Why you could get bitter as a flat pack fitter
CREDIT for inventing modern flat pack furniture in Europe has been given to Gillis Lundgren in 1956 who took the legs off a table so it would fit into a car for transportation.
He happened to work for IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad, who knew a good idea when he saw one, and the worldwide rise of the Swedish company began and today, folk of all nations are buying Elvarli wardrobes, Lapland storage units and Ingatorp tables with the option of Swedish meatballs in the store restaurant or an informal hotdog and cola on the way out, which is my usual choice.
Other firms followed the lead on flat packs but IKEA remains the dominant force for stylish kit at affordable prices.
My interest in the history of build-your-own furniture was sparked by once more delving into this world of creation that can become a passion and a bane, even though in the past my efforts have not always resulted in unmitigated success.
Most recently, because of Covid, I bought online from Amazon rather than visit our Swedish outpost in Leeds, from a variety of suppliers with reassuring British names, but whose product, when it arrived, was made in China and had instructions as useful as origami. Oh, for the little stick men and quaint names of IKEA. These were expensive items, despite their provenance. A kitchen cabinet dresser, CD wall unit, TV unit and a side table arrived and were dealt with by me and my faithful apprentice, my wife Maria, who was always ready to hand me a hammer and, on occasions, would probably have liked to hit me with it as my temper frayed. My octogenarian teenage pal Arthur came round when they were completed – he’s no fool – and complimented us on our endeavours.
“I never thought I would be daft enough to try this again,” I said.
“In between writing for the Examiner, you could be a flat-pack fitter,” he said, inferring the writing part of a new career plan would take no more than 10 minutes on a Monday morning.
“I don’t think
so,”
Isaid.
“Flat-packing makes my back hurt.”
“Well sitting in a chair in front of a computer all day won’t do it much good,” he said. “Flat-pack fitter. It sounds good. You should put an ad in the Examiner.”
And no, this is not an appeal for flat-pack work of a constructive nature. This time I mean it when I say never again. Or, at least, not until the next time.