"Flatpack" redirects here. For the type of electronic component, see Flatpack (electronics). For the software, see Flatpak. For the aircraft with the NATO reporting name "Flatpack", see Mikoyan Project 1.44.
Ready-to-assemble furniture (RTA), also known as knock-down furniture (KD), flat-pack furniture, or kit furniture, is a form of furniture that requires customer assembly. The separate components are packed for sale in cartons which also contain assembly instructions and sometimes hardware. The furniture is generally simple to assemble with basic tools such as hex keys, which are also sometimes included. Ready-to-assemble furniture is popular with consumers who wish to save money by assembling the product themselves.
Producers and merchants benefit from selling ready-to-assemble furniture because furniture is bulky once assembled, and thus more expensive to store and to deliver. Since the assembly work is done by the consumer instead of by the manufacturer, its price can be lower. A furniture assembly service industry has developed, making it easy for consumers to employ someone knowledgeable to assemble their furniture for them.[1]
Produced mainly from particle board or medium-density fibreboard (MDF), the cost of producing this type of furniture is cheaper than using solid wood. The low grade timber is coated with a polymer laminate to replicate various types of wood, allowing a high quality looking finished product.
Ready-to-assemble furniture has roots that extend back a long way, as cabinetmakers have been making furniture that is easy to disassemble for transport for centuries. The New American Cyclopaedia of 1859 listed the assembly of furniture as an "American invention"[2] that emphasized ease of transport, but this claim is rather vague. A better claim to the earliest RTA furniture is the Thonet No. 14 bentwood chair, which was specifically made to be easily disassembled to save space during transportation.[3] It was first produced in 1859. Slightly later there is an American patent of 1878 that defines some prefabricated furniture as follows: "The invention refers to a class of furniture in kit to be packaged and transported in pieces and assembled by specialized and unqualified people."[4]
An early attempt at a business selling RTA furniture was set up by designer Louise Brigham and two partners during World War I. By 1915, Home Art Masters was offering RTA furniture kits at moderate prices through a mail-order catalog. The buyer received a set of parts that the company stated could be “quickly put together and finished. Everything including instructions, furnished. A boy or girl can set it up.”[5] Home Art Masters was short-lived and it is uncertain how many of their RTA furniture kits were ever sold.[5]
The next experiments in running an RTA business stem from the 1940s and 1950s. In the late 1940s, the Australian designer Frederick Charles Ward founded a mail-order RTA furniture business because he was disturbed by how little affordable furniture there was for people of modest means.[6]Lena Larsson helped to create one of the earliest Swedish brands of ready to assemble furniture, the TRIVA line, for Nordiska Kompaniet in 1943.[7] In 1953, the Ohio cabinetmaker Erie J. Sauder received the first U.S. patent for RTA furniture for a table that could be assembled without either hardware or glue; he called it "snap-together" furniture.[8][9]
In the Scandinavian countries, the furniture kit may have been independently invented by Swedish technician Gillis Lundgren, who had the idea when trying to transport a table in his car. According to reports, he had to saw off the table's legs so he could put it inside the car and bring it home. He talked about the idea with his boss at IKEA, and IKEA started selling flat-pack furniture in 1956.[10][11][12][13]
Usesedit
Ready-to-assemble furniture can be purchased for a number of purposes:
^Ripley, George; Anderson, Charles Anderson (1859). The New American Cyclopaedia: A Popular Dictionary of General Knowledge, Volume 8. New York: Appleton. p. 30. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
^Murphy, Adrian (5 November 2019). "The Chair Men: Gebrüder Thonet and the Number 14 Chair". Europeana (CC By-SA). Retrieved 2019-11-05.
^ abLaFarge, Antoinette (2019). Louise Brigham and the Early History of Sustainable Furniture Design. Palgrave Macmillan.
^Carter, Nanette. “Blueprint to Patterncraft: DIY Furniture Patterns and Packs in Postwar Australia”. 2021-04-25 at the Wayback Machine Design History Foundation, n.d.
^Brunnström, Lasse (2018-10-18). Swedish Design: A History. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 77. ISBN978-1-350-00013-1.
^Combs, Heath E. “Sauder to Offer Replica of First RTA Table”
^Forster, Matt. Backroads & Byways of Ohio: Drives, Day Trips & Weekend Excursions. Countryman Press, 2018.
^"Ikea's Billy bookcase designer Gillis Lundgren dies aged 86". Dezeen.com. 2016-03-14. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
^Karl Ritter (12 March 2016). "Gillis Lundgren: Designer of some of Ikea's best-selling furniture who also helped develop the firm's self-assembly concept | Obituaries | News". The Independent. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
^Langer, Emily (2012-12-14). "Gillis Lundgren, designer of Ikea's ubiquitous Billy bookcase, dies at 86". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
^"Gillis Lundgren". The Times. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
February 11, 2024
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Flatpack redirects here For the type of electronic component see Flatpack electronics For the software see Flatpak For the aircraft with the NATO reporting name Flatpack see Mikoyan Project 1 44 Ready to assemble furniture RTA also known as knock down furniture KD flat pack furniture or kit furniture is a form of furniture that requires customer assembly The separate components are packed for sale in cartons which also contain assembly instructions and sometimes hardware The furniture is generally simple to assemble with basic tools such as hex keys which are also sometimes included Ready to assemble furniture is popular with consumers who wish to save money by assembling the product themselves An unassembled IKEA flat pack stoolProducers and merchants benefit from selling ready to assemble furniture because furniture is bulky once assembled and thus more expensive to store and to deliver Since the assembly work is done by the consumer instead of by the manufacturer its price can be lower A furniture assembly service industry has developed making it easy for consumers to employ someone knowledgeable to assemble their furniture for them 1 Produced mainly from particle board or medium density fibreboard MDF the cost of producing this type of furniture is cheaper than using solid wood The low grade timber is coated with a polymer laminate to replicate various types of wood allowing a high quality looking finished product Contents 1 History 2 Uses 3 See also 4 ReferencesHistory editReady to assemble furniture has roots that extend back a long way as cabinetmakers have been making furniture that is easy to disassemble for transport for centuries The New American Cyclopaedia of 1859 listed the assembly of furniture as an American invention 2 that emphasized ease of transport but this claim is rather vague A better claim to the earliest RTA furniture is the Thonet No 14 bentwood chair which was specifically made to be easily disassembled to save space during transportation 3 It was first produced in 1859 Slightly later there is an American patent of 1878 that defines some prefabricated furniture as follows The invention refers to a class of furniture in kit to be packaged and transported in pieces and assembled by specialized and unqualified people 4 An early attempt at a business selling RTA furniture was set up by designer Louise Brigham and two partners during World War I By 1915 Home Art Masters was offering RTA furniture kits at moderate prices through a mail order catalog The buyer received a set of parts that the company stated could be quickly put together and finished Everything including instructions furnished A boy or girl can set it up 5 Home Art Masters was short lived and it is uncertain how many of their RTA furniture kits were ever sold 5 The next experiments in running an RTA business stem from the 1940s and 1950s In the late 1940s the Australian designer Frederick Charles Ward founded a mail order RTA furniture business because he was disturbed by how little affordable furniture there was for people of modest means 6 Lena Larsson helped to create one of the earliest Swedish brands of ready to assemble furniture the TRIVA line for Nordiska Kompaniet in 1943 7 In 1953 the Ohio cabinetmaker Erie J Sauder received the first U S patent for RTA furniture for a table that could be assembled without either hardware or glue he called it snap together furniture 8 9 In the Scandinavian countries the furniture kit may have been independently invented by Swedish technician Gillis Lundgren who had the idea when trying to transport a table in his car According to reports he had to saw off the table s legs so he could put it inside the car and bring it home He talked about the idea with his boss at IKEA and IKEA started selling flat pack furniture in 1956 10 11 12 13 Uses editReady to assemble furniture can be purchased for a number of purposes Living room furniture Office furniture Bookcases Tables Beds Lounge ware Outdoor furniture Swingsets Patio sets Kitchen cabinets CD DVD storage racks Wardrobes closets DesksSee also editCampaign furniture Knock down kitReferences edit U S patent 202 505 Ripley George Anderson Charles Anderson 1859 The New American Cyclopaedia A Popular Dictionary of General Knowledge Volume 8 New York Appleton p 30 Retrieved 31 August 2016 Murphy Adrian 5 November 2019 The Chair Men Gebruder Thonet and the Number 14 Chair Europeana CC By SA Retrieved 2019 11 05 Improvement in chairs a b LaFarge Antoinette 2019 Louise Brigham and the Early History of Sustainable Furniture Design Palgrave Macmillan Carter Nanette Blueprint to Patterncraft DIY Furniture Patterns and Packs in Postwar Australia Archived 2021 04 25 at the Wayback Machine Design History Foundation n d Brunnstrom Lasse 2018 10 18 Swedish Design A History Bloomsbury Publishing p 77 ISBN 978 1 350 00013 1 Combs Heath E Sauder to Offer Replica of First RTA Table Forster Matt Backroads amp Byways of Ohio Drives Day Trips amp Weekend Excursions Countryman Press 2018 Ikea s Billy bookcase designer Gillis Lundgren dies aged 86 Dezeen com 2016 03 14 Retrieved 2016 03 29 Karl Ritter 12 March 2016 Gillis Lundgren Designer of some of Ikea s best selling furniture who also helped develop the firm s self assembly concept Obituaries News The Independent Retrieved 2016 03 29 Langer Emily 2012 12 14 Gillis Lundgren designer of Ikea s ubiquitous Billy bookcase dies at 86 The Washington Post Retrieved 2016 03 29 Gillis Lundgren The Times Retrieved 2016 03 29 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ready to assemble furniture amp oldid 1205807228, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
