Independent University Newspaper
Copenhagen Business School

Popular searches:

Independent University Newspaper

Copenhagen Business School

CBS students hack IKEA furniture

Woman fixing table

Cecilie Brandt Jakobsen had an old LACK table at home, which she clad in tiles, which was about to be thrown out. The table also got some new legs, some a thrifted table. (Photo: Private)

This year’s GLOBAL case company, IKEA, has challenged CBS students to upcycle whatever old IKEA furniture they have at home. Check out three students’ creations.

News |   02. Mar 2021

Anne Thora Lykkegaard

Journalist

Altogether, 83% of Danes have something from IKEA in their homes, according to statistics from YouGov. This includes CBS students.

IKEA, this year’s case company featured in the CBS’ GLOBAL Case Competition, has challenged CBS students to hack and upcycle IKEA furniture they have at home to prolong its lifetime.

“The IKEA Upcycle Challenge is about bringing new life and functionality to a piece of furniture or item that would otherwise have been discarded, thereby adding value and expanding the product’s lifetime – upcycling in a nutshell, which is close to the heart of the IKEA organization,” the challenge declares in the Facebook event.

The students had until Thursday February 25 at noon to upload pictures and a short description of their new furniture, after which IKEA Denmark’s Sustainability Manager, Monica Keaney, and Home Furnishing & Retail Design Manager, Henriette Ekholm, judged the new pieces and chose three finalists. The selection criteria were: creativity, functionality and design.

The old LACK table upcycled. (Photo: Cecilie Brandt Jakobsen)

Christoffer August Erlund Buur, who is studying for a double master’s degree in Innovation and Business Development at CBS and the University of Bocconi in Italy, was one of the students who tried his hand and got a third place in the challenge with his upcycled IKEA BESTÅ cabinet.

“I heard about the challenge through a friend who works for CBS Case Competition, and I thought it sounded like a lot of fun. Also, I looked at this ugly cabinet we had in the bedroom and thought I needed an excuse to finally do something about it,” he says.

Christoffer August Erlund Buur needed a new TV unit. A place where he could hide away all the cables and his Apple TV, but at the same time did not have to open the doors to connect with his remote control.

It was the IKEA BESTÅ cabinet, Christoffer August Erlund Buur had at home. (Photo: IKEA)

“I had some spare legs from a bedframe, which suited the cabinet perfectly, and my mum had some left-over open-weave fabric after she had her chairs re-covered. So I cut out parts of the doors and exchanged them with the fabric,” he says.

Christoffer August Erlund Buur got a third place in the challenge, and DKK 1,000 to spend in IKEA.

The two judges from IKEA say about the upcycled and hacked IKEA furniture made by the students:

“We were very impressed with the creativity and functionality of all the solutions. Upcycling is not only about transforming a piece of furniture at the end of its lifecycle into a new, useful piece, but it is also about adding a personal layer that brings extra value to the home. This was especially the case with these three solutions, which we hope will inspire others to try similar upcycling projects,” they say.

Headboard
Tobias Løvkvist clad a side from an IVAR bookcase with weaved fabric and created a much needed headboard for his bed. (Photo: Tobias Løvkvist)

Christoffer August Erlend Buur says that he is both happy with the result and happy with the prize, but are there other takeaways from the challenge?

“I think I have learned to see possibilities in the things I have at home. And during the pandemic, when you really need projects, I think you can look at your furniture and see if it can be improved instead of buying something new,” he says, adding that it is not impossible that he would devote his skills to another furniture project.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

CBS students hack IKEA furnitureby

  • News

    Layoffs break the crucial trust between organisation and employee

    CBS is laying off a number of employees soon, which will affect our university in different ways. When employees are fired without having done anything wrong, it shatters the trust between the organisation and employees, while also taking a toll on productivity, according to a CBS expert. Layoffs also affect the ‘survivors’, who are forced to adapt to a changed workload and the loss of cherished colleagues.

  • News

    Here to help – at the touch of a button and at Campus Desk

    Exam anxiety? Lost student card? I’ve wedged my car between a Fiat 500 and a lamp post, can you help? You never know what you’ll be asked next. But that’s just how the Campus Desk team like it. And if they can’t fix your problem, they’ll know someone who can. CBS WIRE asked the team about the whole range of topics they advice on every day.

  • News

    Why so sudden? The CBS financial crisis explained

    Employees and union representatives have posed many questions in the wake of the 17 August announcement of a firing round. In this interview, University Director Arnold Boon explains how Senior Management has been working with the budget and a change of financial strategy since the fall of 2022, and why layoffs are now necessary.

  • Illustration: Ida Eriksen

    News

    Here’s what you need to know about the master’s reform

    The political parties behind the master’s reform have adjusted their original proposal to shorten or reorganize up to 50 percent of master’s programmes after pressure from CBS and the other Danish universities. Fewer shortened master’s and longer to implement changes are some important revisions to the reform. CBS’ president is pleased that the government and other parties behind the reform have listened to some of the critique given by the universities but raises concern about cutting more study places in bachelor’s programmes.

  • News

    CBS Quiz Time: Unraveling the success story

    A successful university environment such as CBS is often associated with academic pursuits, but campus life extends far beyond the classroom. At CBS Quiz Time, a student society motivated by creative thinking and social engagement, students join in a refreshing range of creativity, excitement, and social interaction. CBS WIRE talked to Celine Møller-Andersen to find out about the society’s vision, strategies and the factors that are driving its rapid expansion.

  • Gif of the week
  • Blog

    Uncertain times: Essential for business schools to understand their market

    The alliance of European business schools met at CBS in June to enhance recruitment strategies, stay informed on industry trends, and analyse where the global economy is heading. The CBS MBA Programmes shares some key take-aways from Associate Dean and Professor Jesper Rangvid’s presentation.

  • News

    Working hard all summer: Bachelor Admissions

    The employees in charge of bachelor admissions at CBS are a small exclusive team. They ensure the validity of diplomas and the fulfilment of entry requirements for bachelor’s degrees at CBS – and, not least, that the applicants get the necessary help to upload the right documentation and find their way around the application procedures.

Follow CBS students studying abroad

CBS WIRE collaborates with Videnskab.dk

Stay connected

Close