If you’ve spent any time around me lately, or been on the receiving end of my texts, you probably noticed that I’ve been talking about IKEA a lot. Mostly this is because, um, 11 months after moving in, I’m still in the process of furnishing a new apartment, but also because I can’t stop thinking about how broken the entire furniture shopping system is. Everything is too cheap or too expensive and mostly terrible quality, the overall design cycle feels off in terms of what’s currently available versus what’s actually interesting, and the whole category is just so wasteful and uninspiring. One of the things that has stuck out the most is how good vintage IKEA is, and how I wish there were more of it or that they would reissue pieces more regularly. Which got me wondering why they don’t and what their production timeline is, from design to retail release, and a whole host of other questions. My partner pointed me to this 2011 New Yorker feature on the megabrand by Lauren Collins about the history, corporate culture, and global impact of IKEA’s business model. It didn’t answer all my questions, but it was a very worthwhile read, and now I’m sharing it with you. -VvP |
