Flat Pack Furniture: Design's Answer to Troubled Economic Times

I've been reading about flat pack furniture all over the web, so naturally, I wanted to find out what all the fuss was about. Designed to be quickly and easily assembled, flat pack furniture is fabricated into flat pieces for shipping and handling. To find out more, I spoke with Doug Smith of SceneMakers, a national event design and production firm specializing in stage designs and scenic decor.

Doug writes, "The term "flat pack" often refers to cabinets, tables, chairs, etc. that can be packaged so efficiently that you're often amazed that the finished piece could actually come out of "that box!" In the U.S. market, exposure to flat pack furniture has largely been through the introduction of retailers like IKEA almost two decades ago. For many years, the term "k.d." was used in the design world to denote "knock down" furniture, or furniture that you had to assemble at home. It often had a connotation of being cheap and of inferior quality."

Thus, flat pack gets a bad rap. Yet Doug argues that although a flat packed bookcase may not last thirty years, it fits the bill for many Americans, especially in the current economy.

"Due to economic times, more affordable furnishings are in vogue [and] as the U.S. market becomes more and more urbanized, living spaces are shrinking," he says. In other words, flat pack furniture may be the only answer for many apartment dwellers and homeowners. Unless, of course, we start taking a cue from flat pack-loving Europeans?

"For decades, Europeans have become accustomed to smaller, urban living spaces. A common practice in Europe is to move into an apartment that is completely bare of cabinetry, including the kitchen and bathroom sinks. Europeans bring everything and set up camp in their new digs, including hanging their own cabinets ( on wall rail systems ), installing their own base cabinets and sinks, and bringing their own furnishings," writes Doug.

Are flat pack products a pain to assemble? Sometimes. Often instructions are merely schematic line drawings with no text and low grade assembly tools are shipped with the product at no charge. Yet in current times, saavy manufacturers have recognized that among the mass market, good design can be put within reach if it can be assembled by the customer and shipped economically --- using UPS or Fed Ex, rather than by common trucking carrier.

From an ecological point of view, Doug notes that fewer trees and petro chemical products are used in the manufacturing process of flat pack furniture, and often times renewable or recycled resources are utilized.

So does flat pack furniture have a future? "The wonderful thing about affordable flat pack furniture is that good design, or at least the 'look' of good design, has been put into the hands of the masses," writes Doug. "With the worldwide cultural exposure through the internet, homeowners are becoming more discerning customers of good design. And with flat pack furniture, buying something from half way around the world is now simple and affordable."

I'd say that's a pretty healthy "Yes!" for flat pack furniture. My only beef? Can I really afford another reason to worship IKEA? Eek!

Read more about good design:
-Tord Boontje Designs an HP Mini
-National Design Award Winners 2009