DIY enthusiasts will soon have a new reason to shop at IKEA. As The Wall Street Journal reports, the beloved chain is developing a new line of “open source” furniture that’s set to hit shelves early next year.
Delaktig, which means “being part of something” in Swedish, is a platform that’s meant to be built upon and customized—something many customers have been doing on their own with the store’s existing products. Instead of buying a complete piece of furniture and taking it apart, shoppers will soon be able to purchase a simple unit that provides lots of room for modification.
The initial flat-pack product IKEA plans to release will be an aluminum profile with cushioning supported by wooden slats. The piece makes for a simple bed or sofa, and it can be upgraded with armrests, side tables, reading lamps, crib walls, or anything else that owners can secure to the frame. It’s made to work with standard bolt heads, so add-ons from IKEA or elsewhere can be attached easily.
“This project is not only about design, but equally about exploring materials and challenging traditional ways of production to redefine the concept of comfort,” IKEA said in a news release from last year. The Delaktig furniture will retail for between $400 and $900 when it goes on sale at the beginning of 2018. If you can’t wait that long to start your next home project, there are plenty of creative IKEA hacks you can use with what’s already in their inventory.
[h/t The Wall Street Journal]
January 31, 2017 – 11:30am