From modest beginnings selling to price-conscious consumers in its home market, IKEA has grown into an international powerhouse by offering functional, simple and aesthetically inspiring goods. Shoppers all over the world have learned the joys of spending a pleasant afternoon wandering a gigantic maze of bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens, grabbing a few flat-packs off the shelves, taking the swag home and following the assembly instructions.
Here’s a great example: Ellan, a rocker that IKEA calls a “crazy chair”. It comes in the signature thin, compact box, and you assemble it at home without any tools or hardware. Everything extraneous has been designed away, and the chair is completely recyclable. It’s constructed of a material called “wood plastic composite”. Here’s how the craziness comes together: