Last December, the company announced that prices at its stores would increase by an average of nine percent around the world in 2022, but nearly a year later, the numbers are looking just a tad higher than that estimate. IKEA has hiked the prices of some products across its five main categories by as much as 80 percent.

An investigation by Retail Week found some eye-popping increases on popular items like IKEA’s best-selling JOKKMOKK dining table and chairs, which went from £99 ($114) to £179 ($203) over the last 12 months, and the BRIMNES chest of drawers, which increased 47 percent to $125.

The MALM chest of drawers increased by 30 percent, the MELLTORP table and chairs set by 22 percent, and the TOMMARYD/TEODORES table and chairs set by 38 percent. The three-seat LANDSKRONA sofa rose 20 percent, the FYRESDAL daybed frame by 46 percent, the SLATTUM upholstered bed frame by 46 percent, and the GLOSTAD 2-seat sofa by a whopping 66 percent.

“We offer a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible are able to afford them,” an IKEA spokesperson told Retail Week. “This remains our focus today and in the future. However, we are not immune to the macro-economic developments that businesses, retailers, and the public are currently facing, from the increased costs of materials and transportation to the war in Ukraine and inflation.”

“It is critical that we are financially resilient in the long term, to ensure our longevity as a business and employer, and we have had to adjust our prices to reflect this increased cost base.”

There’s certainly no danger that IKEA is going away anytime soon. Despite all of the challenges it cites, IKEA is doing better than ever. Inter IKEA, franchiser for the brand, reported record annual sales in October, with sales at all IKEA stores and online growing 6.5 percent in the 12 months through August.

The company notes that “sales have grown in money, but sales quantities have not kept up.” Inter IKEA CEO Jon Abrahamsson says the company has not passed on all input cost increases to retailers, absorbing some itself.

Ingka Group, which owns most IKEA stores including those in Europe and the ones that closed in Russia, said that its own sales rose 5.6 percent, growing in most of its markets. Availability of products also improved. In March, Ingka CEO Jesper Brodin anticipated raising prices by an average of 12 percent, but the company ended up reducing those hikes over the summer as supply chains recovered.

“We currently don’t see any big slowdown tendencies, but we have deep respect for the year that we are in…and we are prepared for a tough winter for people everywhere,” Brodin says.

If you’re shopping for home goods on a budget and bummed by this news, take heart: IKEA isn’t the only source of stylish and ultra-affordable furniture. Check out brands like Novogratz, Capsule, Studio McGee at Target, and Amazon’s private-label brands.

The post IKEA Raises Prices Up to 80% to Offset Inflation and Supply Shortages first appeared on Dornob.

YouTuber Tchiks Guitars says he started the project as a joke. “I remember going upstairs and telling my wife, ‘I’m gonna make a guitar out of Zoé’s old bed.’ She rolled her eyes to the ceiling and asked me, ‘Why?’” It’s a fair question, but the YouTuber proved his creative recycling idea was worthwhile, as silly as it sounded at first. He used wood salvaged from his six-year-old daughter’s old crib (IKEA’s Stuva cot) as well as a Henriksdal chair and Lack shelf to create the guitar’s top and back.

The intrepid upcycler made the fretboard of the guitar from a picture ledge, the jack output plate form a Lilangen door handle, the strap buttons from a Kallax cupboard knob, and the tone and volume knobs from an Aptilig chopping board — all items you can find at IKEA. You wouldn’t guess any of this from looking at the finished product, of course.

“This idea came to me while I was making a Brian May’s Red Special replica: while I was following the footsteps of Dr. May, like anyone who’s ever made a Red Special I guess, I kept asking myself the following questions: ‘what the ….?’, ‘how did he …?’, ‘wait a minute …’, ‘no way, that’s brilliant!.’ Having access to the plans felt a little bit like cheating so I started wondering how I would personally do it in 2022? e.g design and build a guitar from scratch, using nothing but what’s available around me.”

“Truth is, ever since the Electric Shelf 335 became viral (4 million views, thank you), I’ve been wanting to make something like this,” he says. “In my original design, I was trying to emulate an actual solid body guitar, so I had to find a way to make bent sides, which is not an easy thing to do when all you have is stuff from IKEA. Another problem I had was that, to my knowledge, the only tone wood that IKEA uses is acacia, which they use in some of their outdoor furniture (and I don’t have any of those at home). Anyway, I kept finding excuses not to make the final jump, but the Red Special really opened up my eyes: Brian May taught me that they are no rules, as he demonstrated by making a legendary guitar with a body that is essentially pine and oak.”

The YouTuber and amateur guitar builder first started experimenting with unusual materials during COVID lockdowns in Belgium in April 2020. His usual lumber store was closed, so he decided to make a guitar out of wood from an old shelf. Since then, he’s made several more DIY guitars, all impressive in their own ways. In addition to subscribing to his YouTube channel, you can also follow Tchiks Guitars’ creations on Instagram @tchiksguitars.

The post The Ultimate IKEA Hack? YouTuber Makes Incredible DIY Guitar from an Old Crib first appeared on Dornob.

However, those of us who have ever put together a piece of IKEA furniture know that it can sometimes be frustrating and even downright annoying to not only decipher the instructions, but actually get the disassembled pieces to resemble the finished product.

Imagine an interactive tool that took a bit of the stress out of IKEA assemblage — a guide that offered much-needed information about pieces that were notoriously tough to put together. Sounds like a dream come true for IKEA stans everywhere, right?

While IKEA itself has a customer rating system that provides info on “Ease of Assembly,” it’s still a huge amount of data to sift through. Our friends at HouseholdQuotes.uk recently did the hard work for us and developed the definitive tool for ascertaining what pieces are the simplest and most difficult to assemble, in addition to the simplest alternatives and substitutes available. The Holy Grail of IKEA info, this handy guide is perfect for potential buyers looking to save themselves the agony that often accompanies the IKEA furniture assembly process — and the good news is, you don’t even need an Allen wrench to figure it out!

Some of the tool’s handiest features are lists of the top pieces that are both easy and difficult to assemble, all ranked on a scale where five is the top mark (i.e. the easiest pieces are given the five-star treatment). And believe it or not, there are plenty of pieces that rank up there. The lists are also sub-divided by category, saving you the trouble of finding your dream bed in a never-ending forest of unpronounceable Swedish words. You can also search or browse, which speeds up the process a bit if you’re in the heat of the shopping moment and need an answer fast. No more Hamlet-level angst deciding between sofas or deliberating over dining tables.

Is this tool the end-all solution for solving every IKEA headache? Of course not. Customer reviews tend to be subjective, and what person A finds impossible, person B thinks is a snap. It does, however, provide a helpful matrix that takes into account a wide range of reviews. The category breakdown is extremely helpful, and the ability to search by product takes a lot of the guesswork out of the whole process.

We’ve all been there: going from the smug sense of satisfaction inherent in almost every IKEA purchase to the absolute horror of seeing all of the pieces laid out on the living room floor. But thanks to this handy tool from HouseholdQuotes, you can finally skip past those furniture foibles and get to enjoying your new furniture.

The post HouseholdQuotes.uk Assembles the Holy Grail of IKEA Furniture Manuals first appeared on Dornob.

Bois originally posted the image, sans Cash, as a tongue-in-cheek tribute to Mario Bellini’s Camaleonda sofa, which was designed in 1970 and is now one of the world’s most influential pieces of modular furniture. But Cash went a few steps further by adding a faux IKEA label for the “Loafa,” and depicting himself wearing a pair of bread-roll slippers that are actually the product of his collaboration with Maison Martin Margiela. A blanket and rug made of tortillas complete the set.

Soon after posting his Photoshopped image, Cash changed the caption to “LOAFA is coming to your nearest IKEA söön!” Given that IKEA has been known to make some weird stuff, we wouldn’t be too surprised if that was true. For the moment, however, IKEA’s global press officer Diana Lavrenova says “No one from IKEA was in touch with Tommy Cash. We don’t see the project as feasible.” Speaking to Dezeen, she even compared it to an experimental blow-up sofa the company released in the 1980s. “We tried air sofas once, which turned out to be a great mistake. Bun sofas seem to fit in that same airy category.”

Disappointed? That’s understandable. One can imagine the actual sofa version of the image being so realistic that if you’re craving the sweet flavor of a Hawaiian roll, you’d be hard-pressed to stop yourself from diving into it head-first and going to town. Carb avoiders would have to avert their gaze while pushing their carts through the aisles of their local IKEA marketplace.

Of the original bread roll sofa design, Gab Bois explains: “I always like to play little tricks and illusions in my images, so I’m happy this one translated this well. I used brioche hamburger buns for the main cushions and brioche hot dog buns for the edges. Toothpicks that were hidden between each bun kept everything in place. It ended up being a literal representation of comfort food.”

For his part, Tommy Cash knows how to grab the headlines with absurdist creations. His trompe l’oeil loafers really do look just like baguettes, and the Margiela collaboration also includes a pack of $14 instant noodles to “deliver the haute couture savor to quick meals with no need to leave the house.” Cash also designed “the longest shoe in the world,” a three-foot-long version of Adidas’ classic Superstar trainers. The bread theme came up with this creation, too, as social media users compared the shoes to Subway foot-long sandwiches.

The post Loafa: A Bread Roll Sofa Proposed to IKEA by Estonian Rapper Tommy Cash first appeared on Dornob.

Household Quotes took a deep dive through all of these back catalogs to examine exactly how living rooms evolved across generations, revealing not just what people liked their spaces to look like, but how much it cost to furnish and decorate the entire room each year (adjusted to reflect inflation). The UK-based website produced realistic renders for every decade, putting together its own scenes featuring the most iconic furniture pieces at the time.

1950s

Recognize that armchair? The Rex, which cost the equivalent of $350.38 in 1950, looks almost identical to the Strandmon chair available today for $279, reflecting the fact that classic design never really goes out of style. Ornate photo frames and a delicately proportioned upholstered couch add decorative touches, but the star of the show is definitely the UTÖ coffee table. Quite a bargain at just over $135 and made of elm wood, it looks like it could be in the showroom of a much higher-end furniture store today for a lot more money. The total cost of this room is $1,819.34.

1960s

Check out the mod wallpaper and enviable midcentury modern pieces available during the 1960s. Doesn’t it make you wish you could order straight out of that catalog? This selection brings together neutral tones and a whole lot of wood, toning down the upholstery to let the form of each piece steal the limelight. The RIO coffee table ($161.93) was made with entertaining in mind, treated with a plasticized finish to withstand all the cocktail parties people indulged in back then. The total cost of this room is $1,764.22.

1970s

By the 70s, IKEA’s offerings were getting a little groovier. In the original catalogs, you’ll find all kinds of humorously dated pieces, like bulging couch cushions covered in hideous brown fabrics, but also styles that are trending today, like cane and rattan. Household Quotes chose items that are decidedly 70s but wouldn’t necessarily look out of place mixed into a contemporary living room, like the CENTRUM 50 coffee table ($180.51). The total cost of this room is $1,701.32.

1980s

We’re not ready for 1980s-style couches to come back anytime soon, are we? The YSTAD three-seater sofa is one of the mildest of IKEA’s living room seating offerings from that era, which included a whole lot of loud prints. The ERVIK/VOSS coffee table exemplifies the kind of metal and glass combinations that were popular at the time. You might recognize the BILLY cabinet, which first appeared in 1979 and has now sold 41 million units. This room cost a total of $1,480.25, the second-most affordable era in IKEA design.

1990s

Not exactly a decade known for design that stands the test of time, the 90s produced a mishmash of styles that started off unabashedly bold and bright and became much more simple and utilitarian by 1999. This collection includes some head-scratchers, like the LAVIN standing lamp and odd MULLSJO armchair, but also the well known LACK table, one of IKEA’s most affordable pieces of furniture ever produced. Priced at around $20 back then, it’s now down to $9.99 for the same size and shape. This room cost $2,086.23 to put together.

2000s

By the 2000s, IKEA had found its design stride with pieces they’ve kept around in the ensuing decades. Favorites like the POÄNG armchair, originally offered in 1976, have come to exemplify the brand’s visual identity. This was also the decade when IKEA really started to expand into the United States, which is now its second-largest market after Germany, cementing its aesthetic into our cultural consciousness. This room cost $1,732.95.

2010s

The most expensive decade to furnish your home entirely with IKEA finds at $2,806.45, the 2010s brought back the brand’s beloved STOCKHOLM range, a premium collection featuring a distinctly Scandinavian aesthetic. This wool STOCKHOLM rug ($229.20) will likely become one of many in the collection’s history to end up a rare and desirable commodity in the decades to come. The leather STOCKHOLM sofa is another piece with high potential to age beautifully, with leather that “becomes softer and acquires a darker tone in time.”

2020s

We’re just two years into the current decade, but so far, it’s the most affordable time in the brand’s history to get absolutely everything you need from IKEA. This room totals $1,112.95 and illustrates how the Swedish retailer has crafted a contemporary aesthetic that’s minimalist yet warm, with an increasing focus on sustainability.

The post 70 Years of IKEA Catalogs Show How Living Rooms Have Evolved first appeared on Dornob.

“For IKEA, the smart home is not about gadgets. It’s about making life and home better through combining our solid home furnishing knowledge with digital solutions and technology,” says Henrik Telander, Product Owner at IKEA of Sweden, adding that “That’s why we explore the possibility of integrating the function of purifying air and technology to provide good experiences for customers at home. STARKVIND is a high-performing air purifier. When designing it, we also wanted it to have a modern design which can be adapted to changing lifestyles. People can choose based on their needs and preference.”

Available in a blonde wood or dark brown-black finish, the $189 STARKVIND air purifier table features a three-filter system with a pre-filter to eliminate big particles like hair and dust, a finer particle filter to capture 99.5 percent of smaller airborne particles like pollen, and a gas cleaning filter for odors and pollutants like formaldehyde and other VOCs. It does have physical knobs, though, so it can be used with or without the $35 TRADFRI smart home gateway, which gives you the ability to control it from your smartphone. Even without the smart capabilities, you can choose between five fan speeds or select “Auto “mode, which uses a built-in air sensor to adjust the speed based on the air quality in the room.

The STARKVIND air filter is also available in freestanding form, if that’s what you’d prefer, at a lower price point of $129. That model looks sort of like a circular floor fan, sitting on two triangular legs. Yet another option is the $59.99 FÖRNUFTIG air purifier, a more compact 12 x 18-inch gadget that can either be placed on the floor with an included stand or hung on the wall vertically or horizontally. No word just yet on the cost of STARKVIND replacement filters, but they’ll probably be fairly similar to the ones for the FÖRNUFTIG, which range from $5.99 to $12.99. All three options are expected to become available at IKEA stores worldwide in October 2021.

Back in July, IKEA released the $199 SYMFONISK picture frame and $189 SYMFONISK table lamp with built-in Wi-Fi speakers as part of their collaboration with electronics brand Sonos. Both items really level up the ability to disguise speakers as decor instead of just dealing with how ugly they usually are. The table lamp combines two functions to save space and looks cool, too, but the new picture frame is extra handy thanks to its compact dimensions. Measuring 16 X 22 inches with a depth of just two, the picture frame speaker can hang flat on a wall and even be paired with an LED light panel to create a unique light and sound experience. Both speakers are available in light and dark colors, can be grouped together for fuller sound, and connect with all major music streaming subscription services.

If there’s one caveat to these new IKEA offerings, it’s the fact that they really only blend into homes with modern decor, so hopefully more manufacturers will start offering gadgets like these in the near future.

The post New IKEA STARKVIND Air Purifier Disguises Itself as Furniture first appeared on Dornob.

“Whether it’s refreshing your space with snug textiles and decorative pieces or feeling inspired to try out some autumnal cooking with new dining accessories, the Höstkvall collection has everything you need to embrace the new season ahead,” says IKEA Interior Design Manager Clotilde Passalacqua, adding that “the Höstkvall collection offers an amazing range of dining and cooking accessories, ready for the perfect autumnal dinner party.”

A range of kitchen and dining items will update your decor for the season and come together beautifully for a themed dining table. A nine-inch pie plate ($12.99), gravy boat ($9.99), and serving plate ($19.99) are all set for your Thanksgiving celebration but neutral enough to use year-round. Here, they’re accented by cheerful placemats ($4), a chevron table runner ($9.99), and matching cloth napkins ($3.99 for two), along with a cute set of three decorative pumpkins as the centerpiece.

The textiles are really the star of the show here. Rich, warm hues of rust and gold capture the spirit of the season in a variety of throw pillows (between $6.99 and $11.99) and a blanket with a thick, nubby cotton weave ($19.99) that looks perfect for hiding under during a horror movie marathon. Pot holders, an oven mitt, and dish towels covered in leafy prints continue the theme in the kitchen.

Dried greenery has been a big trend over the last couple years, and while it was once hard to come by, you can now find it on the shelves of many home stores. The Höstvall collection has a few items in this category, including an artificial indoor/outdoor wreath in a lovely neutral color ($14.99), an artificial bouquet in muted fall hues ($9.99), and a framed fern leaf ($7.99). The benefit of artificial materials is they’re easier to clean, and will likely last longer than real dried botanicals.

Other small decorative items include two scented candles in metal cups ($3.99 each), one in a cinnamon and sugar scent and the other a blend of cedar and magnolia. A six-inch-tall decorative pumpkin made out of felt unzips down the middle, making it a cute place to store small gifts or whatever other function you can come up with. Did we mention that every single item is under $20?

Like most of IKEA’s seasonal offerings, this collection is limited and will only be around for a few short months (just like fall itself). If you love these items, snag them now! Some can be purchased for delivery through the IKEA website, and the rest will require an odyssey to your nearest brick-and-mortar location. Don’t forget to pick up some Swedish meatballs while you’re there.

The post Set the Mood for Fall 2021 with IKEA’s New Höstkvall Collection first appeared on Dornob.

On Twitter, some people loved the couches and expressed disappointment that they weren’t actually for sale – and it’s true, some of them truly aren’t bad. The “Lesbian” couch looks like standard IKEA fare, and the “2Spirit” couch is kind of cool, with a rainbow pillow emerging from black velvet. Two-spirit is a term used by some Native people to describe identifying as having both a feminine and masculine spirit, honoring a third-gender role that’s traditional in many indigenous communities.

https://twitter.com/LouCCRyan/status/1409889863898370051

https://twitter.com/neverlandlimbo/status/1410218245508972551?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1410219330898481152%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es2_

Other designs, like the flower-covered “Progress” couch, are clearly not for actual use. But none have elicited quite so much controversy as the “Bisexual” couch, designed by artist Charlotte Carbone and inspired by poet Brian Lanigan. The line printed on the couch, “When you change ‘or’ to ‘and,’ nobody believes you,” is from one of Lanigan’s poems and refers to the skepticism many bisexual people face from others when they come out. The theme and inspiration aren’t really the problem here. What people don’t like is all the “creepy” hands.

Lanigan, for one, has taken it in stride, changing his Twitter name to “bIKEA couch guy.”

Whatever you may personally think of it, it’s clear that this design was always meant to be an art piece rather than a sofa you’d casually go buy at your local store. One thing is for sure: Carbone and Lanigan have netted IKEA quite a bit of media coverage with this design, for better or worse.

The public’s reaction seems to have prompted IKEA to remove all traces of the couches from its website, replacing the page with new content about “building a world where everyone can feel at home.” To be fair, it’s decent content explaining why pronouns are important, how to ask questions respectfully, and why IKEA has adopted the Progress flag in place of the outdated rainbow flag. But scroll to the bottom of the page, and you’ll find two shopping bags for sale… emblazoned with the old rainbow flag print.

Listen. As an elder millennial member of the LGBTQ+ community, this writer is torn between feeling a sort of dazed wonder that it’s suddenly cool for huge companies to declare their support, and disgust at meaningless money-grubbing displays of rainbow capitalism. At least IKEA hired (and hopefully paid) three queer artists to participate in the project, including Carbone, Madison Van Rijn, and Bianca Daniela Nachtman, though another designer, Ali Haider, was listed as an LGBTQ+ “ally,” which doesn’t do much for community representation.

But honestly, wake us up when companies are taking actual concrete supportive action year-round for our community’s most vulnerable members, like black trans women, instead of just paying lip support for a single month out of the year. For the record, transphobia-motivated murders of transgender people are trending upward even as all these corporations make big public displays for Pride.

The post We’re Still Thinking About IKEA’s Weird Pride-Themed Couches first appeared on Dornob.

In recent years, the Swedish furniture giant has been aiming to rebrand itself as a leader in sustainability and eco-friendly strategy, beginning in 2018 with their “People & Planet” initiative. That plan aims to make the company fully circular by 2030 – an ambitious strategy that commits to designing many of their products with the four R’s in mind: reusing, repairing, repurposing, and recycling.

Earlier this year, IKEA also released an ad depicting a giant meteor of trash hurtling toward Earth, a perfect metaphor for the ever-increasing climate crisis that continues to affect our planet. The only way the meteor could be stopped was for people to change their wasteful ways – through reducing, reusing, and recycling, of course.

As people on Earth begin to change, the meteor starts to break apart, ultimately landing as a plastic bottle that the now environmentally-savvy population immediately recycles. The ad was directed by Tom Kuntz, an American director known for his statement-making commercials, and it certainly makes a statement (namely, that IKEA would be jumping on board the sustainability train). This is a huge and important step for such a large retailer to take, and it’s also a great way to exert its far-reaching influence on its huge customer base by showing that everyone, everyday can take even the smallest steps to live a little more eco-consciously.

IKEA’s newest ad takes the strategy a bit further by showing trash piles filled with — you guessed it — people’s thrown away furniture (with the company’s own offerings spotlighted, naturally). The ad also lists the value of each piece shown, calling attention to our status as a largely throwaway society. Even more importantly, it reminds consumers of how needless waste impacts our communities and neighborhoods, as well as our planet.

Of course, the message isn’t all bleak. As the ad comes to a close, we see the discarded furniture pieces being given new life, transformed through the power of sustainable efforts to repair, recycle, and reuse. Meant to promote the company’s new buy-back program, an innovative idea that offers customers the option of reselling their unwanted furniture in an effort to reduce waste, the ad plays on the retailer’s awareness of its own products’ relatively short lifespans and their subsequent contribution to pollution. Paired with its release of disassembly instructions for some popular products in February, and its offer to supply spare parts at no cost so customers can fix, rather than discard, their broken furniture, IKEA really does seem to be encouraging its customers to live more sustainably and responsibly.

IKEA’s new “Trash Collection” ad is a stark, impactful reminder of our society’s wasteful ways. However, it’s also encouraging and full of hope, as it reminds us that we can all make a difference by being more mindful about our product consumption, and more eco-conscious in our everyday lives.

The post New IKEA Ad Shows You Where Your Furniture Goes to Die first appeared on Dornob.

Amazingly, there are still several companies with items remaining on the Ever Given, including Lenova, IKEA, and Snuggy UK, who estimate they have approximately $550,000 of wearable blankets still aboard the vessel.

Because the ship has been impounded by the Egyptian authorities, it’s impossible to say when retailers will reclaim their items. Today, it sits in the Great Bitter Lake as a long and drawn out compensation battle (estimated at $600 million) ensues between the owner of the ship (Japanese company Shoei Kisen Kaisha) and the Suez Canal Authority (SCA).

Though IKEA hasn’t given out details of what it still has on the Ever Given, insiders have confirmed to the media that there are many products on board, likely including the brand’s signature furniture. A company spokesperson added little in an e-mailed statement, only revealing that “in the specific containers, IKEA has a variety of products…We will not go into any details regarding what types of items are being held.”

According to NPR, everything from tea to French oak coming from China, oil, exercise equipment, and “110 containers of IKEA furniture” are among the many valuable items still remaining on the ship.

The shipping delays have been catastrophic to many companies, with some having to halt production due to lack of parts. Disruptions such as these have the potential to cause devastating impacts on the global economy.

Of course, it isn’t just large corporations like IKEA that are feeling the strain. Smaller businesses and retailers like Snuggy UK also rely on ships like the Ever Given to deliver much-needed stock. Jack Griffiths, a co-founder of Snuggy, recently revealed to CNN that the company had only made two bulk orders so far this year, and that the delay was causing them significant financial problems. Businesses are also finding it difficult to get information about when they will receive their products. As Griffith notes: “I wish we were involved or even kept in the loop a little bit more, but we aren’t. It’s really not a great position to be in…”

Others, like Pearson 1860, a U.K. bicycle maker, told CNN that $100,000 worth of their products were still on the ship. Company director Will Pearson further predicted that the company “[doesn’t] hold out much hope of seeing our stock this year.”

It’s impossible to say how long these products will be stuck on the Ever Given as the legal battles continue. It’s even possible that companies with stranded goods like IKEA, Snuggy UK, Pearson 1860, and others will have to pay the Suez Canal Authority for damages before they can retrieve their products. Whatever the outcome, the stranded Ever Given continues to wreak havoc on international retailers, suppliers, and merchants months after the initial blockade — and it will continue to impact the global supply chain for the foreseeable future.

The post Stranded: Retailers Like IKEA Still Have Products on Blocked Suez Ship “Ever Given” first appeared on Dornob.

Both items debuted on April 1st, prompting many to wonder whether they were actually real or just an April Fool’s Day joke. But despite their tongue-in-cheek nature, these things are fully functional. Designed by Japanese firm Gelchop for IKEA’s Art Event 2021, the LED table lamp (€39/$46 USD) aims to encourage viewers to question “an object’s ‘true’ purpose in the world,” according to a press release. It’s designed to lay flat on a surface, charges via USB, and consists of aluminum and plastic. The accompanying LED torch (€25/$30 USD) comes in blue or silver and is hilariously oversized.

“The inspiration for our ideas comes from everyday experiences and objects that, with a different approach, we transform into new, fun, and playful works of art and everyday gadgets,” says Gelchop. “IKEA ART EVENT 2021 table lamp and torches are a great example of how we work. So many people associate the Allen key with IKEA, yet it has a completely different function here with our interpretation. It’s something that we hope will even be appreciated by those who are not fans of assembling furniture.”

IKEA’s sixth annual Art Event is a limited collection blurring the line between art and functional design. The brand selected five artists and designers to create pieces that capture the imagination while doubling as useful household items. The other items in the 2021 range include a dramatic black and white tabletop clock by Daniel Arsham, a slitted round wall light by Sabine Marcelis, a framed drone collection by the firm Humans since 1982, and a glass vase and blanket printed with graphic lettering by Stefan Marx.

Many people see art as something to gaze at from a respectful distance in a museum or gallery, but IKEA hopes the event will help democratize art by removing some of those boundaries and encouraging physical interaction. Truly, each one of these pieces has its own story to tell.

An official company statement on the collection reads: “Driven by curiosity, these visionaries take recognizable objects and add their unique artistic spin, shifting our view of what a simple clock or lamp, flashlight or throw, vase or picture is. Each of these pieces has a vision of its own, elevating the ordinary into the extraordinary. IKEA ART EVENT 2021 showcases the future of living with art — where it can be picked up and used as well as thoughtfully reflected upon. There are no boundaries in IKEA’s new vision; art every day for everyone.”

If you like these quirky items, you should snap them up right away, because they’ll only be available for purchase in select stores or for delivery via IKEA-USA.com through May 2021.

The post IKEA Pays Homage to Its Most Iconic Tool with a Fun Allen Key Lamp first appeared on Dornob.

The research team used the academic TensiStrength tool to decide whether tweets were stressful or not. They then ascertained locations and broke them up by gender, as well as isolating comments about specific pieces of IKEA furniture.

What they found is that the company’s packaging, products, and directions seemed to cause more stress in Iceland than any other country. 64 percent of IKEA-mentioned tweets there came from a stressful place. Moscow, Russia, and Quebec, Canada weren’t too far behind, with 60 percent of their respective IKEA tweets expressing frustration. Household Quotes put together a visual map that calls out the stress level of dozens of countries. Of course, their data could be a result of higher Twitter use in certain areas, or maybe it just displays a cultural phenomenon. Either way, most countries reported at least a 30-percent rate of frustration. Tiny Israel measured large on the stress scale at 50 percent. Greece reported at a rate of 45.5 percent, and Poland, 41.8 percent. On the other end of the spectrum, South Korea has either mastered the art of flat-pack construction or Zen meditation, since they only reported a 7.7-percent frustration level.

If you’re interested specifically in the United States, as a whole the country came in at 33.1 percent. Broken down further, the majority of states fell into the 30 to 40-percent range. Mississippi showed the least amount of patience, reporting 48.3-percent stress. Minnesota, Idaho, Nebraska, Wisconsin, South Carolina, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island also came in at over 40 percent. Apparently the lowest risk of IKEA-induced divorce is in Kansas, where most Tweeters simply swell with pride in their accomplishment, and only 23.8 percent express frustration.

When it comes to particular pieces of furniture, IKEA couches take home the ribbon for most frustrating, with 50.6 percent tweeting specifically about their assembly. Other furniture was nearly as blood-pressure inducing. Cabinets came in at 50 percent, nightstands at 48.5, dressers at 48.3, and cribs at 48.1. Headboards, benches, bookcases, chairs, beds, tables, shelving units, and drawers were also all over 40 percent. Desks, wardrobes, armchairs, and cabinets seem to push less stress buttons for people, but still rank between 30 and 40 percent.

Breaking down the data further showed that certain names seem to be associated with either feeling furniture-assembly stress or reporting about it. For instance, women named Rose, Ruth, Marie, Kathryn, Michelle, Stephanie, Linda, and Martha, in order of occurrence, all reported at 50-percent frustration or higher. Men named Jose held a dominant lead at 64.3 percent, so you may want to partner up with someone else for if you have a soft spot for the Scandinavian retailer. Johnny, Russel, Terry, and Noah also reported over 50-percent irritation.

While IKEA furniture is the ubiquitous solution for quick and inexpensive decor changes, overcoming the assembly process might be more frustrating than you think. Come prepared with plenty of time, a partner other than Rose or Jose, and perhaps a glass of wine to smooth the process over.

The post You’re Not the Only One Frustrated by IKEA Furniture first appeared on Dornob.

Collaborating with RV and tiny home builder Escape and branding firm Vox Creative, IKEA’s first tiny home is a customization of Escape’s Vista Boho XL trailer and was meant to prove that “a small space that can be stylish, affordable, and sustainable,” in the company’s own words.

“IKEA wants to have a positive impact on the planet. We’re always thinking long-term,” says IKEA Sustainability Manager Jennifer Keesson. “We want to meet the needs of generations today without compromising the needs of generations in the future.”

“It was a natural pairing,” Escape founder Dan Dobrowolski told Lonely Planet of the partnership. “We feature many IKEA products in our various tiny home designs around the country, as they mirror the renewable, reusable, and recycled materials we incorporate into the actual structures.”

The green features on these small digs include two solar roof panels, interior planking made from sustainably grown pine, a composting toilet, and kitchen cabinets constructed from recycled bottle tops. IKEA designers also outfitted the mini bungalow with their energy-efficient RYET LED lightbulbs, as well as water-saving faucets and shower heads.

IKEA Senior Interior Design Leader Abbey Stark began the process with logistics. “How I started was really listing out all the needs for the space, like how…you design around a wheel well, and the mechanics of the home. I wanted to source renewable, reusable, and recycled materials when possible to make the space functional as well as beautiful.”

The 60-day build-out commenced with a flatbed trailer that could be transported by a bio-diesel towing truck when needed. Then plumbing pipes (that could later be hooked up to a pressurized water tank) were installed, providing inhabitants with access to running water while living off-grid. Next came the exterior walls, engineered to stand up to the elements, and finally the interior walls and finishings. A video of the entire process can be viewed here on the Vox website.

The decor inside is light and bright with blond wood accents. Stark threw in a few soft textiles like sheepskin throws and cushy pillows to soften the boxy walls.

“Thinking multifunctional in this space is essential,” she explains, choosing IKEA’s NORDEN table to act as both a dining surface and workspace. It can even be folded down when not in use. Stark also tried to maximize vertical space for storage, inserting pull-out drawers under the beds and sofa as well as hanging multiple hooks and racks along the walls.

Of course, if tiny living is your goal, there may be some drawbacks to consider with this dwelling. With so many windows and a flat roof, it may be difficult to regulate the interior temperature in the summer, and because the trailer is not designed to sit on a foundation, cold air could also permeate from below in the winter. And the petite solar panels aren’t likely to be able to generate enough electrical power for hot water. But it does have a small footprint and is mobile enough for a life of wanderlust. If you already own a home with some land, it could also make for a nice guest suite or detached office.

In truth, IKEA’s tiny-house offering is really more of a showcase piece; the company doesn’t have plans to mass produce these abodes anytime soon. For those interested in this particular version though, Escape does offer buyers a similarly tailored trailer on its website starting at $37,550.

The post IKEA Puts Form and Function to the Test in Its First-Ever Tiny House first appeared on Dornob.

The collection of more than 30 products is aimed squarely at 2.5 billion gamers around the world, who IKEA calls “an overlooked group from a life-at-home perspective.” Prices haven’t been released just yet, but they’re bound to be in the usual IKEA range of affordability, i.e. at least somewhat cheaper than high-end options. ROG helped the retailer come up with a series of chairs, desks, drawer units, peg boards, and accessories to make the average gamer’s life more comfortable and convenient.

Those accessories include things like a mug holder, mouse bungee, neck pillow, ring light for YouTubers and Twitch streamers, multifunctional cushion/blanket with what looks like a hand warmer pocket, and a hand-shaped desktop organizer for your headphones and cables. Not all of these items are self-explanatory, even to gamers (Gamespot also wonders why that pillow pocket is necessary), but maybe if you’re in this demographic, you get it.

“ROG has in-depth knowledge of the gaming industry and wants to find new ways to make gaming blend into the home,” IKEA stated in a recent press release. “Combining the best of these two worlds, the collaboration aimed to democratize the gaming experience by creating relevant, functional, beautiful, and affordable products and complete gaming solutions to make it easier for everyone to create the setup and the home they want.”

“The new gaming range will target PC gamers and include six product families: HUVUDSPELARE, UTESPELARE, MATCHSPEL, GRUPPSPEL, UPPSPEL, and LÅNESPELARE. All UPPSPEL products have been designed by IKEA and ROG in close collaboration. The remaining product families have been developed by IKEA based on the insights and knowledge gained from the collaboration to ensure the width of the total gaming offer and to meet the various needs of IKEA customers in terms of function, design, and price.”

UPPSPEL is the highest-tech range in the collection, and includes items like a height-adjustable desk with an electric motor and an integrated USB charging dock. The UTESPELARE range includes a manually adjustable desk with a metal mesh insert to keep your PC from overheating and a matching chair in black or gray faux leather, and the lowest-priced HUVUDSPELARE series keeps things simple but functional. One limitation of the collection is that it focuses heavily on PC gaming, so if you’re a console gamer, these products still might not be quite right for you.

”The needs of billions of gamers around the globe are very diverse, whereas the existing offer is rather technical and often perceived as masculine design-wise, despite around 46 percent of gamers being female. We believe there’s a lot to be done to democratize the gaming experience,” says Ewa Rychert, Global Business Leader of Workspace, IKEA of Sweden. ”Now we take the first step on our gaming journey, and we do it by presenting affordable, high-performing gaming products and complete solutions that we hope reflect people’s personality and taste.”

If you were hoping to run out to your local IKEA to stock up for what might be another year of stay-at-home pandemic precautions, don’t get too excited. It’s going to be a minute before these items arrive in most countries. Launched at IKEA China in January 2021, the gaming collection will be available at IKEA Japan in May and the rest of the world starting in October.

The post IKEA Releases an Affordable Collection of Gaming Furniture and Accessories first appeared on Dornob.

This idea of “going circular” has started to take root in some of the world’s largest firms. According to a 2019 ING survey, 62 percent of America’s companies plan to “close the loop” in some form soon, with 16 percent having already implanted circular practices. Just take these green gyrations for example:

IKEA

The flat-pack furniture giant has been using sustainable and recycled materials in some of its merchandise for years now, but more recently, it’s vowed to go completely circular by 2030.

“People are becoming more and more conscious of the impact their choices have on the planet,” the company said in an official statement. “They no longer want to be wasteful and are seeking better value in what they buy. It’s about extending the life of products and materials, seeing them as raw materials for the future, and eliminating waste at every level.”

Already in place are initiatives to buy back and resell goods in several markets around the world, as well as trial leasing options on its furniture in several European countries. In 2019 alone, IKEA gave a second life to 47 million brand pieces, resold 38 million through its As-Is shops, and repacked 9 million items back to the shelf.

“Rather than thinking cradle to grave, we need to think cradle to cradle,” says Anna Granath, a product developer with IKEA Sweden. Among other things, she helped design the KUNGSBACKA kitchen cabinet front (made from 100-percent recycled wood and plastic), each one of which takes roughly 25 half-liter plastic waste bottles out of landfills. These cabinets can also be reprocessed at the end of their life to become something new again.

Nordstrom

The department store is pairing up with BeautyCycle, an eco-friendly consumer goods enterprise, to allow customers to drop off used cosmetic containers to be repurposed into new toiletry packaging.

“Nordstrom is the first major retailer to offer a beauty packaging recycling program for all brands,” said Gemma Lionello, the company’s Executive Vice President of Accessories and Beauty in a Vogue interview. “We committed to take back 100 tons of beauty packaging to ensure it’s recycled by 2025.”

This partnership will help Nordstrom accomplish its five-year goals of reducing single-use plastic by 50 percent and certifying at least 15 percent of all its products as sustainable. The BeautyCycle initiative will be available in 94 locations across the U.S.

Coyuchi

Organic linen company Coyuchi is hoping to staunch the tide of the more than 10 million textile fabrics sent to the dump each year. The firm is starting a new line called 2nd Home that encourages customers to turn in their worn-out Coyuchi bedding for a discount on new home goods. With the help of partner The Renewal Workshop, those sheets, blankets, and throws can be cleaned, repaired, and returned to the shelves as part of the refurbished collection.

If the pre-owned textiles are beyond mending, they can be broken down and spun into yarn for new fabrics. That yarn will fuel Coyuchi’s first entirely loop-closing product — the Full Circle blanket — which is woven from 52 percent reclaimed cotton fibers.

“It’s the first proof of concept that circularity is achievable in textiles, and beyond,” says Eileen Mockus, Coyuchi’s CEO and president.

Adidas

Shoe company Adidas has been crafting their popular sneakers from reclaimed ocean plastic for years now, having sold more than 5 million pairs in 2018 alone. Starting in early 2019, they also turned their attention to going circular by designing the 100-percent recyclable FutureCraft.Loop trainers. After sending 200 pairs of beta test shoes to athletes and Adidas employees worldwide, it asked for them to be returned once they were worn out so they could be melted down as components to construct new shoes. Those second-generation shoes were sent back to the original 200 people in early 2020 and are still fully recyclable for the next iteration.

This is only the short list of companies making headlines for their revolving innovations. The trend is definitely gaining traction all around the world. For instance, H&M is working with the Make Fashion Circular initiative to extend the life of its clothing, Emeco fabricates chairs from factory floor waste, and Dell is preparing its computer parts to be more modular so that old electronics can be more easily reused. As more corporations sign on to this type of orbital thinking, the impact on our Earth and its resources could be revolutionary.

The post These Companies are Going Full-Circle for a Greener Planet first appeared on Dornob.

Some of IKEA’s furniture can’t even be ordered online … but a whole house? Yes, they will ship and build it all for a price that one might expect from them: $86,000.

In combination with architecture by IdeaBox, IKEA’s role is partly to provide likewise-economical furniture and furnishings for this dynamic abode. OK, dramatic might be a bit, well, dramatic – it is IKEA, after all, straight lines with little detail are to be expected throughout.

In some ways, the concept is all about simplifying your decisions – avoiding the paralysis of choice – while providing all the endless modular possibilities one comes to expect from IKEA.

From IdeaBox: “Working with IKEA Portland designers, we designed aktiv around IKEA systems. In the kitchen, IKEA offers a lot of flexibility in kitchen cabinets. We designed the layout, and our clients can select the colors. IKEA appliances offer state-of-the-art cooking, so we included an induction cooktop and convection oven. A counter depth refrigerator keeps food fresh, and cabinet faced dishwashers provide seamless functionality. Proven by millions walking on them in IKEA stores, aktiv offers IKEA flooring, a perfect match for active Northwest lifestyles.”

The post Flat-Pack IKEA House: Built & Shipped for Under $100,000 first appeared on Dornob.