The Story of IKEA Furniture

IKEA furniture is a true success story.   Who knew that a little boy who first earned his entrepreneurial status by selling matches to his neighbors would grow up to be one of the most winning businesspeople in the world?  That little boy, Ingvar Kamprad, founded IKEA, an international home products retailer specializing in flat pack furniture.  IKEA is now the largest furniture manufacturer in the world. 

Kamprad never lost his ingenuity for business.  He expanded his match route when he was seven, putting his bicycle to work to carry him farther from home to find more customers.  He added products as he grew – greeting cards, flower seeds, Christmas decorations and other items.  When he was 17 and completed school, his father rewarded him with a monetary gift.  Kamprad took the money and used it to found IKEA.

IKEA is an acronym for “Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd”, his first and last name and the name of the farm where he was born and the village where he grew up.  IKEA started out selling wallets, jewelry, watches, pens and other items that Kamprad could buy at a low price and resell for a profit.  Furniture was added to the product line in 1948.

In 1955, IKEA began to design its own furniture as a means to be more competitive.  One of its employees wanted to take a table home but couldn’t fit it in the car.  He decided to remove the table legs and then reassemble it at home.  That gave him the idea for flat pack furniture and he brought it to IKEA.  After that, the rest is furniture history.

The main reasons IKEA flat pack furniture is so popular is because it is stylish, functional and cost effective.  IKEA flat pack furniture is designed to save you money.  Because it is packed flat, it creates savings for everyone involved, reducing manufacturing costs, and shipping and storage costs, resulting in lower prices for you.

Who doesn’t love saving money, right?  There are other reasons why IKEA flat pack furniture has become so fashionable, however.  The designs blend beautifully and efficiently in most households, offering sleek lines, nice quality and abundant functionality.  Many pieces of IKEA furniture are made from sustainable resources, making this an environmentally friendly choice as well. 

Because IKEA furniture is flat packed, it must be assembled once you get it to your home or office.  The package will include assembly instructions and the tools you need to construct the item.  You can do it yourself or there are reasonably priced professionals available to quickly assemble the furniture for you.  If you are too busy or don’t feel confident in your assembly skills, you can hire the job done and still spend a significantly lower amount than you would if you bought traditional furniture and had it delivered.

Next time you need furniture, why not consider flat pack furniture?  You’ll get the style and function you want and save money, too.