Just finished hand crafting new wardrobes for our bedroom out of a single piece of oak. OK, I haven't really: they were from Ikea. But as I stood back and said 'I did that' (with attendant glow of pride), it did make me wonder whether the Swedish design gurus of the masses (tm) are missing a trick.
Ikea sell 'affordable style'. But you have to make compromises to get this: you have to find things in the warehouse, carry it home and build it yourself. These are seen as 'bad' things, sacrifices you make for the sake of great value.
But for our generation, bereft as it is of any craft skills, sense of artisanal ability, and all that (peculiarly male) physical achievement stuff, I do wonder if these things could be seen in a more positive light: not as a benefit and reason to shop at Ikea (stretching things too far I think), but maybe more neutral than bad.
After all, was it 'bad' that, in previous generations, we would have had to go and chop a tree down before attacking it with our tools. Or was that just what you had to do...and something you ended taking great satisfaction in (blah, blah, blah...sorry, starting to get all 'Iron John' there for a moment: it'll all turn a bit 'running naked in the woods and discovering your primal man' if I'm not careful).
Anyway, my point is simply that, faff though it maybe, there is sense that all that foraging in the warehouse, sweat and effort, and putting things together yourself could be a bit of a surrogate for the earthy, honest endeavour of yore: less self assembly and more craft skills for the 21st Century artisan.
Not a new thought I'm sure, but maybe something for Ikea to be seeding into the mix of brand associations?
