Globally renowned and self-taught British product designer Tom Dixon has collaborated with Swedish furniture giant Ikea to make an innovative modular furniture system that users can customise.
Described as a piece of hackable furniture, Delkatig is an open-source unit that functions as a bed straight out of the box, or it can be turned into a sofa with the help of optional bolt-ons. Fittingly, the range takes its name from the Swedish word for "involvement".
The core piece of Delkatig is an affordable single bed with an aluminium frame. From here different components, or "hacks" – including armrests, backrests and a table – can be added to turn it into a sofa, or a workstation with lighting, shelving and magazine racks attached. "It's a bed first but it can turn into anything," says a press release by Tom Dixon.
The range is the next logical step for Ikea, a company that has made its fortune with flatpack furniture that shoppers construct themselves. By encouraging users to customise and develop their furniture depending on their needs, Delkatig helps combat the idea that Ikea is part of a throwaway society.
Collaborating with Tom Dixon is also a canny move on Ikea's behalf. As a self-taught designer, he represents the 'do it yourself' attitude its furniture is famous for. Dixon is well-known as a furniture designer thanks to his legendary S Chair, but through Delkatig, now people with more modest budgets can also have the work of a seminal designer in their home.
Taking the idea of involvement even further, Ikea invited 75 Masters students from around the globe to contribute to the Delkatig hacks. Some of the hacks are available from Ikea directly, while others can be purchased from Tom Dixon's website.
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