House Perfect
Lauren Collins on the world of IKEA. “The company’s vision, one executive said, is ‘to create a better life for the many.’ ”
IKEA is Swedish for "argument," Amy Poehler once said. The screws strip easily. Lauren Collins found herself assembling a bookshelf with only a stick man's mute smirk for guidance—IKEA omits words because words make manuals thicker, which makes them more expensive. In London, landlords furnish rentals with IKEA so tenants don't have to.