The Art Car Parade is approaching its 24th anniversary — and what better way to take stock of the automotive experience than observing the parade while sitting pretty in 24 art-infused couches?

In preparation for the celebration, Swedish furniture atelier IKEA is distributing two dozen models of its iconic KLIPPAN sofa to local artists to design. Come May 22, the couches will take their place in Sam Houston Park, where parade spectators can sit back and enjoy. The parade and couch showcase will set attendance records, as the event was repositioned to May 22 in alignment with the opening of the American Association of Museums conference.

Like the cars on view, eclecticism shall reign among the couches. Take artist Dan Castillo, who is employing a "Lucha libre" Mexican wrestling theme.

"What inspired it was the low brow nature of car culture," he tells CultureMap. He also cites the distinctive masks worn by characters in biker movies and a West Coast aesthetic as influences.

Castillo is also a master concert poster designer (Polyphonic Spree is on his client list), so the element of subtle humor he relates to music flyers is also communicated in the Lucha libre imagery.

For her couch, artist Stephanie Toppin will capitalize on her skills in painting, crochet and craft. Titled "Eukaryotic Microorganisms," the couch will feature depictions of mold, fungus and spores.

"I'm using anything that I can get my hands on," she says. "I do a lot of abstract painting in solitude, so I thought, for once, I'd do something fun. I've crafted in private for years, and I see this as my chance to display that aspect of my work. And I've always loved fungus."

Also lending his eye to the project is Brian "Visker" Mahanay. No stranger to Swedish design (he co-designed a room in the Swedish ICEHOTEL), Visker describes his couch as featuring "a lot of green and black eyes and noses" rendered in acrylic liquid paint.

The artist has already built 16 vehicles for the parade. Regarding the public art aspect of the cars and couches, Visker vouches, "You can make art and put it in a gallery. But with theses projects, you can bring it to the people and amaze them."

If the IKEA-artist partnership smacks of product placement, reconsider the implications of the KLIPPAN. The affordable mod couch can be found in homes worldwide, making the smart Swedish aesthetic available to all.

"When I got the call for submission, it caught my attention because my family just so happens to have a KLIPPAN," Castillo says. "When I thought of the way my 16-month-old toddler attacks the couch, the Lucha libre theme occurred to me."

"The simplicity and 'everyman' aspect of the couch is in line with the Orange Show's mission of creativity," Elaine Dillard, the non-profit's development director, explains. Although the project was originally planned with the ambition of claiming the title of "longest couch in the world," the revised (and less expensive) 24-couch setup will provide plenty of canvas for artistic expression.

The public is encouraged to get in on the sofa spectacular on Saturday, when locals are invited to IKEA from noon to 4 p.m. to assist artists. The finished couches will be on display at a sneak peek event at Discovery Green on May 21, as well as during the actual procession on May 22.

Want a couch to call your own? The custom pieces will be auctioned off following the parade, with proceeds benefiting the Orange Show.