As part of my research, I will be looking into existing products on the market. Information of this sort will enable to me gage various statistics of the product such as height, weight, width, length, price and even cord length.
To start off researching into existing products, I took a look at IKEA, a market leading affordable furniture store.
Floor Standing Light
This floor lamp, called KLABB, has an A++ energy rating, and includes dimming features, creating a soft, cosy atmosphere. The lamp has a max weight of 7.13kg, a height of 1.5m, and a cord length of 2.2m. Cord length is something people forget to consider when designing new products, however, getting the right cord length is essential, as it needs to be long enough to reach the plug from its desired location, but not too long that there is excessive cord left on show.
This lamp features a simple rectangular box shape, with a more creative stand in an oval cut out shape. This product is simple, yet aesthetically pleasing; a product that would fit nicely in a modern home office.
Price of KLABB: £85
This SLÖPENNA lamp explore a more creative outlook on modern design. This lamp almost resembles The Gherkin London, therefore holds a British sense for modern homes. Again, this lamp as A++ energy rating, a feature I will include in the production of my light, enabling consumers to keep their energy bill down – being attractive, yet cost efficient in the long run.
The lamp weights 1.32kg, which is considerable lighter than the last one, which is the difference of the material used. This lamp offers similar design aspects to what I am planning for my lamp shade, with the fact that the main focal point will be on the lamp shade rather than the stand.
Price of SLÖPENNA: £25
The HOVNÄS floor lamp from IKEA, is yet again creative and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The materials used explain why the product is heavier than the last lamp, weighing 6.24k. Materials is an element I need to think about when developing my product, as this will distinguish the cost and quality of the product; the HOVNÄS lamp for example is made from steel and aluminium, and priced at £90. This is more expensive than the last, however, uses materials that cost more in the industry.
Price of HOVNÄS: £90
This is the SAMTID floor lamp, that is also advertised as a reading lamp. This lamp offers additional features to the last three, whereby you are able to tilt the lamp the way you like, due to an adjustable arm. Furthermore, the cord length of the SAMTID is 3.5m, the longest of all products analysed; this means the light is able to manoeuvre more efficiently and reach longer distances depending on where the consumers want it, especially if they’re reading. My light differs from this, as I plan for it to be a decorative static piece, therefore, I will not need a cord length this long as it would cause excessive wiring. The weight of this lamp is 4.95kg, which is in-between the other lamps, illustrating how it is make from concrete, plastic and steel.
Moreover, this lamp has the largest power output being 100W. This is significantly higher than the other lamps, probably because it’s purpose is for reading. However, power outage is another important feature I will need to advertise when creating my product.
Price of SAMTID: £35
Table Lamp
Moving onto desk standing lamps, here are some I will discuss and analyse to gain information which will help me towards the development of my products.
The BÖJA table lamp will be the first one I look at. These lamps offer different features to the floor standing lamps, such as height, cord size and power output. Again, this light has an energy rating of A++, and has a power output of 75W, stronger than some of the floor standing lamps. The materials consist of nickel-plated and bamboo, unique materials that give this product price of £30, similar to some of the floor standing lamps. The 2.35m cord length is similar to that of the floor lamps, as consumer may need to manoeuvre around desks and other options, something I need to consider when deigning my product.
Price of BÖJA: £30
Here is the smaller version of the HOVNÄS collection at IKEA. It is prices at £59, one of the most expensive products in this field on the IKEA website. There is an additional built-in feature of a light dimmer on this product, therefore adding a better atmosphere to the consumers home. The cord length is not as long as the last lamp, however, still features a good length for consumers. The HOVNÄS desk lamp, like the floor standing lamp, doesn’t have any illustration added to the product, unlike mine; however, other features such as design and material will help when developing my product.
Price of HOVÄS: £59
Above is the GRÖNÖ, frosted white glass table lamp. An energy rating of A++, and a light weight of 1.18kg illustrates this is a cost effective and simple lamp. The minimalistic style and minimal use of materials puts this lamp at £6, a tenth of the price of the previous lamp. The GRÖNÖ table lamp gives a soft mood light and has a smaller cable length of 1.5m. This is a budget and simple use lamp which may prove popular for consumers who are looking for something that will fit in rooms of a variety of colour and style. With the collection I aim to produce, I will develop the products to match together and create the atmosphere of the room, therefore the products will be the features; something different to this lamp, as this lamp is designed to fit in a variety of environments.
Price of GRÖNÖ: £6
Above is the A++ energy rated FILLSTA white table lamp that features a very creative an abstract design. This lamp is 0.42kg in weight, the lightest lamp I’ve researched so far; made form plastic and aluminium – both lightweight materials. The lamp gives a ‘soft mood light’, an element I believe I should incorporate into my design and development, as well as the possibility of having a powerful, reading element with it being in a home office. This lamp would fit into a modern, minimalistic style room as it has such a creative flair; it wouldn’t look pleasing in a traditional setting. This will be similar to my product, as the products will make up the room, and follow a modern home office feel using minimalism to create an aesthetically pleasing feel.
Furthermore, the price of this product is cost effective and can be used for a middle range of the target audience, both for a budget lamp, and an extra added feature.
Price of FILLSTA: £12
Storage Boxes
Moving onto storage boxes for a desk, here are some products I will discuss and analyse to gain information which will help me towards the development of my products.
Above is the HEJSAN pen cup storage collection. This products offers a pack of 3 different sized storage containers to help organise products on a desk, such as pens, rulers, and other small products. The HEJSAN collection offer a creative, illustrative design that has been wrapped around a box. Having a design on a basic product is highly important for aesthetic purposes. Colour and patters speak to people as a method where a product can brighten up a dull room or add n extra feature. I wish to incorporate both colour, design, and minimalism in my work, to speak to a wider range of audience.
The Price of HEJSAN: £2 pack of 3
The FLARRA set is a mini chest with 2 drawers. This product offers different features to the last with its different design. The FLARRA drawers offer consumers the ability to close away their small desk products. This product could be said to look more appealing in terms of organisation of the desk, as you cannot see the contents once the drawers are shut. However, the graphic design of these draws are too fussy for my taste of style. The navy base colour means this product will have to fit in to a specific coloured room to look appropriate, therefore there are colour issues when buying the product. This storage box is bigger than the last, therefore allowing consumers to organise and tidy more items away while at their home office. The materials of polyester and polypropylene mean this product is still cost efficient at £8.
Price of FLARRA: £8
Here is the HEJSAN box file collection, priced at £6 for a pack of 3. The collection offer a black, classic look, in collaboration with bright, vibrant illustrations. This is a modern piece of furniture that is suitable for papers, photos and other small things. These box files are ideal to go onto a modern, desk, in a minimalistic designed room. The box is creative and unique, therefore a plain room would be suited, not to over complicate the feel. This product is lightweight at 0.90kg, therefore easily manoeuvrable. Furthermore, this product has three elements, meaning more storage for the price for the consumer.
Price of HEJSAN: £6 pack of 3
The YPPERLIG stationary set is a different form of storage than the previous examples; YPPERLIG offers features such as: storage for pens, rulers, mobile phones, USBs, can cut sticky tape, and can be used in damp areas if needed. This multiuser storage is made from aluminium, therefore durable, and comes at a price of £8. The simple yet professional black coating means the product can be used in a variety of environments, such as colourful rooms or modern, minimalistic coloured rooms. A limitation of this product, is that the size limits what you can store in the product, for example, you wouldn’t be able to store any pair files like the previous products.
Price of YPPERLIG: 8
To conclude on storage boxes, I believe it is important to offer a product that can store a variety of objects, from files to pens. Therefore, the size will be vital in development to ensure this can happen. Moreover, I believe that a minimalistic approach with an element of colour for the graphics will be important. I aim to develop the collection to be the main focal point of the room , therefore producing something that will fit in every room won’t be the case, as it will follow a modern and unique style.
Vases
Moving onto vases, here are some examples which I will discuss and analyse to gain information which will help me towards the development of my products.
The LIVSLÅNG vase in grey offers a creative, unique, and professional look, perfect to decorate a home office. The colour creates a classic look with the addition that it’s made from stoneware. The key features state that its beautiful with or without flowers, to which I believe this vase would benefit from being a decorative piece of furniture. The geometric shapes creative a modern yet abstract style which would fit nicely into a modern room, of any colour. I like the shape of this product as I envision my product to hold similar qualities as I will be looking into geometric shapes and how you can apply that to products such as this one.
Price of LIVSLÅNG: £3
Here is the ÅTGÅNG vase; a ‘glass vase that is mouth blown by a skilled craftsperson’. This product approaches a different style to what we have seen in previous examples. The style, shape and colour of the vase would fit in a more traditional setting, as well as a ‘crafty’ environment. This piece of furniture would add depth to a room, with its forms of transparency that fade into back. If flowers were to go in this product, an interesting element is that you would be able to see the stems faintly; this creates a mysterious yet magical sense that again, would make a great feature to an office. The style is not something I wish to replicate in my work, however, it is good to see what examples are out there on the market and how each product differs.
Price of ÅTGÅNG: £5
Above is the EFTERTANKE off-white vase. This handmade vase is made by ‘social entrepreneurs in Doi Tung, Thailand’. This vase poses a minimalistic style design with a subtle fade from beige to off-white in the form of a gradient. This product offers background information about the makers, therefore giving the vase a story, which speaks emotionally to the consumers. It is one of the more heavier vases, weighing 1.50kg, and made from glazed stoneware. The colours of this vase enable the product to fit in a variety of environments, which could include bright colours, or warm tones. This product has helped me appreciate the simple colours and design.
Price of EFTERTANKE: £12
The YPPERLIG brown vase is a hand-painted product weighing the heaviest at 2.88kg, compared to other vases. The colours of this product are the main focal point, being brown, yellow, and off-white. Because of the bold colours, this vase would have to fit into a ‘plain’ coloured room to look aesthetically pleasing, as the colours may strike with the wall colour or other products in the room. The shape of this vase, including the handle, means the product is easily manoeuvrable, therefore efficient in placement. This piece of work would look good on its own, of with flowers in it, therefore the consumer has greater choice in decoration. To further my research, I will look into what colour are on trend, depending for what style I am going for, as I aim to produce a collection with minimalism as its core design, with bursts of colour to enhance the look.
Price of YPPERLIG: £18
Picture Frames
Moving onto picture frames, here are some examples which I will discuss and analyse to gain information which will help me towards the development of my products.
The BREDARYD frame offers a unique and creative image with a simple pine frame. A benefit of this product is that if the consumer wants some variation, they are able to easily change the motif or put textiles in the frame. This feature enables the consumer to keep the product for longer, and to adapt to a various of environments; for example, if the consumer wishes to re-decorate, they do not have to get rid of the product, they can simple change the textiles to the appropriate colour and theme. The style of this picture is more illustrative, rather than geometric, which is the style I wish to follow. The price of this product is relatively cost effective being £8, therefore is an affordable product for my target audience.
Price of BREDARYD: £8
The PJÄTTERYD picture follows a similar, creative and geometric style and them which I want to adopt for my picture. The black and white colours follow a minimalistic approach and therefore would fit in a variety of environments with multiple colours or plain situations. The simple lines make up a shape of deer, which is within popular trends at the moment. This picture
Price of PJÄTTERYD: £15
The BJÖRKSTA picture offers a jungle journey with an aluminium-coloured frame. This picture is of a premium collection from IKEA, priced at £49. Again, with this frame, consumers are able to change the textile of this product if preferred, again if they wish to re-decorate, this feature is highly useful. This product offers a real life photography based textile, rather than an illustration like the previous; not the way I wish to go, however useful to see current examples in the industry.
Price of BJÖRKSTA: £49
The KNOPPÄNG frame and poster collection offers 8 different frames, each with their own separate textile. The classic colours of black and white mean that this product will look aesthetically pleasing in a variety of locations, and different coloured and styled environments. The variety of sizes in frame give a modern theme of creativity and explores a minimalistic approach. This is a similar theme that I wish to adopt when I am designing the graphics for my picture frame. This price of this collection is in the mid range of our examples, at £25.