Gillis Lundgren, who designed some of Ikea’s best-selling furniture and played a role in developing the company’s self-assembly concept, has died. He was 86.

Kajsa Johansson, a spokeswoman for the Swedish furniture giant, on Thursday confirmed that Lundgren had died but couldn’t give further details.

Billy bookcase designer Gillis Lundgren

Lundgren joined Ikea as one of its first employees in the 1950s, working closely with its founder, Ingvar Kamprad.

He designed scores of products for the company, including the popular Billy bookcase.

Lundgren has been credited with inspiring the flat-pack, self-assembly concept that revolutionised the company when, after a photo shoot for the Ikea catalog, he removed the legs of a table so it could fit into a car.