The KLIPPAN has been an iconic IKEA product for 30 years now, introduced when I was the same age as my son is now: 8. I mention my son, because children are a big part of WHY the KLIPPAN is built the way it is. A little more than 30 years ago, an IKEA product designer’s expensive couch was broken when his kids jumped on it.

Rather than being disheartened or upset, this became an inspiration. Working with a partner he designed a sofa that that children could jump on, fall on without getting hurt, and one they could spill things on without getting into trouble. Dirty covers can be removed and washed in a regular washing machine, or readily replaced with new and different patterns. Speaking of patterns, the KLIPPAN has seen more than a few :).  Take a look above at some of the faces it’s worn in the last 30 years!In addition to it’s rugged nature and chameleon-like abilities, the KLIPPAN is a great example of IKEA’s continual process of design improvement.  While it’s still the same Sofa, in recent years the KLIPPAN has be redesigned so that it now comes in separate sections that…

Wait  for it…

…

…

You assemble!

Big shock right?  You have to assemble furniture that comes from IKEA?! ::gasp::
:: best Gilbert Gottfried voice:: “I think I’m going to have a heart attack and die of not-surprise !”

Seriously though, it actually IS a big change, by making it several pieces, you can now get that  big hunk of furniture up stairs and through doorways that were either impossible, or simply very VERY painful before.  And at the same time IKEA is now able to ship twice as many sofas on the same pallet which halves shipping costs, reduces the number of containers needed for transport and consequently cuts carbon dioxide emissions.  And not incidentally, reduces the price of the sofa to the end consumer – sounds like a win-win to me.

And since the original cover has been reintroduced again for it’s 30th anniversary, you can get the very same KLIPPAN (though in a modern, more flexible model) for about HALF what your parents would have paid (only $279!).  Now, that’s got to be good news to folks looking for a durable sofa with a future…and a past.

Tags: 2010 ikea catalog, IKEA sofas, KLIPPAN

This entry was posted on Monday, August 3rd, 2009 at 8:15 PM by Tigratrus and is filed under Product Information. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.