Hornbach Challenges Customers to Assemble a Designer Lounge Chair--and It's Not Flat-Pack Easy

German DIY retailer Hornbach is known for its epic ads all about people's love of home improvement. Its latest campaign, however, centers not on advertising but on a challenge. Via agency Heimat, the retailer teamed up with designer and architect Sigurd Larsen to launch a piece of high-end furniture, the Werkstuck Lounge Chair, that can only be assembled with items bought at Hornbach. The chair will be the first in a series of build-it-yourself items called Werkstuck Editions, all collaborations with well-known designers. This is no Ikea-style flatpack assembly -- each item needs to be sourced individually, and built by the customer themself using Hornbach tools. Each item can be assembled using a "Builder's Book," which contains the carefully illustrated step-by-step instructions for construction of the product, including lists of materials and tools. For the Lounge Chair, the costs are approximately 130 Euros for the necessary components, stocked at Hornbach, and 18 Euros for the Builder's Book. The product will be promoted by social and digital videos. In a statement, Larsen describes the Lounge Chair as: "A chair that fulfils all the standards of good design, yet is accessible to everyone. We're challenging people to push themselves a little and to build it by hand. People will feel quite differently about a beautiful piece of furniture if they have crafted it themselves. It's a testament to what you can do with a bit of good design and your own hands. And I love that idea."

Hornbach Challenges Customers to Assemble a Designer Lounge Chair--and It's Not Flat-Pack Easy

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