# Wooden Rocking Benches The IKEA PS 2026 Collection Includes a Playful Solid Pine Seating Solution By Laura McQuarrie | Published 2026-04-23 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/rocking-bench References: [community.designtaxi](https://community.designtaxi.com/topic/27266-ikea-pushes-past-furnitures-rules-with-playful-collection-that-shifts-and-surprises/) & [ikea](https://www.ikea.com/global/en/stories/design/ikea-ps-2026-collection/)  As part of the new [IKEA](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ikeas-nytillverkad) [PS 2026](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ikea-ps-2026) collection, the Swedish furniture giant unveiled a series of fun and functional designs like Designer Marta Krupińska's [rocking bench](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dooal). This solid pine seating solution offers space for two, encouraging a shared, less rigid way of using space. When coming up with this design, Krupińska drew inspiration from communal seating and long benches where people sit together, such as at Germany's Oktoberfest. This deceptively simple design has been perfected to provide strength under the stress of weight and movement, since its initial design fell flat under the weight. Krupińska and the team of IKEA engineers applied a technique that involves splitting a beam of wood, then gluing it back together with the grain reversed to provide considerably more support. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 6.7/10 - Popularity: 65% | Activity: 65% | Freshness: 72% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Furniture](https://www.trendhunter.com/furniture) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Communal Seating Revival:** The return to long, shared seating formats signals a shift toward social furniture that supports informal gatherings and multi-user interactions. - **Engineered Solid Wood:** Techniques like splitting and re-gluing wood with reversed grain point to a new class of engineered timber that combines aesthetics with enhanced structural performance. - **Playful Functional Design:** Designs that blend whimsical form with practical utility reflect consumer demand for pieces that encourage movement and unconventional use of domestic space. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Furniture Manufacturing:** Mass producers and artisanal makers stand to redefine production methods and product lines around stronger, sustainably sourced solid-wood assemblies. - **Interior Architecture:** Designers and planners can reconfigure public and private interiors to prioritize flexible, communal seating that alters circulation and social dynamics. - **Timber Engineering:** Materials researchers and wood technologists are positioned to develop new lamination and grain-manipulation processes that improve load-bearing performance of wooden elements. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Soviet-Inspired Café Interiors](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/aqqu-cafe.md) - [Textural Residential Interiors](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/in-a-park1.md) - [Opposing Rocking Benches](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/x-bench.md) - [Airy Flexible Furniture](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/transformer-table-nova-collection.md) - [Aluminum Seating Benches](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/seu-bench.md) - [Modular Bench Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/outsiders.md) - [Self-Defence-Inspired Fitness Franchises](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-packs.md) - [Grid-Based Furniture Series](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/squares-collection.md) - [Luxuriously Warm Hospitality Venues](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/interconnected-hospitality-venues.md)