#HTE

Look Inside an Ikea Catalog from 1973!

Goldmine for furniture designers: Ikea has scanned and uploaded every page of every Ikea catalog from 1950 to date.

I randomly clicked on just one year’s–1973–and found some interesting stuff. First off, this piece of transforming furniture upholstered in denim, whose design is straight out of second-year industrial design school:

And in addition to selling the now-anachronistic ‘70s-style furniture set-ups you’d expect…

…I’ve learned that they used to sell some surprising items. Like record players and at least one funky speaker:

Vacuum cleaners:

Small, traditional workbenches:

And a discontented Swedish boy going for just 49 Swedish crowns:

I found at least one piece that wouldn’t look out of place in a modern hipster apartment, this object-hanging unit:

I was also reminded of a disgusting interior design practice from the 1970s. People used to think it was cool to have carpeted floors…in the bathrooms.

Also, the catalog once served to educate consumers about the different materials that went into the furniture, like polyester foams, fiberfill and laminates.

We’re also treated to a look inside an Ikea store of the era…

…as well as a happy couple enjoying their products:

Click through the year of your choice here.