October 11, 2002
-
One of the things I was planning to do today was go to Ikea. I need a bed. A real bed. Not the futon on the floor I’ve got now. I like the futon on the floor; it’s firm and cheap and all-around good. The problem is that I can hear everything going on downstairs through the floorboards.
So I think I need a bed. And it can’t be just any bed. And I thought, maybe Ikea has something decent that won’t cost a zillion dollars.
But. I just saw this Ikea ad. Now, I like Spike Jonze, who directed this spot. It’s a very well made ad. It’s sad and funny and has a huge quirk factor, much like other works by Jonze (‘Being John Malkovitch,’ for instance).
My problem is that this ad encourages you to throw out a perfectly good lamp, leaving it in the rain to rust and decay, because you can buy a better one at Ikea.
This is in direct opposition to Ikea’s statement about recycling on their unboring.com website. They say to give your old furniture to Goodwill.
They also have an ‘unboring manifesto’ on the same site that says theirs is not a flashy revolution (presented as a Flash animation).
One of the things I think about a lot is design. I’m looking at the unboring manifesto flash it’s product catalog in another window, and thinking about a book I’ve been reading called ‘Cradle to Cradle.’ The idea of the book is that merely recycling stuff doesn’t really help the environment; in fact, it leeches value out of the materials as they’re recycled.
Wood pulp, for instance, gets made into paper for a single use. After that single use, it may get recycled, but the value of the pulp is reduced dramatically. Further, all sorts of noxious chemicals must be added to the paper before it’s useful for the second time, adding to the pollution involved. If paper were designed from the outset to be recyclable, however, we’d end up with a few interesting end results. Not the least of which is that we probably wouldn’t use wood pulp for making paper. And this is just one example of many different product (re)cycles that are horribly inefficient, though we’re able to label them as ‘eco-friendly.’
So I’m thinking about all this, and I want to buy a bed, and I don’t want to throw out my futon, and I’m thinking about going to Ikea because they’re fairly progressive in their designs…
But then I see the ad. And then I think of all the crappy particle board construction of their furniture, and how it’s totally not sustainable, and how, after Ikea furniture breaks, it can’t be repaired in any good way. But I’m almost willing to make that sacrifice because every morning people downstairs wake me up. And then I see the ad with the little desk lamp, so sad, ending it’s product life cycle. And there’s Mr. Ikea saying ‘Don’t worry about landfills, don’t worry about toxic waste, don’t worry about all the effort that went into this little lamp. The new one is happy and shiny!’
Sigh.
Comments (5)
*tears in eyes* what a beautiful and sensitive blog. really makes you think, doesn’t it? it’s my first time here but i will definitely be back. mental stimulation is good! ~cheers~
Can you switch bedrooms with someone? Or wear earplugs? Or sleep with white noise, such as an air filter?
If not, then what about going to the Goodwill — the very place that recycles — and see if THEY have something that fits your futon frame?
Whatever you decide, GOOD LUCK. Losing sleep is the worst!
consume consume. you’re not being a good american if you don’t consume and help the economy, even if you’re resisting buying things from evil swedes.
yes, that commercial makes me sad, mostly because they really do give the lamp a personality. it’s silly, i know. but i appreciate the logical perspective you’ve put on the ad. it is about spicing up your life and turfing perfectly good items in the garbage for the sake of personal vanity and martha stewart sensibilities. consumerism is boring. reinventing your space is unboring.
ikea makes crappy furniture. it’s a known fact. you know where you should go to look for a bed frame is the kasala warehouse. vince used to work for them, they’re a high-end furniture store with two locations, one in downtown seattle and one in bellevue. anyway they also have a clearance center in their warehouse and it’s all modern stuff for the most part. it looks all sketchy but i promise they’re nice people working there. =O) the guy you should talk to is Peter, but anyone working the clearance center will do. they’re located on massachusetts down by safeco. head east on royal brougham and take a right on 6th, then take a right off of 6th into their parking lot, which is technically massachusetts. they’re right next to re-pc in a warehouse building. they’ve got discounted high-end stuff and you can get really good deals on some things. it’s a little hit-or-miss though.
Are you buying stock in a company or are you buying a better night’s sleep? If you are looking for better sleep, forget the ads, go visit some stores, and lay on some matresses until you find one that feels good.