ÄLMHULT, Sweden – Swedish furniture giant Ikea has announced plans to produce a new collection of space-saving furniture inspired by space travel and life on Mars.

Drawing from the constraints on living space in space travel, the yet-to-be-named collection hopes to find innovative solutions for shrinking living spaces. Launch is planned for 2019.

Ikea is working with NASA and Lund University School of Industrial Design to design the collection. It wants to know how astronauts handle tight living spaces.

"In spaceflights, small space living has always been a reality,” said Michael Nikolic, creative leader at Ikea Range and Supply. “IKEA will, therefore, tap into what scientists and engineers learn from spaceflight to Mars, and apply these discoveries to products and methods for everyday life at home, here on earth."

Ikea also wants to learn from NASA how interior spaces would have to be designed for life on Mars.

"When you design for life in a spacecraft or planetary surface habitat on Mars, you need to be creative, yet precise – finding ways to repurpose things and think carefully about sustainability aspects," Nikolic added.

The collection was announced at Ikea’s annual Democratic Design Day which takes place in Älmhult, Sweden.