We won't lie, we have a soft spot for IKEA, no matter how many nay-sayers there are out there. That love, combined with behind the scenes video footage from National Geographic on how a lack table is constructed — well we're just happier than a pig in, well, whatever it is that pigs roll in. Click through to see inside the IKEA factories and check out the inner-workings of everyone's standby sidetable, Lack.
Having moved more times than we care to admit out loud, we actually appreciate the construction of this table. We still are die hard junkies when it comes to hard wood and the value and longevity it brings to our spaces (and budgets) but sometimes — you just need a $7.99 Lack.
Is this what you thought was inside? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Comments (11)
Interesting! I think everybody have one of this tables. They're very versatiles and fit well in most of home styles.
And the price... so cheap! I'm a fan. Thanx for the post!
Thank you for this post---perfect timing. Friends found several "Lack" table tops in the dumpster and gave me three over the weekend to experiment with as the ground for encaustic paintings. I've wondered what was inside the table top in consideration of rigidity, durability, strength and how to attach hanging hardware. Now I know. :o)
http://sparky-youngbloodstudios.blogspot.com/
The production process is definitely interesting to see, but I don't own one of these tables and would never consider it either. I don't think they're as ubiquitous as some people make them seem/
I'm a dan of the Lack series at Ikea because it's very clean and simple and I think it's very interesting to see how it's made.
Q: what's the difference between a Lack table and a Parson's Table. I wikipedia-ed it and by technically, they're the exact same. "Frank challenged students to design a table so basic that it would retain its integrity whether sheathed in gold leaf, mica, parchment, split straw or painted burlap, or even left robustly unvarnished. What grew out of Frank's sketches and the students' participation was initially called the T-square table ... "
Oooh, neato! I had no idea that such a simple table involved all that. I have a new appreciation for my Lack tables :)
Actually that's exactly what I KNEW was inside because a former neighbor left one on our back porch and they don't handle the rain so well :-). Eventually that particleboard revealed the honeycomb layer inside.
The funniest part?
Two people leisurely meandering into the entrance of an IKEA.
Rather than the mad stampede of hoards I usually encounter.
Djluckyonline -
I think the lack table would be considered a Parsons table because the tabletop is the same thickness/material as the legs and made to look like it was carved out of one solid block.
Thnx Modernguy... I thought it made sense. To me all Parsons are very exciting, from the 7.99 to the 300 at Chiasso. lol
I'm a huge fan of the Parson's table.
I'm owning an Ikea Lack table from the first generation. They were made from MDF, at least the legs being solid. The screw thread is of thick metal. The whole construction is very sturdy and the table is very heavy compared to the current models.
The old tables were lacquered, hence the name.
I wish Ikea would go back to the old quality, at least every now and then. Raising the price for better quality would be ok - the old Lack was much more expensive, too.