I just got wind of a new line of Ikea products for 2009 (Ikea PS collection) that, for the most part, really seem like if you didn't know they were from Ikea, you'd swear they from far more exclusive (and expensive) design houses. Among the more unique or interesting designs, there's a chair that appears to be planks of red wood on a metal pedestal base, but they're actually compressed foam! Another, a very minimalist bench (RASKEN), inspired from African chairs. The design being 3 planks of wood, and it does not even use screws or glue to put it together. A lovely looking pendant lamp (MASKROS), using ABS plastic, steel, polypropylene and paper for materials, the design inspired by a dandelion!
How cool is that 3-legged mushroom side table?!(KARLJOHAN, named after a Swedish mushroom). It's wood is made from heart of pine, normally discarded for being too soft. There's a white leather/yellow pine daybed (AUGUST), (a nod to Le Corbusier's I suppose), assembled without a single screw or nail! An irregular glass salad bowl (BUNKE), inspired by the irregular lines of nature. Also, a very interesting chair (SELMA), which appears to take its cue from the Oz lowchair, and who's seating can be flipped like pages of a book. Each "page's" design has a story behind it!
Here's a video explaining the chair (from a French site):
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/la-chaise-tissus-ikea-ps-2009-selma/3744581117/?icid=VIDURVENT10
This French site has the scoop on some on these products in this new line:
http://www.marieclairemaison.com/,carafe-ikea-ps-bjuda,200315,27475,6
This article in English (re: Ikea quality), is what tipped me off to the new designs:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/jan/26/ikea-new-range
http://www.marieclairemaison.com/,carafe-ikea-ps-bjuda,200315,27475,6
"The stool's quite nice but...
"The stool's quite nice but I have to ask fotze if he works for Ikea?"
You know, I was thinking yesterday that it would take little time for someone to suggest that. Do I work for IKEA? I wish! But no, I really don't. In fact, I don't work in design at all, nor even anything related to design or home decor (ie. furniture). I've just always liked IKEA, they're what turned me on to industrial design. Even though I've since moved past it, furniture-wise, I still like what the company is doing. I'd say what still attracts me to their products and designs, is what they are able to create at low or reasonable price points, and all the thought that goes into their better / practical designs and packaging.
Good design is always good, but good design that is priced to be accessible to everyone is what really excites and interests me. Because I see it as more of a challenge than just producing museum pieces at museum prices. And yeah, I recognize that IKEA "borrows" from a number of known designs and their designers, but they also come up with a lot of their own original ideas, that push the envelope as much as anyone else. Speaking of which, out of all the years I've been watching them, they really seem to have outdone themselves this year in that regard with many of the items in this new "PS collection", which is why I thought it was worth a mention here.
Far from working for them, I got booted out of my local IKEA once for taking photos of their storeroom displays (the security guy was insisting on taking my film! I told him he'd have to pry the camera from my cold dead hands before I would hand him my film).
end table
IKEA finally has an end table that I like well enough to buy. It's called VEJMON. Also comes in two coffee table versions but I think they look kinda clunky.
This is kind of a big deal because I'm always on the lookout for a good (affordable) end table but I almost never see any. I got a Saarinen tulip table a few years back at an auction but other than that it's been pretty dry.
I love the Stockholm coffee table.
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