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IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

ikeamuseum.com

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Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#101

Post by notahacker »

petesergeant wrote: post #87
galfarragem wrote: post #28

I'd happily pay for the traditional physical IKEA yearly catalog. I suspect that if they sold it in-store for a few euros (€2?) just to cover printing costs, many people would buy it. It's more than a product list, it’s a cultural artifact, offering a window into the aesthetics, values, and lifestyle of its time. I still keep their old catalogs, and I’m not alone.

As a kid in the UK, Argos catalogues were magical.

I remember holiday catalogues the same. Then the internet came, and I assumed it would make the whole process of choosing a holiday that bit more magical

Instead we got really efficient price comparison and sometimes very useful but often gamed customer reviews...

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#102

Post by Traubenfuchs »

112233 wrote: post #55

A bit OT, but why is ikea internet store (any country) designed to be so unusable? Lists of available components hidden in pdfs tucked in obscure menu, no way to find compatible components, search flooded with tens of thousands of "combinations" — I mean, they obviously know what they are doing. What is the goal of making it such way?

Trying to buy an Ikea pax: Some major but simple components I need to complete it are not available. I'd be happy to have everything delivered a month or two in the future, but no, I can't: Either I order now or I manually check back in the future.

Why is everything so shit? Isn't getting me to buy their pax with as many interior elements as possible how they make money?

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#103

Post by makeitdouble »

silvestrov wrote: post #99
makeitdouble wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to explain away Ikea's byzantine system, a difference in size usually comes with a difference in use and environment. While a T-shirt has the same purpose in S M or L, a table isn't the same if it's lower smaller than 50cm or longer than 1.5m, or lower than 60cm or higher than 70cm. In a standard shop you'd call that a night stand, or a coffee table, or a kids' table or living room's low table etc. If you think o…

I agree that for tables there can be a difference in use but when IKEA has a dresser series named "HEMNES bedroom series" then that argument kind of goes out of the window.

But then "Hemnes bedroom series" also has beds in it...it sounds like the focus is as much on "bedroom" than "Hemnes"

https://www.ikea.com/jp/en/cat/hemnes-bedroom-series-58619/

And the other Hemnes lines include book stands, dish cabinets, TV stands.

I totally agree IKEA doesn't give a damn about series and collection consistency.

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#104

Post by veeti »

BizarroLand wrote: post #57
ahartmetz wrote: post #18

Crazy how few of their decades old designs look "wrong" today. Their combination of high quality design, low price, and (depending on price...) workable to good build quality is pretty unique.

The more striking thing is checking them against each other. The 1959 catalog had thin, svelte, curved and up angled designs. The Mid 80's had plump, puffy, overstuffed and was quite tame-loud, whereas the 2020's has "I'm not here, white-black-pop of color" aesthetics.

Nordic design has jumped the shark and the modern obsession with black and white is a tragedy. Homes look like mental asylums with their all white decor. For instance, I would love a nice dark brown walnut bookshelf like this one [1], but IKEA does not stock that color here at all.

[1] https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/billy-bookcase-combination-brow...

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#105

Post by workfromspace »

I feel like in the past, the furnitures have more color and soul and just furniture itself is enough to decorate homes, while newer furnitures are usually white and you need smaller and colorful things and more stuff to complete it - otherwise feels bland.

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#106

Post by throw0101d »

petesergeant wrote: post #87
galfarragem wrote: post #28

I'd happily pay for the traditional physical IKEA yearly catalog. I suspect that if they sold it in-store for a few euros (€2?) just to cover printing costs, many people would buy it. It's more than a product list, it’s a cultural artifact, offering a window into the aesthetics, values, and lifestyle of its time. I still keep their old catalogs, and I’m not alone.

As a kid in the UK, Argos catalogues were magical.

> As a kid in the UK, Argos catalogues were magical.

In Canada it was Consumers Distributing (also Eaton's, Sears):

* 1992 catalog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTXbe9Mw17Q

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumers_Distributing

* https://www.tvo.org/article/what-happened-to-consumers-distr...

You could buy something via mail or phone, but there were also shops: you would go there, fill out a form with tiny pencils (like an old school bank form), give it to the clerk, and they'd bring it to the cashier 'from the back'.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalog_merchant

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#107

Post by BowBun »

wongarsu wrote: post #90
ahoka wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The IKEA innovation is fast fashion for furniture.

In a sense. But their designs are fairly timeless, and while their cheapest product lines don't hold up to much abuse they still last 10+ years under normal use. A fraction of what good furniture will last, but long enough that usually your needs change faster than the furniture breaks. Or longer, judging by the very healthy market for second-hand ikea furniture

> A fraction of what good furniture will last,

Good furniture lasts hundreds of years!

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#108

Post by workmandan »

petesergeant wrote: post #87
galfarragem wrote: post #28

I'd happily pay for the traditional physical IKEA yearly catalog. I suspect that if they sold it in-store for a few euros (€2?) just to cover printing costs, many people would buy it. It's more than a product list, it’s a cultural artifact, offering a window into the aesthetics, values, and lifestyle of its time. I still keep their old catalogs, and I’m not alone.

As a kid in the UK, Argos catalogues were magical.

"The laminated book of dreams!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggOa9aSG-Ow

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#109

Post by InfinityByTen »

galfarragem wrote: post #28

I'd happily pay for the traditional physical IKEA yearly catalog. I suspect that if they sold it in-store for a few euros (€2?) just to cover printing costs, many people would buy it. It's more than a product list, it’s a cultural artifact, offering a window into the aesthetics, values, and lifestyle of its time. I still keep their old catalogs, and I’m not alone.

I've known about Ikea for just one-third of my life. It's only last few years that it has been in the country of my origin and only this year in my home city. I love the repository of design, aesthetics, technology, advertising, and sociology these catalogs can be. I'm sure you could write a book "titled design through the decades from an ikea lens".

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#110

Post by [deleted] »

bryanrasmussen wrote: post #91
zeroq wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fun fact - Getty Images used to send physical albums of their stock photo collections. It was some 25 years ago, I was doing freelance for an ad agency, and while visiting the office and waiting for my appointment to finalize some paperwork I was browsing through these. When my guy finally showed up to pick me up he asked if I liked them and said - you can get these for free, just write them. So I did and they mailed…

I mean obviously the color space of most images you find online is still RGB although that is slowly changing, but until it changes print versions will probably be higher quality. The colors afforded by your phone or camera probably have richer colors than is afforded by images you download of the place online, but may also be dependent on what you're doing and your camera settings.

[deleted]
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