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Hacking IKEA Furniture

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Re: Hacking IKEA Furniture

#191

Post by WillPostForFood »

jbm wrote: post #126
bborud wrote: post #69

An architect friend of mine once said that he admired IKEA above all other furniture manufacturers because it made a modern range of aesthetics available to the masses. IKEA had done more to evolve the public taste than any other manufacturer. And I do have to agree. I can remember what ghastly furniture most shops used to have around here. There was a lot of what we call "cabin furniture" - which isn't made to look…

Nitpick but solid wood furniture does not weigh more than the particleboard furniture from Ikea. Also, my 2 cents, but it is high time for a return to utilitarianism in furniture. Just getting a basic leather sofa without cup holders and other e-garbage is a huge pain. (Ironically, Ikea is ok for this.)

It depends. Solid particleboard is pretty close, but a many Ikea pieces are hollow, with internal cardboard support. I prefer some of these to particle board because of the lightness. Like the Lack or the Linnmon table tops.

Re: Hacking IKEA Furniture

#192

Post by emmelaich »

MomsAVoxell wrote: post #123
bborud wrote: post #69

An architect friend of mine once said that he admired IKEA above all other furniture manufacturers because it made a modern range of aesthetics available to the masses. IKEA had done more to evolve the public taste than any other manufacturer. And I do have to agree. I can remember what ghastly furniture most shops used to have around here. There was a lot of what we call "cabin furniture" - which isn't made to look…

>IKEA had done more to evolve the public taste than any other manufacturer. I have lived and worked around a fair chunk of the western world, establishing my local headquarters each time, building myself a home. Long, long ago, I gave up on IKEA for everything except cookware and meatballs. The reason? I grew rapidly tired with seeing my living room everywhere. Move across the US, get invited over for dinner with new…

Exactly. I've referred to Ikea as the MacDonald's of furniture. Which is a little harsh and I do own a few pieces.

Re: Hacking IKEA Furniture

#193

Post by bborud »

hvb2 wrote: post #119
bborud wrote: post #69

An architect friend of mine once said that he admired IKEA above all other furniture manufacturers because it made a modern range of aesthetics available to the masses. IKEA had done more to evolve the public taste than any other manufacturer. And I do have to agree. I can remember what ghastly furniture most shops used to have around here. There was a lot of what we call "cabin furniture" - which isn't made to look…

> If I pay $5000 for a chair I have reason to expect a lot from it. And more often than not, pricey furniture doesn't actually deliver sufficient quality to be able to defend the price. That's not the point. A large chunk of the price is the name on it and the marketing/image you associate yourself with. I thin, as engineers, that's hard to relate to. But that is how it works. The price is not a reflection of quality…

For years I consistently wore a Seiko around people who had watches that cost more than my car. Proudly. When asked why I didn't have a "proper watch" I'd point out that their swiss masterpiece wasn't nearly as accurate as my cheap quartz watch.

They'd laugh because they knew it wasn't about the accuracy.

And I'd get some satisfaction from the fact that they thought I didn't already know that.

I too own things where the price tag can't be justified by the objective merits of the product. So I do get it. But what they have in common is that these things generally are very good -- but you can get the same level of quality for less. I won't buy a low quality product with a hefty price tag.

Anyway, these days most people around me wear some kind of smart watch. And the funny bit is that the people who own expensive watches now have to choose: show off or practicality :-)

Re: Hacking IKEA Furniture

#194

Post by TheCondor »

bborud wrote: post #185
clickety_clack wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IKEA is fine when you’re just starting out, but after years, you realize that it’s got a shelf life. Good furniture really is better. You can get great stuff for very reasonable prices on Craigslist and Facebook marketplace, and it’s much more solid, durable and interesting than the cookiecutter ikea stuff.

We're talking about the masses. Non-cookiecutter stuff costs more. Not everyone can afford to pay 5x or 10x what an IKEA product would cost.

If it’s even available.

I think most of America’s options are the big warehouse furniture places or an ikea if it near by, they do delivery well.

Re: Hacking IKEA Furniture

#195

Post by whateveracct »

unsupp0rted wrote: post #136
MomsAVoxell wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>IKEA had done more to evolve the public taste than any other manufacturer. I have lived and worked around a fair chunk of the western world, establishing my local headquarters each time, building myself a home. Long, long ago, I gave up on IKEA for everything except cookware and meatballs. The reason? I grew rapidly tired with seeing my living room everywhere. Move across the US, get invited over for dinner with new…

I don’t understand this at all. Everybody has my phone and my AirPods, or a model close to them, and that’s fine. I don’t need my AirPods to have a monogamous relationship with me.

rooms are way different that phones tho

it's called personal style

Re: Hacking IKEA Furniture

#196

Post by jonstewart »

I hadn’t been to IKEA in a decade or more but went this weekend to get new furniture for our kids. Today I put together a “vanity” for my daughter, and couldn’t help but think of the vanity I had in my room as a teenager that my mom had I inherited from some other family member, solid wood with beautiful birds-eye maple veneer. “Simulacrum” was the word I kept muttering to myself as I thought about what this next year in AI coding will bring.

Re: Hacking IKEA Furniture

#197

Post by akoboldfrying »

simondotau wrote: post #182
unsupp0rted wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t understand this at all. Everybody has my phone and my AirPods, or a model close to them, and that’s fine. I don’t need my AirPods to have a monogamous relationship with me.

My hypothesis is that phones are inherently personal and personalisable: it’s our photo on the lock screen and our text messages in the app. Whereas most people don’t even consider attempting to personalise their couch or their car, so the desire for personalisation is satisfied by having a wide variety of options and colours prior to purchase. And also by having styles rapidly evolve so that many “trendy” and “anti-…

Interesting. Judging by the number of "skinnable" computer and phone apps, a lot of people seem to really care about this kind of personalisation. I have never so much as changed the default background on a phone that I've owned. I think I changed the background on my first Windows computer, decades ago, but not since.

I wonder how many are like me.

Re: Hacking IKEA Furniture

#198

Post by thelastgallon »

IKEA is a sane default in a world of infinite furniture possibilities. You can have a range of cheap/disposable and costly/durable products. There may be an alternative in US, Amish furniture. There are no chains in the rest of the world.

Re: Hacking IKEA Furniture

#199

Post by m463 »

I used to get stuff at ikea, but it is mostly too flimsy.

I bought some metal shelves and they wobble like they are made of tinfoil. never again.

(I do like my old idasen desk)

So I bought a workbench at home depot recently and LOVE it. Heavy duty where ikea isn't.

It is a wheeled workbench with a wooden top, height-adjustable with a crank, with two full length/depth shallow ball-bearing tool drawers.

search for "husky 52 x 24 2-drawer workbench"

I built a computer on it - wonderful. I put all the tools in one shallow drawers, and the screws/parts in the other drawer and it was smooth sailing.

I do have some ikea bedroom stuff. If I could hack it, I would love to replace the drawer slides with exact fit full-extension and/or soft-close slides.

Re: Hacking IKEA Furniture

#200

Post by m463 »

cromka wrote: post #141
NegativeLatency wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The finger jointed pine stuff is much more robust than the mdf or hardboard products.

IKEA does stuff not out of MDF and cardboard?

yes, the lingonberry drink they serve in the cafeteria. :)

actually they had some metal garage shelves that I thought would be ok.

They turned out to be SUPER flimsy and wobbly.

I think they optimize for shipping weight, which means 'solid' suffers.

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