Wow I have finally found some time to get this website back online, I still need to work on the forms, but I have added a new design and it looks a wqhole lot better.

I have also added some links to Andre Victoire, my furniture business which

• delivers
• assembles
• and removes all waste packaging

If you read the secitons on delivery or have difficulty with assembly, you will be delighted with the sevice Andre Victoire Ltd offers you.

Thank you and Merry Christmas,

Edwin Cooke.

As the company name suggests most of Pine Solutions furniture is pine. However they supply the firniture in a variety of finishes, including a brilliant glossy white, which is beautiful. This is the Cameo range:-

Cameo three peice bedroom furniture

As with most Pine Solutions furniture the assembly errs towards screws rather than other fittings (such as cam studs and torsion pins) and can take slightly longer than other suppliers to assemble as a result, but the instructions are clear and the product goes together very easily.

The final results of this range are very impressive too. As I say the white finish on the Cameo range of furniture is probably some of the best I have seen.

Very often with white furniture it is not packaged properly, for example unsightly marks appear or the paint isn’t quite dry leaving a rough section where the packaging touched. This is deinfitely not the case with the Cameo range of furniture which from what I have seen so far is excellent!

Chest of 4 plus 2 Drawers from Pine Solutions

Cameo Bedside Table in white

In my last post I said I would add a guide to building a suite of Pax wardrobes with Komplement fittings, to be honest I was surprised that it quickly panned out to eight pages!

I really need to add some photos to bring it to life, but it will take time to collect enough so for the time being here is version one, hopefully someone will find it useful!

Assembling these wardrobes like this isn’t that complex, it is just time consuming and requires a little thought and planning.

Instructions for assembling furniture vary greatly however there are certain products that don’t really go far enough. The initial ones that spring to mind are:

• Rauch Wardrobes (Mainly Sliderobes from Harveys)
• Ikea Building Multiple PAX Wardrobes Together
• Ikea Building Pax Wardrobes Standing Up

Rauch Wardrobes (Mainly Sliderobes from Harveys)

The instructions for building these wardrobes are more of a schematic, i.e. an exploded view of the item, and you have to figure out how to assemble them.

A few weeks ago I was assembling one and took a few photos along the way. I have now written up the guide and it is at the location below on the Flat Pack Advice website:-

Rauch Wardrobes Assembly Guide

The guide is offered free as is, to complement the instructions supplied and to help someone see the stages and emphasise why certain parts are crucial.

Ikea Building Multiple PAX Wardrobes Together

The instructions supplied by Ikea are pictorial so that they do not need translating. This leaves a lot to be desired for some people, but others do not have a problem with it. However, there does not appear to be, to my knowledge any information provided officially by Ikea in terms of how to assemble multiple PAX wardrobes so as to build a range of say 3-4 along one wall. I have put together a guide to give a better idea.

This is pending final review and will be posted on this blog once complete. Why not subscribe the to RSS feed (at the bottom of the page) to be updated when it is available?

Ikea Building Pax & Hoben Wardrobes Standing Up

In some situations you need to build PAX or Hoben wardrobes standing up. This area is frought with distaster whether there are one or two of you. One of the main things to concentrate on is building stability as you go.

In the Hoben range a small square of hard board is provided for this purpose, however the technique I use does not require this and can be done easily on your own without a second pair of hands.

This is pending final review and also the addition of some photos and will be posted on this blog once complete. Why not subscribe the to RSS feed (at the bottom of the page) to be updated when it is available?

I thought it was about time I added some information about Ikea’s flagship flat pack wardrobe product or “Bedroom Idea” (sic), it is called PAX.

The first thing you will notice is the price!

Yes they are brilliant and I’ll list all the pros and cons at the foot of this blog just to highlight them. I have built that many that I kind of go into automatic mode when I start building them. I’ve even put up a bespoke page regarding Ikea stuff on my website too - Ikea at Flat Pack Assemblers which you can use to find out more or contact me if you wish to.

They are fairly easy to install, but once you get beyond two units side by side then installation becomes rather tricky. This is not a fault of the wardrobe, moreover, there isn’t a single house in the world where the rooms have flat floors, true walls and a perfectly level ceiling. It is not apparent up to 2 metres, but over that it becomes noticeable. There are a few tricks to ease levelling them but this is a significant issue if you are covering an entire wall or two with them.

The PAX wardrobe is basically a shell, with a variety of doors from hinged to sliding, wooden to glass, contemporary to quite smart. The KOMPLEMENT range from Ikea are the internal bits that make your storage ace! You can choose form a variety of the following slidy things:

External Drawers - Internal Drawers - Plastic Tubs - Jewellery Trays - Shelves - Tie Racks - Shoe Racks - Clothes Rails - Trouser Rails etc

I call them “slidy things” because so many of them slide in and out of the robes!

BUYING AND COLLECTION:

When you order or buy them, check you have everything you want with one of their staff. Get an inventory of everything you need and ensure that when it is delivered you check everything off.

Furthermore, do not select or accept any damaged or opened items. These are more likely to be faulty and the returns system at Ikea should you have to endure it is hard work. So buy with avoiding this in mind.

That said as I say the system is brilliant.

You can mix and match virtually everything. In the stores they have a few combinations made up but really your imagination, space and needs are all that constrain you. Once you have come up with your fantastic combination make sure you draw it so you know how it should look, or perhaps take a photo if it is on display. This may come invaluable if your chosen design is fairly complex.

Right I think I have sold you on them, if not read the Pros at the bottom of this blog!

Okay so now for the Cons:

Although you can assemble them yourselves the following ought to be considered first:

NB: I have gone into great length regarding what to consider at my flat pack help site if you are doing it yourself!

- Have you measured properly? The taller units can often be too tall for modern apartments and homes.

- How long will it take? Each wardrobe will take 1-3 hours depending on your ability before you start on your internal Komplement fittings. Each of these will take around 10-15 minutes, though there are some exceptions: A pair of sliding doors or the shoe rack each take 1-2 hours to assemble.

- Is there enough space? Very often you want to maximise your storage space, by buying this range and the down side is that working in a confined space can make the job take a lot longer. The wardrobes are easier to assemble lying down, so if you take the height and width adding about 60-70cm to each then you will have the area you need and plenty of space.

If that is daunting then you could always call for a quote, at least then you will have a rough idea of how long it might take you to build them! Now imagine sitting in the garden soaking up the sun with a glass of wine or a cold beer, with me sweating away upstairs putting your wardrobes in for you! (Is that Neuro Linguistic Programming?

So all that is left now is the Pros of Pax:

1) The range has been around for 10-15 years it doesn’t look dated nor does it show any signs of going away.

2) You can spruce up your Pax range after a few years with new doors and handles with limited effort and cost.

3) The internal Komplment fittings give you maximum flexibility over what you can have in your wardrobe/storage system.

4) The range of colours and materials is vast, so you will find something that goes with your planned or existing room and that you will like.

5) You virtually get a Rolls Royce for the price of a Mini.

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