A short history of flat furniture

A Scandinavian company founded in 1943 pioneered the concept of self-assembly or flat-packed furniture. Everything from bookcases and shelving systems to lamp-shades and chairs were designed and sold. Some of the furniture has been inspired by renowned Scandinavian designers. At first the company did not sell furniture. It began by selling stationery and watches, and then expanded into the sale of furniture in 1956.

One of the benefits of buying self-assembly shelves, tables and so forth is its comparative affordability. Since they are modular in nature, the systems can be added to if necessary without appearing to be awkward or out of place. An avid collector of books, for example, or nowadays DVDs is able to buy and assemble inexpensive bookcases or shelving systems then as his or her collections of books or DVDs grow so do their containers.

As well as being practical, self-assembly furniture is versatile. Shelves can be used anywhere in the house, or indeed outside in the garage or shed for instance.

This particular furniture company has made such an impression over the years that, in Germany, a museum has organised an exhibition of their products. Celebrities have been known to browse this company’s stores, so it is obvious that its main attraction is not its low prices, since these are people who could shop elsewhere at more expensive places. The concept of flat-pack furniture has become popular with manufacturers worldwide and there are many DIY companies and superstores that now design their own fitted kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms based on the idea.