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IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

ikeamuseum.com

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Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#111

Post by atombender »

tokioyoyo wrote: post #70
atombender wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mind you, a lot of their designs are cheap knock-offs of contemporary designs. * The POÄNG chair is a copy of Alvar Aalto's 406. * Nakamura's earlier POEM copied both the 406 and a chair by Bruno Mathsson. * FROSTA (now discontinued) is a copy of Aalto's Stool 60. * KROMVIK copied Bruno Mathsson's Ulla bed frame. * BORE copied Mathsson's Karin chair. And so on. Ironically, some of these also have become classics of t…

Personally, I support any sort of cheap knock-offs as long as they more-or-less last for some time. "Alvar Aalto's 406"'s price is JP¥304,200 from what I quickly found. Most expensive POÄNG is ¥16,990. Almost 20x cheaper. Increasing QoL for average people who can't afford expensive things is actually good. Yes, I understand the whole "copying isn't innovation" part of the argument, but it is for the greater good.

As a design enthusiast, they're not in the same league, regardless of construction quality. There's a beauty in the original designs (like Alvar Aalto's) that's completely missed by copycats.

Design objects are vastly, ridiculously overpriced, but to me that's unrelated to the issue of design. An Aalto chair might not be "worth" $2,000, but if you buy the $200 IKEA version you won't have the same chair, so it's not a direct comparison. That's like saying why go to Hawaii when there's Belgium?

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#112

Post by spoiler »

These are amazing! I checked a few that around the era of some of my favourite TV shows, and I can totally see the "vibe" reflected in a couple of cases.

Also, as someone who enjoys to draw/paint, these are a great source of references!

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#113

Post by 112233 »

makeitdouble wrote: post #61
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?

I'm probably part of that problem. While I don't shop that much at Ikea, I still remember their product lines, will sift through the dozens of combinations and PDFs, and take notes while looking at the building instructions to see what could be done with a product. Most of us will choose Ikea for the flexibility, and will happily do some amount of research anyway. Until reading your comment it didn't hit me that the…

But how does it make sense in the case you describe to hide those pdfs on the site so deep you cannot find them except when told where to click (or by major accident)?

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#114

Post by hapidjus »

silvestrov wrote: post #98
unwind wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not super hard to back up (using the "bread crumbs" on the page you linked), to "Dressers & chests of drawers", pop down the "Series" input selector, and pick STORKLINTA. That gets you [1] which I hope shows all the dressers of that name. [1]: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/cat/chests-of-drawers-10451/?filt...

I didn't see the filter because it is only shown for wide windows (over 1250px wide) or when clicking the "All filters" button and is then at the bottom of the list. The list even isn't sorted and looks like a SELECT without order from a database. It is really odd they don't have a (sub) category page for each of the series.

They do have category pages but the discoverability is abysmal. https://www.ikea.com/us/en/cat/storklinta-series-700569/

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#115

Post by criddell »

atombender wrote: post #111
tokioyoyo wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personally, I support any sort of cheap knock-offs as long as they more-or-less last for some time. "Alvar Aalto's 406"'s price is JP¥304,200 from what I quickly found. Most expensive POÄNG is ¥16,990. Almost 20x cheaper. Increasing QoL for average people who can't afford expensive things is actually good. Yes, I understand the whole "copying isn't innovation" part of the argument, but it is for the greater good.

As a design enthusiast, they're not in the same league, regardless of construction quality. There's a beauty in the original designs (like Alvar Aalto's) that's completely missed by copycats. Design objects are vastly, ridiculously overpriced, but to me that's unrelated to the issue of design. An Aalto chair might not be "worth" $2,000, but if you buy the $200 IKEA version you won't have the same chair, so it's not a…

Chances are, when I buy the $200 IKEA chair, I have no idea about the chairs that inspired it. I buy it because I like it and can afford it. It doesn't particularly bother me that there is a nicer version of it out there for more money. In fact, I'd be surprised if there wasn't!

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#116

Post by criddell »

BowBun wrote: post #107
wongarsu wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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!

Does it really matter if people don't want to buy old furniture?

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#117

Post by criddell »

veeti wrote: post #104
BizarroLand wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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...

What colors are available for you?

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#118

Post by criddell »

bobthepanda wrote: post #68
lavezza wrote: post #66

I was interested in when computers started showing up. I flipped through some years quickly. I see a terminal on page 158 in 1984 ('84:158). What looks like an 8-bit computer at '85:103 and a Mac at '86:190. Anyone see something earlier? This could be a game. When was the first flat screen TV? When was the first CD rack? When was the first microwave? There is a record player at '20:156. Did record players go away and…

One thing to note is that the setting of a furniture catalog is meant to establish emotional connection to a setting which could cause you buy furniture. Midcentury stuff like record players came back into vogue in the 2010s and 2020s; a typewriter would be one extension of such a retro fashion. Even today a vinyl is a common item in the merch shops of modern artists and bands. https://a.co/d/9FFBuEF

> the setting of a furniture catalog is meant to establish emotional connection to a setting which could cause you buy furniture

I think they do an excellent job of this in their stores. The mock rooms they have look so cozy and inviting. If they had a service where their designers would come to my home and help me replicate that vibe, I'd do it!

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#119

Post by ghaff »

Alupis wrote: post #67
degrews wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No one is assuming printing costs are the only costs to produce the catalogue. The point of pricing the catalogue at printing costs is to cover the marginal cost of offering the catalogue for sale. The fixed costs of producing the calendar are incurred either way.

A company I worked for stopped doing physical catalogs too - after having done so for a very long time. The cost to produce the catalog was insane, and had quite a bit of dedicated staff working on it full-time. Making a catalog is a specialized skillset, and has little overlap with the business' core competencies, such as website administration. Over time, the revenue attributed with the physical catalog declined ye…

I suppose on the plus side, my mailbox doesn't get completely stuffed with catalogs before Christmas every year. That aside, I do sort of miss leafing through all the catalogs I used to get.

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#120

Post by ghaff »

gertlex wrote: post #62
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?

The 'Acquired' podcast episode on Ikea speculates that their "buy in person" was historically a cost advantage (especially over pre-assembled furniture that cost $$$ to deliver), as they didn't have to pay shipping/delivery. In the modern era of "expect free shipping as long as some minimum amount is spent", online sold and delivered sales have less profit margin, and one could imagine an intentional business decisio…

I bought some shelving a while back and just paid for delivery. There is a store within driving range, but at the time (and why I needed the items) was going through some things, it was just a day I didn't want to spend.

Certainly, Ikea organizes their stores in a way that probably encourages impulse purchases.

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