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How Ikea's Billy bookcase took over the world

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Re: How Ikea's Billy bookcase took over the world

#211

Post by johncoltrane »

gdulli wrote: post #199
johncoltrane wrote: post #104

- Anecdote - A while ago, a coworker was excited to move to another flat but there was a little something that was going to be complicated: books. He and his girlfriend were both avid readers and their two already impressive collections fused years ago into a massive beast. As we were discussing the "problem", I asked him for a ballpark estimation of the number of books to move, expecting something like "1000 books",…

He might have to provide more info. When I looked up Billy to find out what it is I found over a dozen variants/sizes: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/search/?query=BILLY+Bookcase I don't understand if the article is talking about a specific one or the whole product line, and what makes one or the other special. I don't see anything notable, other than the impressive simplicity and packing innovation that applies to Ikea p…

He was referring to this one (color unspecified): http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00263850/

There's nothing notable with that bookshelf except the price. That model has simply been the most basic/cheap bookcase at IKEA (and elsewhere) for decades, a must have for young adults moving out of their parents'. I still have two after many years.

Incidentally, I'm getting that very same KALLAX you linked to in a couple of weeks as a room separator.

Re: How Ikea's Billy bookcase took over the world

#212

Post by fhars »

ghaff wrote: post #168
jccalhoun wrote: post #162

I've never been to an Ikea. Until recently there wasn't one in my state. Because of this I'm always amazed that so many people seem to have this fascination with it.

It's set up to be something of an experience. I go to my local (but not conveniently nearby) one every couple of years or so and there's definitely entertainment value to the whole thing.

The experience is well documented: http://www.themorningnews.org/article/the-non-expert-ikea

Re: How Ikea's Billy bookcase took over the world

#213

Post by dionidium »

huac wrote: post #3

> Ingvar Kamprad "is said to fly economy and drive an old Volvo. This frugality may help to explain why he is the world's eighth-richest man - although the four decades he spent living in Switzerland to avoid Swedish taxes may also have something to do with it."

This is a popular thing to say, but it's nonsense. People get rich by making money, not by saving on secondhand Volvos. This is true even when we're talking about your regular-grade rich folks, but it's even more obviously true when talking about the richest people in the world.

Re: How Ikea's Billy bookcase took over the world

#215

Post by stinkytaco »

jccalhoun wrote: post #162

I've never been to an Ikea. Until recently there wasn't one in my state. Because of this I'm always amazed that so many people seem to have this fascination with it.

For the price it's well made and looks pretty nice. Better than what you get at a big box and less than what you get at a furniture store. It's really hard to find furniture in the US.

Re: How Ikea's Billy bookcase took over the world

#216

Post by DashRattlesnake »

fwn wrote: post #155
tonyedgecombe wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Lack coffee tables: utter trash, fall apart quickly If you want something to last you aren't going to get it for $8 no matter where you buy it.

Six years ago I bought one of those longer Lacks for ~15EUR and heavily use it close to every day. The black top varnish seems to get pretty thin at the most used locations which is the only wear marks I can spot. I use it for eating, writing, etc. Maybe others have other plans to use a coffee table in a way that requires tougher structures.

I think lateral stresses (from people's feet, etc) did mine in. The seams failed, and things quickly deteriorated after that. A lot of Ikea stuff is designed with zero redundancy or design margin, so if any part fails or weakens the whole structure is compromised.

Re: How Ikea's Billy bookcase took over the world

#217

Post by mywittyname »

jimmies wrote: post #97
computator wrote: post #93

There's a disconnect when I look at the price of good furniture compared to products that are insanely more complicated (laptops, smartphones), heavier than furniture (motorbikes, snowblowers, lawnmowers), as bulky as flatpack bookcases (big screen TVs), and need to be shipped even greater distances than furniture (all my examples would be coming to the U.S. from Asia). Furthermore, furniture has much less regulation…

Wait until you see art... There is no regulation, it comes with probably no return policy. It requires one person to do -- art doesn't need capital to start at all. Yet art is insanely expensive. Do you rather be a programmer, an engineer, a fashion designer, a woodworker, or an artist? I don't have a good answer for your question, but I think the idea here is everyone needs a living. Also, you don't need to purchase…

> Yet art is insanely expensive.

You'd be surprised how cheaply art students at your local college would be willing to recreate pieces for you. These people are already quite skilled by their 20s and it's no problem for them to make a copy of a piece. Their original pieces made for class can be found for next-to-nothing.

Second-hand shops are full of wonderful pieces for cheap.

Photographs and digital art are extremely cheap to print and frame. My local UPS store will do huge prints for a few bucks.

Mass produced art, like that from Ikea, is usually less than $40 a piece, a lot of it is less than $10. Homegoods and Hobby Lobby is another good place to shop for cheap mass-produced pieces.

You can do-it-yourself for the costs of materials. You don't need much skill to toss some colors onto a canvas.

Art can be cheap and it can be found everywhere. It doesn't need to be some hand-painted master piece. A printed picture or photograph in a frame will work just fine. Or a simple vase with some flowers.

Re: How Ikea's Billy bookcase took over the world

#218

Post by logfromblammo »

tehwebguy wrote: post #16
michaelvoz wrote: post #2

I dislike IKEA furniture - It never seems to go well, and always in a different, hard-to-plan-for kind of way. Either the bed frame slats will crack at an odd place, or the bookshelf will bend under the weight of too many books, or perhaps a layer of plastic-ish(?) faux-wood will peel off revealing the flimsy glue pressed wood-ish material inside. I understand the appeal of well designed, flatpacked, self assembled f…

We've had mixed results: Bed - it was 200 or 300, lasted 10+ years. Veneer peeled off in 2 places (scraped it like crazy moving it 2x inc. up/down stairs, stored it for a year). Sold it in the end, crazy. "Cubes" Bookcase - had it for 6+ years, moving it 1x was enough to make it too wobbly for us but still were able to sell it. Tip: leave 1-2 cubes empty and arrange books by color, looks awesome. Med + small coffee t…

> ...and arrange books by color...

I am absolutely horrified. Herbert Putnam is spinning in his grave, you monster.~

Re: How Ikea's Billy bookcase took over the world

#219

Post by [deleted] »

jacobush wrote: post #137
ptaipale wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It wasn't that common, but it was a real phenomenon that personal income marginal taxes could exceed 100 %. The Social Democrats in Sweden got angry when Astrid Lindgren pointed it out, and it seems some Hacker News readers with a downvote button become angry in the same way when this is mentioned. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomperipossa_in_Monismania

Maybe a pedant got angry. AFAIK it never exceeded 100%, but it could get pretty close to 100% which is kind of an outrage in itself.

[deleted]

Re: How Ikea's Billy bookcase took over the world

#220

Post by tonyarkles »

dingaling wrote: post #149
rahimnathwani wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Make sure the back is positioned correctly (seated within the recess, and with all corners at right angles), and use twice the number of nails Ikea suggests. This will help maintain rigidity during a move.

If disassembly isn't a requirement, liberally apply wood glue along joints during construction.

Heh, I did that with a 5x5 Billy^W Expedit bookcase in a basement suite... And discovered, when moving out, that it would not fit up the stairs assembled. Hope the next tenant liked it!
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