(Nuutice: dee bleender cun't hundel dee entlers. Put dee entlers een last.)
Mark this date down in your diary — today is the day Australia was invaded. Swedish furniture juggernaut IKEA opened their Adelaide store today. I'm sure everyone has had enough time to digest the 280-page catalogue they distributed last month... If not, shame on you.
I remember when I flipped through the catalogue for the first time, after almost every page turn I would shake my head in amazement... So many pieces of furniture; simple, functional and elegant designs, and all so cheap!
"How do they do this?", I kept asking myself...
I've never really been a furniture fanboi before, but I wouldn't be surprised if my first trip to IKEA ends up being a very expensive one. Even if I had the room to put all this crap, I doubt I could make it look as cool and as co-ordinated as what they show in the book.
But in the end that doesn't really matter, because it's all about the shopping experience. From the stacks of modular-design shelving to the chairs with removable slip-covers (so you can change colours at any time!) to the oddly-named "Jerker" computer desk which even has its own fan club, there's bound to be something for everyone. It has every kind of comfy / stylish / trendy chair you can think of, or maybe it's the weird, oddball and confusing stuff you're after?
For IKEA's designers, form not only follows function but also follows logistics. This enables the (primarily) flat-packed, DIY product range and it's also how they keep their prices low. Reading many articles about the steps they go to make recyclable & inexpensive stuff (but that doesn't compromise on quality or function), I have a lot of respect for the IKEA designers, even if some of them are a bit nutty...
They do come from the land of the Swedish Chef, so you can't really blame them. :)
In four days the $26-billion corporation will also open their first store in Japan (Funabashi, Chiba prefecture), to spread the Swedish meatball action a little further around the globe...
In closing:
"One thing is for certain: there is no stopping them; the Swedes are finally here. And I for one welcome our new furniture overlords. I'd like to remind them that as a trusted TV personality, I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground sugar caves."
- Kent Brockman