Ever admired a piece of furniture and wondered how it would look in your home? Can you ever be sure that the adorable mustard-coloured filling cabinet in store will match the rest of your vintage furniture? While in this case it’s an obvious no, sometimes it’s not that easy to work out. This is where Swedish furniture retailer Ikea saves the day with their ingenious new augmented reality (AR) catalogue, the ultimate shopping device which allows us to take a product we like and virtually place it anywhere.
The 2014 AR Ikea catalogue works with the Ikea app on a smartphone or tablet. Customers put the catalogue on the floor as a marker and can then select the product they want to see in that location via the app. The room is shown on-screen through the camera on the device and superimposed with the chosen object as though in-situ.
The AR catalogue will be launched this month and offers 90 products which customers can try for size, shape, colour and positioning. So now we have no excuse for not having a stylish, well coordinated lounge-room or buying a 150cm desk for a 147cm space.
