Do The Swedes Know Their Left From Their Right?
Why is it that if IKEA are going to drop somebody in it, then it’s me?
This morning the decorator came and painted the cupboard in my spare double bedroom. A month or two ago, I bought a set of Stolmen interior wardrobe fittings from IKEA. So this evening, I decided to put the two drawer cabinet together. As I always do, I cbecked that everything was there and the first part went together very well.
A Half Completed IKEA Stolmen Chest
In the picture you can see the frame of the chest and the two drawer fronts, ready to accept the sides and back.
But then I noticed the deliberate mistake that I’d missed when I checked the contents.
Four Identical Drawer Sides
The four drawer sides were all for the left, instead of two being left and two being right.
I have informed IKEA, but I might have a problem, as I’m probably outside of their return time, as I ordered this furniture in February. But surely one of the reasons you buy flat-pack furniture is that it is easier to store until you need it. I’ve also thrown all of the packaging away.
Clerkenwell Design Week
I went along to Clerkenwell Design Week today, which lasts until Thursday.
Clerkenwell Design Week
It was well worth a visit and was a much more worthwhile event than Grand Designs Live.
The first thing of note, I saw was this folding chair concept called a Flux Chair from The Netherlands.
Flux Chair
This video shows how it opens and folds flat.
Now I have to admit that I like origami and a designer, Reg Bentinck I used a few years ago was a great exponent to create interest in a product.
Anglepoise is a respected British company, renowned for the famed lamp.
Anglepoise Lamps
They had a big display, with lots of new versions. I’d love a large one in brass to go with my colour scheme in my new house.
I walked around the floors of the Farmiloe Building and saw some impressive furniture and lights, but none that really struck me for my needs. There were lots of pendant lights, which are no good for me, as I have concrete ceilings and no points wired to put any. I didn’t see any decent wall lights at all.
As I left this caught my eye.
Furniture Construction Set
It is a sort of construction set for small items developed by Pal Rodenius from Sweden. He had some clever ideas that I liked and I’ll look out for his name in the future.
A Different Approach
This idea of his, is a method for constructing objects, by cutting around different coloured lines to get a chair, a table or a desk. It is a very different approach to creating affordable furniture. I may have got this wrong, but it seems you just trace the design on a piece of plywood and then cut around the appropriate coloured line to get your furniture. See his web site for more of his fascinating work.
I couldn’t miss this as I left to catch a bus home.
A Striking Floor
it was advertising a company, who’ll put any image you want on your floor. Like this map.
A Map as Flooring
I might go back again to dig a bit deeper. It is certainly worth a visit. Especially, if you’re interested in design, as either a practitioner or a purchaser.
An IKEA Linen Bin
My current bedroom is not as large as my previous one, so space in some ways is at a premium. I have given away some of my larger furniture and replaced my bedroom chests and dressing table with Expedit ones from IKEA, mainly with Branas baskets.
A Branas Basket as a Laundry Bin
For a single man living alone, the one next to my bathroom makes an excellent linen bin.
Incidentally, I’ve put my old laundry bins on eBay. They are stainless steel and wood by Miller of Sweden and are in very good condition.
The Problems of Moving
It’s only now, that I’m seeing the sort of problems that I will have with the move.
I already know that a lot of my furniture won’t fit, as although the new house has three bedrooms, it’s got fitted wardrobes and a low ceiling height.
I’ll be getting rid of a classic dresser, a table that seats fourteen and four Victorian wardrobes. One is so awful, you can imagine it being delivered to the house after the wife (or husband for that matter) has bought it at auction and getting a response like “Darling! You actually paid good money for that!” The other three are quite nice, but they are not the sort to put in a modern house.
But it is the mass of paintings and posters, C and I collected over the years. I just won’t have the wall space for them!
I’ve also got enough framed family photographs to cover the outside of the Albert Hall.
I’ll just have to be ruthless.
The Anonymous Widower 