“Good company, good names? If you are like most IKEA shoppers, you don’t
have a clue where IKEA’s bottomless well of goofy-sounding product names
comes from or what they mean. Why is an IKEA desk called Jerker? Do you want to
sleep on a bed named Gutvik? That’s not a carving knife, that’s a
Smeltpunt. Well get ready, there is a method to the apparent madness.
Items for the bathroom like Apskar (a wash basin), Toftbo (a bathroom mat),
and Sanni (a bath sheet) are named after Scandanavian lakes, rivers and
bays–that seems appropriate.
Stuff for kids is named after mammals, birds, and adjectives. So if you buy
your children a Smyg, they’re getting a lamp named for a wren. And a child’s
desk is Fartful, which of course means “speedy” in Swedish.
Chairs have men’s names like Roger and Joel and Luppio. And materials and
curtains have women’s names like Rosali and Lenda and Ingert…”
“The Naming Business: Unraveling the IKEA product naming mystery”
A Hundred Monkeys
LINK
[via Apartment Therapy]
Photo: “Truth in advertising” by somenordic-based guy @ IKEA Lovers/FLICKR
© All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Advertising & Marketing
Apartment Therapy, IKEA Names, IKEA on Flickr
FOR shoppers who flock to the blue and yellow stores, the slick modern
designs inside are the attraction. But David Lammy, the culture minister, is to
accuse chains such as Ikea, the Swedish home furnishings giant, of “dumping”
faceless and ugly buildings on Britain’s towns.
His comments, to be made at the Royal Institute of British Architects this
week, will contrast how chains are “spending a fortune” marketing cheap
furnishings while “appearing to give no thought” to what the shops look like
from outside.
The minister will compare stores such as Ikea, Tesco and B&Q to “enormous
versions of the Tetra Paks they sell inside”.
“Good design and high-quality built environments are fundamental to a decent
quality of life,” he will say. “Too many supermarkets and DIY stores look like
huge faceless boxes. These companies need to recognise they have a huge impact
on the look and feel of communities.”
“Britain’s Architecture-Police Stakeout IKEA”
By sabel Oakeshot
The London Times
Pure Contemporary LINK
[via Apartment Therapy]
In the News
Apartment Therapy, IKEA UK
Maxwell builds a desk from scratch, IKEA scratch that is:
” Take the Vika Inge legs by Olle Lundberg which will only run you $40 and,
rather than fiberboard & laminate, skip over to the kitchen section and get
the Pronomen solid wood countertops which will only run you about $49 and come
in multiple lengths and widths. Then put the two together…”
Apartment Therapy
LINK
Projects
Apartment Therapy, IKEA furniture, ikeahacker, Pronomen countertops, VIKA Inge
The much-awaited book from Apartment Therapy has been released:
“In this wonderfully clear-cut guide, Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan prescribes a totally doable eight-step program for making your house a haven. His holistic approach, easy-to-do lists and floor plans–plus tips like buying fresh flowers a “gift” to your space–adhere to the domino doctrine: Home should make you happy.”
Domino Magazine – April 2006
“Design blogger Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan of apartmenttherapy.com shares his secrets on how to transform an apartment into a stylish and healthy home. There’s even a questionnaire on personal taste and energy flow.”
Time Style and Design – Spring 2006
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