If you needed any more proof that the age of dead-tree books is over take a look at these alarming style changes at Ikea: the furniture manufacturer’s iconic BILLY bookcase – the bookcase that everyone put together when they got their first apartment and, inevitably, pounded the nails wrong into – is becoming deeper and more of a curio cabinet. Why? Because Ikea is noticing that customers no longer buy them for books.
This isn’t quite the canary in the coal mine – think of it as a slight tickle in the mine foreman’s throat – but all signs are pointing to the end of the physical book. There are plenty of analogs to this situation. When’s the last time you saw a casette tape rack sold outside of Odd Lots? What about the formal “stereo cabinet” with plenty of room for records? What about Virgin Megastores?
Haters gonna hate. Reports just hit that states “booby-trapped” Ikea alarm clocks recently exploded within stores in Belgium, France and The Netherlands. One calls the incidents fireworks where another uses the phrase small explosions that seem to cause nothing more than earaches. In at least one case, two clocks were simultaneously detonated remotely and a company spokesperson said the other incidents circumstances were similar.
I don’t about you, but in-store fireworks sounds like a grand idea to me. Anything to make the bimonthly Ikea trip a bit more lively, amirite? → Read More
Having an adjustable mic stand is essential for home recording or podcasting. Those mics are so sensitive that you really have to place them in the right position. Unfortunately, decent articulating mic stands can be expensive. But, if you’re close enough to an IKEA store to buy an IKEA TERTIAL lamp, then you can make your own. It’s as easy as removing the bulb and head of the lamp and attaching a microphone to the end with a microphone mount. → Read More
If you’re a parent, you know that kids love them some wooden tracks. I’m serious. Kids could would totally spend hours whining about tracks and then, when they get them, refuse to play with them. That’s why I love Ikea’s wooden train set which costs like $10 and can make a few nice configurations.
But how many configurations can you make? According to this dude you can make nine permutations, shown above. In fact, with four extra curved pieces you could create 130 permutations which is quite a treat. → Read More
Here’s one of the easier projects I’ve seen on Make in a while. Take an Ikea “Ivar” ladder, lay it on the floor, and use it as a camera dolly. Just the thing for shooting video, I could have used one of these while we were in Vegas. The best part about this project? It’s cheap. You’re looking at roughly $30 worth of parts to build this. → Read More
I’m a sucker for clever desks and organization objects. Sometimes you don’t need a massive Pottery Barn desk to email your parents pics of the kids. All you need is a place to sit and two little shelves from Ikea. (and some handyman skills) → Read More
An enterprising young man studying abroad in Russia has turned a run-of-the-mill strainer from Ikea into a Wi-Fi super antenna using little more than the aforementioned strainer, a marker, and SKOTCH tape. → Read More
After hearing Brad Paisley say that a Fender Telecaster “is nothing more than a cutting board, a baseball bat, and strings,” Zachary Custom Guitars decided to put that idea to the test — minus the part about the baseball bat. → Read More
In case you hadn’t heard, Ikea is on the solar bandwagon. After pumping $75 million into various environmentally-sustainable initiatives, we’re starting to see products trickle out. Aside from solar-powered garden lights — which have actually been availalbe from numerous companies for a while — you can also pick up a $20 solar desk lamp. → Read More
What’s that dumb joke, something about “why do you park on a driveway and drive on a parkway”? That logic doesn’t really hold up when you’re looking at something like these solar-powered garden lights. They’re IKEA’s first such “solar” products, which means we’re in for a treat in the upcoming months as more and more goodies trickle out. → Read More
Everybody’s favorite gigantic furniture store filled with flat-packed boxes is getting into solar panels. Cheap ones, too. Ikea is apparently getting ready to pump $75 million into "as many as ten companies in five different areas: solar technology, energy conservation, water saving products, alternative lighting, and new product materials,” according to TreeHugger. The goal of Ikea’s solar initiative is to be selling the “cheapest, best” photovoltaic roof panels to its stores within the next four years. → Read More
Light tents are great for taking pictures of gadgetry and small pieces of meat. This light tent uses a fniss trash can from Ikea, a halogen lamp, and a camera mount. You shoot through the bottom of the can to get a nice, soft light over entire object. It’s about $50 cheaper than most other light tents and it’s snowy in the Northeast today, so why not do a little DIY? Project Page → Read More
I’ll tinker with my X-Arcade once a week, but certainly not as much as I thought I would. I like playing Golden Tee, but setting it up on my TV is a pain. If only my coffee table had Pac Man readily available. Eric certainly knows what I’m talking about and his Ikea MAME table is fantastic. It plays Ms. Pac Man, but that’s besides the point. It’s even better because it doubles as a dinner table or what have you. Pull the leaves apart and the MAME is revealed. It has a 15-inch LCD and Happ Controls wired to an Ultimate I-Pac. Pretty sweet, huh? Flickr [via BB] → Read More
While I’m not sure if they’re including a hex key and cheap screws with these houses, it’s an idea whose time has come. Looking around right now I notice almost 90% of our furniture is from Ikea and, if given the land mass, I’d build and install one of these BoKlok housing cubes in a second. Unfortunately, you don’t pick these up out in Elizabeth, New Jersey and install them on top of your co-op. Instead, Ikea is selling these custom apartments for about $200,000 in the UK. The homes are almost completely pre-fabricated and each block gets an apple tree — something the whole block can take care of, apparently. Want one? Enter the UK Ikea lottery. The houses are meant for folks making $30,000 to $60,000 and there’s no word on U.S. availability. Bummer. Welcome to Ikeatown [Guardian via BoingBoing → Read More
Sometimes getting back to basics can be good in the world of design. This simple, yet effective Slabang alarm clock from Swedish home store Ikea has a special yellow rubber shell to protect it from falls, throws, and for when you use it as a bottle opener after 12 beers. Slabang comes with all the basic alarm clock features plus the ability to record seven seconds of audio via a built-in microphone. Personally, I recorded the chorus of Hilary Duff’s smash hit “Wake up”. It makes me feel all warm inside. Visit an Ikea, plunk down $13, and it’s yours. Ikea’s Slabang alarm clock [Boing Boing] → Read More
