Take a close look inside the newest IKEA catalog and it's easy to be stricken with interior decor envy. Rooms so perfectly decorated and organized...too perfect in fact because some of those rooms are 3D renders!
The Wall Street Journal reports "12% of IKEA's content for the Web, catalog and brochures were rendered virtually" for the 2013 season. It's all being done as a cost cutting measure, since whole rooms can be reorganized and re-rendered without the cost of hiring teams of stylists and photographers. So take another look inside your 2013 IKEA catalog...you might be looking at something more imaginary than you already thought!
More about IKEA's transition from photography to 3D rendered interiors at IKEA's New Catalogs: Less Pine, More Pixels
(Images: IKEA)
Small Cool Lessons: Discovering Small Space Design Ideas That Really Work
Marisa and Peter's Playfully Eclectic Home
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Sheex Bedding
Eileen's Beachside Oasis Kitchen
How to Make Fresh Pasta Dough in the Food Processor
wow! that's crazy. technology.
It is still good inspiration. Most of those places are so perfect you need a pro (and lots of accessories) to make it look like that anyways. And luckily we have apartment therapy to show us people using Ikea in interesting ways in real life.
If you think of it, it isn't a bad idea, since they would have to assemble take a picture and tore down a room for every design idea. What a waist that would have been?
awesome
I think they did it to keep Furniture & Catalog cost down, especially in this economy. Good job Ikea & Thanks Apartmenttherapy.com for your in-sights.
Kudos to the artists! Great job.
Ikea has joined its customers in its dread of actually putting its own furniture together
That's great! this is actually what I do for a living, so it's nice to see studios getting more work.
One might consider that the dirty politically incorrect word, "outsourcing," but to me it is just great business sense, and knowing IKEA, they'll be able to keep their prices down and still give great product at great prices!
So what??