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The IKEA catalogue through the ages

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Re: The IKEA catalogue through the ages

#41

Post by jleahy »

arketyp wrote: post #6
professor_v wrote: post #5

I definitely think it's a mistake that IKEA stopped printing their catalogues last year. The offline experience is totally different from online. Online I tend to do direct searches for things I already decided I want, but the IKEA catalog is perfect for casual browsing and getting new ideas for stuff I would've never bought otherwise. It might come off as a cost saving short term, but I doubt in the end the catalogu…

I wonder to what extent it's due to considering the environmental impact bad publicity.

Surely cutting down fast growing trees and burying them in landfill is a great way to sequester co2?

Re: The IKEA catalogue through the ages

#42

Post by vintermann »

Jensson wrote: post #23
vintermann wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

40 years ago was when teak went out of fashion (possibly out of concern for the rainforest?) and pine went in. But I think it has changed a lot still from that, 80s living rooms still look alien to me even though I'm old enough to remember them. The IKEA 80s living rooms have some things in common with those I've seen in old films and sitcoms (e.g. Back to the Future), but it's still not quite the same. IKEA 80s cata…

I really can't see any notable difference between the 1983 catalogue and the 2013 one. Mostly that the more modern ones has messy rooms with people and stuff in them, but the furniture looks the same. If you care a lot about furniture fashion maybe it is easier, but to me those are the same.

I can hardly be accused of caring for furniture fashion, but I know that even finding a carpet like that on the 1983 catalog would be hard today, except of course in a used furniture store. Likewise the drapes.

If I wanted to give that 1986 couch to a charity shop, they would probably refuse and say they could never sell it.

Of course there are some more neutral, "timeless" things too. The 1983 cover couch would not stand out at all today, and I believe the little tables are still for sale at IKEA (I have one, though it's in the laundry room)

Re: The IKEA catalogue through the ages

#43

Post by cj »

jasode wrote: post #27
professor_v wrote: post #5

I definitely think it's a mistake that IKEA stopped printing their catalogues last year. The offline experience is totally different from online. Online I tend to do direct searches for things I already decided I want, but the IKEA catalog is perfect for casual browsing and getting new ideas for stuff I would've never bought otherwise. It might come off as a cost saving short term, but I doubt in the end the catalogu…

>, but the IKEA catalog is perfect for casual browsing and getting new ideas for stuff I would've never bought otherwise. Understand the advantage of serendipity by flipping through pages instead of entering product search queries. Fyi, the latest 2022 catalogs are available online with the typical "print book" layout and also downloadable as pdf: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/customer-service/catalogues/ With pdf catal…

> without killing trees and adding to landfills.

I wonder what leads to worse pollution. A world where all information is printed and there are are no computers, or a world where no one uses paper and computers, cell phones, Kindles, etc proliferate.

Re: The IKEA catalogue through the ages

#44

Post by davemo »

smcl wrote: post #36
rightbyte wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I remember a time when you wanted (some) adds. I had a "No adds but the Cinema timetable and catalogues please" on my mailbox. I almost miss the paper adds. Somehow they were wildly more relevant ...

Ha, does the postman/postwoman[0] respect the sign? I've got a "nevhazujte letáky" sticker on my mailbox ("no flyers/ads") that is completely ignored. As an immigrant this is particularly grating around election season when my mailbox is stuffed with material from a couple of anti-immigration candidates. [0] - I just realised that I only use the Scottish gender-neutral slang "postie" and don't know the correct one in…

I have a friend who is a mail-carrier (which I think is the most accurate gender-neutral term) for Canada Post. She refers to herself often as "postie" as well, and her co-workers as "posties". :]

Re: The IKEA catalogue through the ages

#45

Post by aqsalose »

lqet wrote: post #10

I am surprised to see that my beloved Poäng armchair (mine has served me well for 20 years now, with a new upholstery every 6 years) is already present on the cover of the 1977 catalogue: https://ikeacatalogues.ikea.com/77436/1102677/pages/4a7b75dd... The part for sitting seems to have been made out of metal back then, in my version, it is the same plywood material as the frame.

It was a retro-chair already in the 1970s. See here Aalto's Armchair 406 (made and sold by Artek) from 1939.

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=Armchair+406+aalto&iax=imag...

Re: The IKEA catalogue through the ages

#46

Post by [deleted] »

dividedbyzero wrote: post #38
jasode wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>, but the IKEA catalog is perfect for casual browsing and getting new ideas for stuff I would've never bought otherwise. Understand the advantage of serendipity by flipping through pages instead of entering product search queries. Fyi, the latest 2022 catalogs are available online with the typical "print book" layout and also downloadable as pdf: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/customer-service/catalogues/ With pdf catal…

Nowadays most people will probably use their phones for this sort of thing. Those PDFs really don't work well on mobile devices.

[deleted]

Re: The IKEA catalogue through the ages

#47

Post by Jensson »

vintermann wrote: post #42
Jensson wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really can't see any notable difference between the 1983 catalogue and the 2013 one. Mostly that the more modern ones has messy rooms with people and stuff in them, but the furniture looks the same. If you care a lot about furniture fashion maybe it is easier, but to me those are the same.

I can hardly be accused of caring for furniture fashion, but I know that even finding a carpet like that on the 1983 catalog would be hard today, except of course in a used furniture store. Likewise the drapes. If I wanted to give that 1986 couch to a charity shop, they would probably refuse and say they could never sell it. Of course there are some more neutral, "timeless" things too. The 1983 cover couch would not…

> but I know that even finding a carpet like that on the 1983 catalog would be hard today

That carpet is literally in the first room of the 2013 catalogue. Or maybe it is a different carpet, but I can't tell the difference.

Re: The IKEA catalogue through the ages

#48

Post by iamacyborg »

arketyp wrote: post #6
professor_v wrote: post #5

I definitely think it's a mistake that IKEA stopped printing their catalogues last year. The offline experience is totally different from online. Online I tend to do direct searches for things I already decided I want, but the IKEA catalog is perfect for casual browsing and getting new ideas for stuff I would've never bought otherwise. It might come off as a cost saving short term, but I doubt in the end the catalogu…

I wonder to what extent it's due to considering the environmental impact bad publicity.

Given IKEA essentially produce throwaway furniture by design, I don't think they've got much of a leg to stand on when it comes to environmental responsibility.

Just buying more stuff is literally how they have historically marketed themselves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBqhIVyfsRg

Re: The IKEA catalogue through the ages

#49

Post by johanneskanybal »

cj wrote: post #43
jasode wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>, but the IKEA catalog is perfect for casual browsing and getting new ideas for stuff I would've never bought otherwise. Understand the advantage of serendipity by flipping through pages instead of entering product search queries. Fyi, the latest 2022 catalogs are available online with the typical "print book" layout and also downloadable as pdf: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/customer-service/catalogues/ With pdf catal…

> without killing trees and adding to landfills. I wonder what leads to worse pollution. A world where all information is printed and there are are no computers, or a world where no one uses paper and computers, cell phones, Kindles, etc proliferate.

Those are not the options though since personal electronics aren't going anywhere. It's either computers and papers or a similar amount of computers but at least less paper.

Re: The IKEA catalogue through the ages

#50

Post by iamacyborg »

subpixel wrote: post #34

Why, why did the Kramfors sofa get killed off? It was a $400 sofa that rivaled $3000 sofas from other manufacturers and nothing in the market comes close these days.

> It was a $400 sofa that rivaled $3000 sofas

Sure, in much the same way a £10 tshirt from Uniqlo matches a £90 tshirt from Sunspel. They're not really the same thing.

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