Recent developments of my suite of flat pack related websites has meant that once again we are looking for a small number of additions to the team. Phase 1 of the work is now complete and anyone interested in joining can register their interest at AV.

Provided you meet the criteria and pass the assessment, you will be eligible for a trial period to determine whether you meet the high standard we require. This will give you access to a steady stream of additional local work to support your own business.

This is an incredibly contemporary and stylish bed from Dwell. I built one this morning and it looks fabulous.

The instructions for assembly leave a lot to be desired though. The main idea is that you build the bed base and build the head board and then slot the two pieces together. Nothing wrong with that you may think but there is. Due to its weight you need two people to lift the head board and probably a third person to line up the bolts and dowels, which need to come together at a handy 45 degree angle. Now bearing in mind there are three bolts and three dowels on each side, even if you were to attempt this it would be fraught,  since I doubt both sides would line up nicely and you would need a decent amount of lateral force as well as downward force to bring the two pieces together.

In my opinion the correct way to build this is using my standard “let gravity do the work for you” approach and build it in a logical manner piece by piece. This was the first one I had seen and it took my 90 minutes but I think second time around I could build it in about an hour on my own, yes on my own.

I’ll be writing some instructions on how to do this with photos and so on which will be available soon at Dwell Furniture Help.

The bed however is beautiful, the finish is glossy, expensive and ultra-glamorous.

Dwell make really stylish and contemporary furniture and I have assembled a lot of it over the last two to three years. They have a few stores in London, Manchester and Birmingham and can be found on line at www.dwell.co.uk

Most of it goes together very easily however there are some tips to note:

General:

The furniture is heavy, so if you are not reasonably strong and fit don’t try assembling it yourself, especially larger items.

Sideboards:

These will take a long time to assemble and care is needed to ensure they look good, especially with the doors, many people have difficult with these.

Shelves:

Some of the shelves have an unusual connector. One guy called Larry phoned me up last year who had been struggling with this for days, he emailed me a picture and it all became clear:

These are about the size of two polo mints stuck together. Although not obvious the plastic part will slide away from the metal part with a little force. Then simply align plastic disk and push it into the shelf. Put the metal lugs in the unit (wardrobe usually) and then place the shelf in. Finally lock the connector together to provide a firm finnish.

Wardrobes:

Due to the construction these are best assembled on their side, BUT when you stand them up, first lie them on their back.

Why?

If you assemble them on their side you can reach all the cam studs easily and as you slide in the back components the structure builds up nicely. Don’t tighten any of the camstuds connecting the back until the last peice is in as you need to move most parts as you go.

If you assemble them standing up (as per instructions) or lying on their fornt or back, you cannot tighten the cam studs easily or get the panels in easily.

When you come to stand them up, unless you have done it before you may well need two people.

Now the reason I say, don’t stand the unit up from its position on its side is twofold. Firstly you may catch the ceiling, but more importantly you will put undue weight on the joints which will break under the weight of the unit. It is difficult to describe, but I advise:

- Assemble on its side
- Lie it on its back
- Stand it up

NB: Make adequate use of cardbaord if you are not assembling on a soft surface such as carpet to ensure that the corners do not get damaged when you manouvre the unit.

Sliding Doors:

This is true for any supply of wardrobes with sliding doors. On flat pack furniture they run along the top of the robe, compared to fitted wardrobes where the doors tend to run along the floor. Hanging and adjusting these doors can be difficult as a lot of care is needed to avoid scratches and they tend to be heavy especially glass ones. Although two people can support the weight better, you need to communicate well to hang them easily.

Failing that, you can always call one of us out by checking out our flat pack assembly website BUT be careful to ask the person you call whether they have done Dwell wardrobes before, as not all have experience of them.