Architecture and Renovation : Making shoebox spaces sexy
Problems with fitting furniture in a car led to Ikea's flat-pack revolution. Now it has taken the concept of small is beautiful' one step further, writes Stephen Bourke.
Industrial designers often speak of problems and solutions. Gillis Lundgren’s solution to the problem of a table that wouldn’t fit into a car was this: “Oh God, then, let’s pull off the legs and put them underneath.” It was 1956, and conditions were perfect for Lundgren’s solution to become a business formula. The draughtsman worked for a small Swedish furniture company called Ikea, and the company credits the strategy of packing things flat ...
