Welcome to Bolmen, more than a toilet brush: how IKEA made Scandinavia famous throughout the world (33 photos)
Anyone who has ever been to IKEA can proudly say that they know at least a dozen places on the map of Sweden and Norway. 
The fact is that behind the strange names of goods are hidden the sights of the homeland of the famous home goods store and more.
Where did the idea of giving strange names to your products come from? 
The fact is that the founder of IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad, suffered from dyslexia. Unlike numbers, which he had problems with, he remembered verbal articles better. IKEA itself is nothing more than an abbreviation for Ingvar (I - Ingvar), Kamrad (K - Kamprad), Elmtaryd (E - Elmtaryd - his family's farm), Agunnaryd (A - Agunnaryd - the village in Småland where he grew up).
Kamprad created a number of recommendations for names that are still used by the company.
If you want to understand the logic of the founder of IKEA, then here are these series of rules:
Bathroom products are named after Swedish lakes and ponds. 
Bed linen - plants and flowers in Swedish. 
Beds, wardrobes and hallway furniture are Norwegian place names. 
Bookcases - names of professions and male Scandinavian names. 
Bowls, vases, candles and candlesticks - Swedish place names, spices, herbs, fruits and years. 
Boxes, wall decoration, paintings and frames, watches - Swedish slang expressions, Swedish place names. 
Children's products - mammals, birds, adjectives. 
Desks, chairs and swivel chairs are Scandinavian masculine names. 
Fabrics, curtains - female Scandinavian names. 
Garden furniture - Scandinavian islands. 
Kitchen utensils - fish and mushrooms. 
Lighting - units of measurement, seasons, months, days, ships and nautical terms, Swedish place names. 
Rugs are Danish place names. 
Sofas, armchairs, chairs and dining tables are Swedish place names. 
As you can see, it is not always possible to trace the logic in names.
IKEA names have made some places in Scandinavia famous, for example Bolmen, known to many Swedish store visitors as a toilet brush, is actually a lake in southern Sweden, located near the once province of Småland, where the creator of IKEA is from. 
There's even a sign next to this lake that says "Welcome to Bolmen: more than a toilet brush." 
The local municipality is grateful to IKEA for making their lake famous throughout the world, but they would like their place to have a different glory. Therefore, local residents are happy to invite all IKEA customers to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the lake.
Not all names evoke such mixed reactions. Although, some of them may seem no less offensive.
Järvfjellet - a mountain in Swedish Lapland (IKEA gaming chair) 
Ektorp - a suburb of Stockholm (sofa in IKEA) 
Oskarhamn - fishing village on the island of Tjörn (wooden garden furniture from IKEA) 
Stubbarp is a town 300 miles south of Stockholm (IKEA cabinet legs) 
Kallax - a village near Luleå in Swedish Lapland (warehouse shelf at IKEA) 
Helles - forest in the Värmland region (pendant lamp in IKEA) 
Hemsche - a village in the Blekinge region (candle in IKEA) 
Toftan - lake in the Dalarna region (trash can at IKEA) 
Mesterby - historical battlefield on the island of Gotland (stool in IKEA) 
Voxnan - a river with waterfalls and rapids in the Hälsingland region (shower items at IKEA) 
Himleon - river in the Halland area (bath towel at IKEA) 
Ingatorp - historical village in Småland (pull-out table in IKEA) 
Misterhult - an archipelago of 2000 islands near Kalmar in Småland (bamboo lamp at IKEA) 
Rimforsa is a small village in the Östergötland region in eastern Sweden (cutting board at IKEA) 
Åskersund is a town near Örebro in central Sweden (IKEA kitchen) 
Although some product names may offend locals, Scandinavians have benefited from the product naming system developed by the founder of IKEA.
Judge for yourself, now anyone who has ever been to one of the many stores of a Swedish retailer can learn the language by the names and learn a lot of interesting things about Scandinavia.
