniture pieces from the vault. And two, the Swedish superstore is launching a whole new collection, Brӓnnboll, which is technically made for gamers but we like one product so much we can see tons of alternate uses.
The line’s gaming station cabinet is technically for storing a wide computer screen (it fits one up to 27 inches and there’s space for a PC tower, too), but it’s also an ideal desk for those of us who work from home. “We saw some DIY versions of this, where people would game in closets,” says Philip Dilé, product design developer at IKEA. “But there was always a chair standing awkwardly to the side.” So they solved the problem: The cabinet doors easily open and close, and the desktop folds up so you can fit your chair inside, too. If you’re a messy desk person, rejoice! You can easily conceal your clutter the second the day ends.
But there’s more to love—mainly the felt panels, which absorb sound during video calls and podcast recordings (genius!). Plus you can use them to hang important documents or, much like a high school locker, pictures of your loved ones.
When it’s closed, the whole cabinet takes up only 40 inches across and is about 80 inches high (depth is around 29 inches). That means it’s a compact way to work from home without anyone ever realizing it. IKEA announced the release of the Brӓnnboll gaming station in April, but it just hit shelves this week, so we mean it when we say we waited all summer for this one.
BRÄNNBOLL Gaming station, IKEA ($400)