Examine individual changes

'{{Redirect|Flatpack|the type of electronic component|Flatpack (electronics)|the software|Flatpak|the fighter jet|Mikoyan Project 1.44}} {{Refimprove|date=December 2008}} [[Image:IKEA Billy bookshelf (80x106 cm birch veneer).jpg|thumb|A completed [[IKEA]] flat pack bookshelf (with a spare shelf leaning on the right side)]] '''Ready-to-assemble furniture''' ('''RTA'''), also known as '''knock-down furniture (KD)''', '''flat pack furniture''', or '''kit furniture''', is a form of furniture that requires customer assembly. The separate components are packed in cartons which also contain assembly instructions. The furniture is generally simple to assemble with basic tools such as [[screwdriver]]s, which are also sometimes included. Ready-to-assemble furniture is popular with consumers who wish to save money by assembling the product themselves and collecting the furniture from the store, saving delivery costs. Producers and merchants benefit from selling ready-to-assemble furniture because furniture is bulky once assembled, and thus more expensive to store and to deliver. Since the assembly work is done by the consumer instead of by the manufacturer, its price is lower. A furniture assembly service industry has developed, where consumers can employ someone to assemble their furniture for them. ==A Brief History== The generally accepted timeline of flat packed furniture generally involves a young Swede Called [[Gillis Lundgren|Gills Lundgren]] – He was incidentally the 4^th employee of a small Swedish firm called [[IKEA]] So the story goes he was attempting to deliver a table to a customer using his then small car, and when it wouldn’t fit ,being an engineer mind he realised that simply removing the legs from the table the would then fit in ‘2 parts’ the table-top and then the legs on top flat, and this is how the flat was born.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.furnishd.co.uk/blog/history-of-flat-packed-furniture.html|title=Flat Packed Furniture a Brief History - Sweden v USA A Battle of Countries|last=Gary|first=Scott|date=19 July 2019|website=www.furnishd.co.uk|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=19 July 2019}}</ref> So Gills then goes on to think about other styles and sizes of furniture and how it could be packed and then built with ease, and here we are today, you can buy a King-sized bed that comes in 5 boxes [https://www.furnishd.co.uk/chelsea-king-bed-in-white-gloss-oak-trim.html] and can be delivered in a medium sized van. So, lets back track now to late 1850s and a book published called “The New American Cyclopaedia, A Popular Dictionary of General Knowledge”<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=oQ8oAAAAYAAJ&|title=The New American Cyclopaedia: A Popular Dictionary of General Knowledge|last=Ripley|first=George|last2=Dana|first2=Charles Anderson|date=1859|publisher=D. Appleton|language=en}}</ref>  This book details some of the popular things of the time, and under the chapter called “Furniture” we find this gem <blockquote>''“Among American inventions may be mentioned what is technically called " knock-down furniture;" the name is applied to complete sets of furniture, which are made to come entirely apart, so as to pack for transport to the West, &c, in a very small compass.”''<ref name=":0" /> pg30</blockquote>Here we are, 100 years or so prior the dismantling of the table and what do we find but mention of furniture that ‘packed for transport in small compass (packaging) it even talks about its ease of shipping and construction at homet his definitely seems to pre-date the IKEA invention, albeit on a higher quality or pure wood rather than the MDF or such that is widely used today. In my research I found some unconfirmed reports that there is also far earlier version of flat packing and that was in China back pre 18^th Century, now as I stated, I was unable to confirm this, but whilst I have been unable to find any solid evidence of this, does it seem a big jump? given how a lot of todays inventions have roots in ancient or historical China. However, sticking with the evidence that is in front of us, we can only conclude that Flat Packaged or “Knock-Down” furniture was in fact invented in the US, and then, promptly forgotten about for about a 100 years. So Flat pack or knockdown furniture has a long history, which we can say now is an American invention"<ref name=":0" /> , but examples of Chinese trade furniture from the century prior show the same features.{{cn|date=August 2016}} Furniture designed for travel or storage used the same principles of design for centuries. An early (1878) US patent captures the essence of knock-down design: "The invention relates to that class of furniture which is so constructed that it may be packed and transported in parts, and put together for use by skilled or unskilled persons."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/patents/US202505 |title=Improvement in chairs <!-- {{US patent|202505}} -->}}</ref> ==Uses== Ready-to-assemble furniture can be purchased for a number of purposes: * Living room furniture * Office furniture * Bookcases * Tables * Beds * Lounge-ware * Outdoor furniture * Swingsets * Patio sets * [[Kitchen cabinet|Kitchen cabinets]] * CD/DVD storage racks * Wardrobes/closets ==References== {{reflist}} [[Category:Building]] [[Category:DIY culture]] [[Category:Furniture]]'