IKEA's 'Open Platform' Embraces Furniture Hacking Dubbed 'Delaktig,' the new range of modular goods is expected to launch in 2018.
By Stephanie Mlot •
This story originally appeared on PCMag
The internet is brimming with ways to turn a regular old IKEA spice rack, plastic bag dispenser or bookcase into a unique DIY project.
But soon you won't have to scour Pinterest for designs: The budget-furniture emporium is launching its own "open platform" household line.
The first product in the range -- a basic unit shaped like a low sofa or bed frame -- is expected to go on sale in early 2018, according to The Verge, which cited a (paywalled) article by The Wall Street Journal.
IKEA introduced the program, dubbed "Delaktig" (Swedish for "involved"), in late 2016. Students from the Musashino Art University in Japan and the Royal College of Art in London joined the home goods giant and British designer Tom Dixon to contribute ideas for "an open platform that challenges the traditional concept of comfort."
At its core of this first hackable product will be a durable aluminum profile, made of 40 percent recycled material, which creates a flexible base to build seating or bedding "where comfort and functions can be altered to meet the changing needs in a home," IKEA said last year.
Following the modular approach the tech industry has toyed with, the popular outlet hopes Delaktig will help challenge traditional ways of production.
"People hack anyway; we want to encourage that," IKEA creative lead James Futcher told the WSJ.
IKEA did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment.
In December, the company introduced a new website, "Retail Therapy," where products are renamed to match common Google searches in Sweden. That simple wood stool is no longer referred to as "Frosta"; it is now a $15 interpretation of "My husband falls asleep on the couch." And that memo board where you hang your keys is not a "Luns," but a safe space for someone to compose their feelings."
