ÄLMHULT, SWEDEN — IKEA officially unveiled its collection of new products for 2016 in Sweden on Tuesday, including furniture that charges electronic devices wirelessly.

Drop a smart phone on the glowing blue dot embedded in the furniture and the phone recharges automatically, without having to plug it into anything. No more cable clutter — IKEA research has shown that while the needs of families differ widely from one country or city to the next, the need to tame clutter is universal, said Marcus Engman, design manager, IKEA.

“It is a common thing all over the world. People have a tendency to have too many things.”

The wireless furniture line includes a nightstand, a desk lamp, a floor lamp and a table and also charging pods the size of coasters. The 2016 IKEA products begin going on sale in Canada in August. Prices for the products have not been confirmed, but will be in line with IKEA value pricing.

The full line of designs was unveiled at the company’s second annual design conference at headquarters in Älmhult, where the first store was opened by a young Swedish entrepreneur in 1958.

The company now has 315 stores in 27 countries and employs 115,000 people worldwide.

“We want to be more innovative than ever,” Jesper Brodin, range and supply manager, IKEA group, told a crowd of several hundred designers and design writers and editors from around the world, flown in to attend the two-day conference.

IKEA is also tinkering with the idea of smart kitchen countertop, that can identify foods that are placed on the surface and suggest recipes, although it’s not about is about to appear in an IKEA store soon.

“It’s about daring to make giant leaps in thought,” said head designer Engman, pointing to the auto industry as an example of inspiring design by coming up with car concepts that generate excitement without necessarily going into mass production.

“It’s about curiosity. If you’re a curious person or company, you come up with new things all the time,” said Engman.

Upcoming new products include a table and seating made of cork; seating made of paper, and ranges from muted earth-coloured pillows for seating to textiles printed with images of bloodshot eyes and a vivid dining room pendant lamp featuring giant blue Betta fish, both designed by menswear designer Katie Eary, which will launch in March, 2016.

Other designers who have collaborated with IKEA for a fresh, new, bold look, include Walter Van Beirendonck, known for the quirky worlds he creates in art and design.

Ikea is moving from releasing 1-2 design collections each year to something closer to 10 as it seeks to double business by 2020.

Launching new products is not without its problems.

IKEA launched a new kitchen system earlier this year, but has had trouble keeping items in stock.

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The launch of SEKTION has proven to be extremely popular in Canada. As a result, the demand for this product has far exceeded IKEA Canada’s expectations.

IKEA Canada sells 200 kitchens a day.