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Gillis Lundgren, who designed some of Ikea’s bestselling furniture and played a role in developing the company’s self-assembly concept, has died. He was 86.
Kajsa Johansson, a spokeswoman for the Swedish furniture giant, confirmed Thursday that Lundgren had died but couldn’t give any other details.
Lundgren joined Ikea as one of its first employees in the 1950s, working closely with its founder, Ingvar Kamprad.
He designed scores of products for the company, including the popular “Billy” bookcase.
Lundgren has been credited with inspiring the flatpack, self-assembly concept that revolutionized the company when, after a photo shoot for the Ikea catalog, he removed the legs of a table so it could fit into a car.
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