Gallery: Better Than Ikea: 4 Clever Riffs on Flat-Packed Furniture
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A growing number of independent designers are seeking new ways to distribute their own wares, and are turning to flat-packed designs.
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The steel Lander side table, from Parsons & Charlesworth, uses a series of slots, and tensions to stay together and upright.
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When Surya Graf realized that people wear 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time, she created the Hangman rack.
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Four tubes of steel fit together like tent poles, and make for easy disassembly and mobility.
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For Paul Loebach’s Peg chair, he drew inspiration from an ancient proverb: “Carve the peg by looking at the hole.”
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Once the eight birch pieces are assembled, the wood naturally expands for a sturdier fit—an organic alternative to screws.
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“Objects tend to move through different phases of use over time, and need to adapt to those changes in intelligent ways," Loebach says.
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The Mount Everest tree, from design studio twentrytree, was inspired by high intensity climbers.
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Those climbers use lightweight, but strong, supplies. The Mount Everest table embodies those same design traits.
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The Mount Everest table folds flat, and stays upright with the help of light, but strong, bungee cords.
