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IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

ikeamuseum.com

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Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#131

Post by xattt »

zeroq wrote: post #71
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.

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…

My university had bound catalogues of “letterpress blocks” you could order for letterpresses.

These were from about 50-100 years ago, and were great for scanning in and converting to vector art as various design elements. Usually these were artistic flourishes to include inline with text.

The one that stands out for me was engraved drawing of a fish that would not be out of place as a large print.

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#132

Post by ghaff »

vedmakk wrote: post #128

Wow, i randomly opened the 1960s catalog and the furniture looks just modern... they would perfectly fit in a todays living room. Either time stood still in the furniture industry, they did timeless designs or the 60s trends are just coming back. But I didnt expect that.

I'm by no means an interior designer, but my sense is that 60s/70s European design is pretty timeless. Especially if you take out the boldest colors, plastic-sheathed couches, and the like.

My sense is that modern furniture has generally fairly simple lines--and, from what I understand--younger generations tend to favor neutral color tones. While my house is relatively muted, it isn't the greyscale that I see among some younger folks.

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#133

Post by ghaff »

criddell wrote: post #116
BowBun wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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?

I tend to agree. Styles change, needs change as people move and/or change lifestyles. I have some pretty old furniture but I mostly own it because I can find a space for it--not because I'd buy it today.

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#134

Post by upmostly »

Scrolling through that page feels like an incredible speedrun of design history. You can literally see the decades fly by — the photography, layouts, and even the fonts slowly evolving until suddenly, around 2006, it all starts to feel “modern.”

I’m 37, and that’s exactly the point where it clicks for me — when things stop looking “old” and start looking like the world I remember stepping into as an adult. It’s fascinating how our personal timelines sync up with broader shifts in design trends.

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#135

Post by tokioyoyo »

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…

The beauty you see in the chair will not be noticed by people who are not design enthusiasts. It’s comfy, looks decent, and functional enough for people to make a purchase.

My point was, we should encourage copycats if it will reduce the price point even if it brings 80% of the joy to the buyer, compared to owning the designer chair, which is not attainable for them.

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#136

Post by aegirth »

zeroq wrote: post #78
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.

Same way as IKEA restaurants were serving decent quality food for dimes. It was business decision. People were thinking - we have a day off, we could go there and there, do some shopping, and then we go there for food, or we could go to the IKEA and eat there. If you're "slave to the IKEA" and want to cherish your free day with consumerism, it was a no brainer if you wanted to shop on a budget and eat for free. Unfor…

> Unforntuantely, catalogues are gone and so are days of cheap food in IKEA.

Depends on where you are. my Ikea still has all the cheap food you and I remember. Could be something stateside (if you are there).

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#137

Post by 112233 »

makeitdouble wrote: post #127
112233 wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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)?

I'm kinda lost, in another comment you mention the Eket system, so if it's those components you're looking for there's a full page for them liked right at the top of the Eket page: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/cat/eket-inserts-accessories-5928... If we're talking about the "Product details" -> "Assembly and documents" part, that's 3 clicks away and looks pretty straightforward to me. You make it sound like it's 15 leve…

Sorry for confusion. I am talking about documents like this: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/files/pdf/26/84/268411e4/eket_oct...

that contain all information about series in compact, easy to understand form. Try finding that pdf on their site. Now imagine chances of finding it for someone who is not aware it exists. All it would take Ikea is adding one more pdf to the "Assembly and documents" section, so why hide these so much?

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#138

Post by alpinemeadow »

driese wrote: post #53
alpinemeadow wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

DM me!

I'd love to, but your profile gives no way to contact you? You can find one on mine, otherwise I'd be happy about a link.

Hej! My bad, I thought there was a way to message in HN. I don’t have social media so I leave you a name here: Sofia Lögdberg is the Archive and Collection manager. Good luck. Love to see what you have done.

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#139

Post by lan321 »

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!

Or until it gets scrapped because it went out of fashion. People usually don't renovate because their furnishings are falling apart but because they want something fresh.

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#140

Post by InfinityByTen »

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…

There's a lot of interesting research one could do through the ikea lens given it has had such a huge impact on cultures (specially the youth) in the west for a good part of a century.
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