Maria Vinka

Who is she? The 30-year-old Swedish designer behind some of Ikea's most intriguing products.

Should I have heard of her? No. She is yet to achieve the fame other designers in the company have and is still surprised when she sees her designs on glitzy Swedish television shows such as Fame Factory.

What's her story? She has been at Ikea since graduating from the HDK School of Design and Crafts at Gothenburg University in Sweden. She has always set out to surprise people and says she never wants to grow up, which could explain her playful style. Fortunately, Ikea designers are encouraged to see the world through children's eyes and build play into their designs.

What does she conjure up? Some of Ikea's wackiest designs. Take, for example, the Gullholmen rocker, which came about after she saw swathes of banana leaves lying on factory floors during a trip to Vietnam. Weighing up this material, Vinka saw it was robust and environmentally sound, so she set about creating a chair from banana waste that would be sleek, eye-catching and relaxing. The fruit of her labour has a long narrow back for lumbar support. If you prefer you can sit on the floor on one of her 'seat pads'.

Why would you do that? Vinka says: 'Where I grew up the floors were cold, which is why I wanted to make something you could put on the floor to sit or kneel on, or rest your elbows on when you're lying down. The seat pads are also good for playing 'don't touch the floor' - something I enjoyed when I was little. The patterns mean they are nicer to touch and everyone can choose their favourite.'

Is all her work this unusual? Her yellow rubber Slabang alarm clock (pictured below) is not meant to be bounced off the walls but it does have a unique selling point: it lets you customise how you start your day by recording your own message. The possibilities are endless. If you want to be kind to yourself, you can whisper: 'Wake up, gorgeous. Time for a latte.' If you want to take a hard line, you can shout: 'Get up, slob!'