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Posts Tagged ‘Ikea’

Comparison: Cheap IKEA LADDA batteries beat Panasonic Eneloop Pro recycle speed

01 Mar

Good batteries aren’t cheap… or maybe they are. Putting that notion to the test is Martin Cheung, who recently published a video in which he tests the recycle speeds of inexpensive rechargeable IKEA LADDA batteries against more expensive Panasonic Eneloop Pro batteries using Godox TT685 flashes. The results are surprising: the LADDA batteries actually demonstrated a noticeably faster recycle speed versus the Eneloop Pros.

The test was performed using both flashes, meaning the batteries were swapped to the opposite unit for retesting to ensure the difference wasn’t due to the hardware rather than the energy cells. The one caveat is that this is a test of recycle speed only—as Cheung explains in the video, he did not test the number of flashes the batteries are capable of powering.

Looking at each battery model’s specs, the Eneloop Pros ($ 21 per AA 4-pack) boast a 2550mAh rating, while the Ikea LADDA ($ 7 per AA 4-pack) have a slightly lower 2450mAh capacity. Assuming the two sets are capable of powering a similar number of flashes, however, the faster recycling speed and one-third cost of IKEA’s batteries make them the clear winner in this comparison.

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LURVIG for Pets: IKEA Debuts its First Line of Animal Furniture & Accessories

17 Oct

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

Made to be compatible with other IKEA furnishings and fixtures, this new first-of-its kind pet collection has something for all your favorite furry friends.

The 62-piece collection was designed by Inma Bermudéz and aims to fill a market gap with quality, aesthetically pleasing but affordable pet products.

Some of the objects extend existing uses, helping customers save money and space, like kitty-scratching materials that attach to existing IKEA table legs or puppy beds that slot into bookshelf systems already on offer.  A number of the products are designed to pack flat and fold away when not in use.

The designs reflect extensive research into pet needs and behaviors, including a bed designed to be stuffed with old clothes, blankets and towles to help dogs feel comfortable and familiar around their human family.

Aside from pet sleepers and carriers, the LURVIG line features an array of brushes, bowls, leashes, bag dispensers spanning eating, playing, sleeping, traveling, walking.and other cat and dog activities.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in this stellar new collection is that no one at IKEA thought to do this sooner — thankfully, now they have.

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New IKEA Smart Home Fixtures Compatible with Google, Apple & Amazon

26 Jun

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

Furniture giant IKEA is making its new low-cost smart home fixtures voice-controllable can connect with ease to systems including Google Home, Apple HomeKit and Amazon Alexa.

The company has been pushing in the direction of making homes smarter for some time, with furnishings able to wirelessly charge phones, for instance. But with TRADFRI, they are taking the next step, providing low-cost options that can be operated through a variety existing connected-home systems.

“With IKEA Home Smart we challenge everything that is complicated and expensive with the connected home. Making our products work with others on the market takes us one step closer to meet people’s needs, making it easier to interact with your smart home products,” says Björn Block, Business Leader for IKEA Home Smart.

Smart lights, motion sensors, dimmers, door locks, all with additional layers of remote control, are slowly transforming everyday interiors into interactive design spaces. The barrier to entry is also intentionally low: the cost is one factor, but the solutions are also plug-and-play, requiring no complex knowledge or specialized coding. Their latest releases are set to be in stores later this summer or early this fall.

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Simplified DIY: New Tool-Free IKEA Furniture Snaps Together in Minutes

15 Mar

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

wedge joint

Buying a piece of IKEA furniture is generally a bit of a gamble in terms of potential complexity, but these clever joints are designed to radically simplify and speed up the process across the board.

The so-called “wedge dowel” makes it possible to put together wood products without bolts or screws, hex keys or screwdrivers. The ribbed connector and associated slot lets large objects remain flat-packed for shipping then fit together for long-term durability (without any glue or loss in structural integrity).

furniture set

Historically, some IKEA items have come pre-assembled but at a size that makes them hard to transport. Other smaller items can pack flat but demand a dizzying array of little parts and associated tools. This single joint is letting the company replace dozens of metal fittings for certain sizable items.

stockholm cabinet

The company first started using the dowel system in its Stockholm cabinet series (above) as a test, but now plans to roll it out across its furniture lines, moving next to the Lisabo table. What used to take a half hour can now be connected with these wedge joints in three minutes.

dining set

And it is not just a function of assembly: these joints make it easier to take things apart again, making them particularly useful in a day and age where people move frequently for work and other reasons. Some of their furniture lines are expected to adopt the wedge joint entirely.

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Red Cross & IKEA Install Replica of Real Syrian Apartment in Flagship Store

16 Nov

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Guerilla Ads & Marketing. ]

ikea-mockup

Amidst the colorfully furnished spaces mocked up in IKEA’s flagship store sits a place of jarring contrast, a replicated version of an actual 260-square-foot house that is home to a family of nine in Syria.

IKEA has done installations before and worked on flat-pack refugee shelters, but this piece really brings the problem home, putting it in front of consumers as they shop. In collaboration with the Red Cross, the displays also feature tags that offer people ways to help by donating to relief efforts.

ikea-replica-home

ikea-house-tag

ikea-syria-installation

The original house in Damascus, Syria after which this one in Slependen, Norway was modeled houses Rana and eight of her family members. Both the real and replica versions feature hard cinder block walls — the latter relays stories of the residents, how they live and what they lack in terms of food, medicine and clean water.

ikea-red-crosss-collaboration

ikea-interior

ikea-house-replica

“We had been working with the Red Cross for months, so we had a lot of footage from Syria,” said the agency behind the idea. “But no matter how emotional it was, nothing got close to the experience of visiting people in a war zone. We realised we could give Norwegians that experience at IKEA. At the one place where you think of and plan the future — the apartment served as a physical reminder of how lucky we are.”

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IKEA Indoor Gardens Produce Food Year-Round for Homes & Restaurants

13 Jun

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

ikea home garden

IKEA recently launched a hydroponic gardening system to allow people to grow fresh produce at home (without soil or sunlight) and has just unveiled a similar system under development that is aimed at helping restaurants raise ingredients in-house.

ikea home grown

The KRYDDA/VÄXER hydroponic garden lets sprout seeds without soil using absorbent foam plugs that keep plants moist (without over-watering, thanks to a built-in sensor). Germinated seeds can then be transferred to pots fitted into a growing tray featuring a solar lamp. The system is designed to be easy to use for even inexpert gardeners.

ikea seeds

Meanwhile, in another bit to expand their sustainability model beyond furniture, furnishings and fixtures, IKEA has teamed up with Space10 to create The Farm, an aquaponic garden system for restaurants. A prototype is live and working the basement of Space10’s office in Copenhagen, and the two companies are planning to develop the system further for mass production and commercial deployment.

the farm ikea

Few customers realize that IKEA is actually already one of the largest restaurant chains in the world, selling over a billion Euros of food annually. It is well-positioned to push for changes in the food supply chain (photos by Kristine Lofgren for Inhabitat).

the farm meal

The Farm prototype can even create a complete burger (of sorts) on site, specifically: a “bugburger” made of mealworm, beetroot and gluten and top with freshly-grown herbs and lettuce. Aside from this particular (and peculiar) delicacy, however, the design is aimed at bringing as much of the food production process in-house, similar to a recent system developed in Germany allowing grocers to raise and sell their own fresh produce.

the farm fresh

ikea fresh food

On multiple fronts, IKEA is changing the face of the farm-to-table movement, operating in parallel to larger urban vertical farming systems to generate products that are cheap and accessible, making gardening something that any city dweller or restaurant owner can dig into.

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IKEA VR: Explore Interior Layouts in New Virtual Reality App

30 Apr

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

ikea virtual reality

A new virtual reality application from IKEA lets users try out various kitchen configurations in three dimensions. Using an HTC Vive headset, the app lets people see different setups but also change key details in each, such as the colors and materials of drawers and cabinets.

ikea interactive vr

Created in partnership with the French company Allegorithmic and employing the Unreal Engine 4 (from Epic Games), the app lets would-be buyers select from various furnishings and fixtures.

ikea options

“Virtual reality is developing quickly and in five to ten years it will be an integrated part of people’s lives,” says optimist and futurist Jesper Brodin, managing director of IKEA of Sweden. “We see that virtual reality will play a major role in the future of our customers. For instance, someday, it could be used to enable customers to try out a variety of home furnishing solutions before buying them.”

ikea meatspace digital fun

ikea home interior design

For now, the system is a test case, available to those with access to a virtual reality headset. Users are encouraged to try it out and let the company know what they think about the current setup and how it can be improved. The company hopes to enable participants not only to shop smarter but also to become a part of the creative process in developing new design ideas and interior options.

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Sladda: IKEA to Sell New Flat-Pack Bicycle for Urban Cyclists

23 Apr

[ By WebUrbanist in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

ikea bike trailer

IKEA has announced a new lightweight bicycle with a rust-resistant chain, aluminum frame and low-maintenance construction all aimed to make it easier for more casual bicyclists to hop on and enjoy the ride.

sladda bike

A joint project by Oskar Juhlin, Jan Puranen and Kristian Eke from Swedish studio Veryday Design, the easy-upkeep bike comes in a few basic models with a series of adjustable features.

ikea trailer attachment

It is simple and unassuming at a glance, but aimed to be a go-to, easy-to-use object just like IKEA’s furniture and furnishing lines (just presumably more robust than some). For many would-be bikers, the prospect of maintaining the bicycle itself is a barrier to entry that IKEA hopes to eliminate as a concern.

ikea new bike model

Bike racks, bags and a two-wheeled trailer can all be added via click-to-attach mechanisms to allow for easy adjustments. At $ 750 it won’t be the cheapest model on the market, but affordable for its quality.

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Space Hacking: Modular Joints Connect IKEA & Everything Else

13 May

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

ikea modular home

This kit-of-parts solution draws on the do-it-yourself ethos as well as the modular furniture movement, allowing savvy homeowners to combine off-the-shelf designs with custom connections and modifications. The implications are subtle but powerful: buy only the elements you need that are too hard to personally construct, then use this system of joints, legs and beams to bridge the gaps.

ikea hacka additions connections

modular parts framework concept

ikea support structure

On display at Milan Deign Week, the IKEA HACKA toolbox consists of a key set of metal joints that create connections between modular wooden beams, all using regular dimensions for ease and consistency of construction. Cutting beams down to size, users can effectively create new hybrid furniture or built-ins styled and fit to their own unique spaces, stacking, supporting and hanging things between. Minimalist, modern, funky, the connectors are neutral enough to suit all personalities and approaches, as illustrated in the examples below.

modular minimalist kitchen design

modullar kit of parts

modular joint system

Together, these parts allow for the construction of support systems that turn individual elements into part of a network, allowing personalized touches and enabling space-saving solutions. They can also be re-hacked into new shapes as your needs grow or change.

ikea joint system design

ikea triple corner joint

space saving ikea hack

An effort to bridge the gap between purely hacked-together creations and existing products, IKEA HACKA was developed as a collaboration between IKEA, IDEO and a group of industrial design and technology students. It is intended to be part of a “future kitchen that bridges the gap between the hacking movement and the modular systems of today. Its flexibility helps people to create their own solutions, and makes it easy for them to hack it to suit their unique needs and style.”

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IKEA 2025: Futuristic Modular Kitchen Caters to Food Drones

29 Apr

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

futuristic interactive surface design

In a world of increasing automation but decreasing resources, these kitchen concepts include interactive surfaces, flexible storage for on-demand food and responsive innovations to teach people how best to cook, prepare and store meals either made at home or delivered by drone.

Each premise of IKEA’s Concept Kitchen 2025 seems like a sound extrapolation of current trends: easy-to-order ingredients and automated meals mean less need for conventional storage space and greater attention to rising demand for modular storage, water use and recycling.

temporary futuristic kitchen design

Fast (sharing economy or drone) delivery of food and automated repurchasing means pantries can be slimmer, reducing spatial as well as energy needs. At the core of the design is a multi-functional kitchen surface that includes an induction cooking element and other fancy features: “as the world changes, so will our needs. That means that the table of the future will be designed to do so much more: it’s our preparation surface, hob, dining table, work bench and children’s play area.”

responsive kitchen tabletop design

It is not too much of a stretch to imagine a Kinect-like device hovering over your kitchen island, sensing and responding to your movements below, whether you are in the process of cooking, working or playing with your kids.

kitchen overview

graywater system

It also seems like a logical extension of current conditions and technology to assume kitchens will be better equipped to sort out our recycling and help save water through graywater systems and other measures.

kitchen trash concept

futuristic kitchen pantry concept

Presented in Milan for Design Week in collaboration with IDEO and dozens of industrial design students, this IKEA “exhibition is just one part of an ongoing investigation by IKEA into how people’s relationship to food is changing. It serves to tangibly show what we might be doing in 2025: how we’ll be growing our food, storing it; how we’ll be cooking, eating, living and working in the kitchen.”

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