Bye bye Schrankwand

[dieastra]

I'm never sure what the right official term for "Schrankwand" is. Wall unit? Wall of cupboards? Do people outside of Eastern Germany even have those? LOL I mean, from visiting furniture shops/stores once in a while I know that nowadays you only have a couple of shelves and I always wonder where people store their stuff. Then again, not everyone HAS as much stuff as I do ;)

Anyway, the pictures show my old "Schrankwand" ("Schrank" means cupboard and "Wand" means wall, we always put two words together to create a new one). It was bought in 1982 when my family moved to a bigger flat/apartment and I finally got a room for myself at the age of 9. When I moved out of home 14 years ago I took it with me and it stood in the sleeping room since then. But in two weeks some people will come and take it away, and it will go into the G.D.R. museum! We have a museum where you can look at all the old things from the former Eastern German life, I love that they are collected there instead of just thrown away, I mean, it is my childhood after all and lots of memories. And I can visit my Schrankwand there if I want to see it again ;)

And a week after that a new one will be delivered which is even higher (to use that empty air till the ceiling) and so I will have much more well needed space for all my action figures and all the miniature things I buy for them.

At the left side was a wardrobe/clothes cupboard and underneat some drawers for socks and underwear etc.:



And at the right side was an inbuilt desk with a lamp and this is where I did my school homeworks:



And the whole thing together:

Comments

[dieastra.livejournal.com]

Thank you, very interesting! Especially that there is actually not really a name.

I don't know, I don't think IKEA is my style. When I was looking for the new one, I went there as well, but nothing clicked with me. I didn't need anything fancy, as it is just the sleeping room guests usually will not visit, but for me IKEA somehow means it's for people with small budget, like students, having their first flat, but later, when they work and earn proper money, they might get something better. As I left home very late, I jumped that stage and went straight to the better ;)

Everyone used to have them over here. Since we lived in those buildings that were made from concrete panels, it was funny when you visited the neighbours - you immediately felt at home. As there was only one wall where the furniture would be able to go, and on the opposite wall the couch, and in the corner at the window the table. All flats looked the same! And sometimes even the furniture looked the same, given that there was not as much variability.

The exactly same one from my pictures above was also in the room of one of my class mates.

Just for comparison, here is a picture of the one I have in my living room, bought 14 years ago. Back then it was what I wanted. It might look a bit old fashioned now and I wouldn't mind going for something more modern, but as I said, it is hard to come by nowadays. All there is are those open shelves and maybe a drawer or two. That is not enough for me!

(http://s137.photobucket.com/user/DieAstra/media/Dresden%202013/PC120017600x450.jpg.html)

[jackwabbit.livejournal.com]

In looking at this one, we'd call them "wall cabinets." Or simply bookcases, for while some sections have doors and such, it's essentially a bookcase.

And yes, that is what IKEA is, in general. They have some stuff that isn't that way, but it's mostly for young folks who need to save space in small flats.

These used to be much more popular here, too. Falling out of favor due to size and bulkiness. I guess as housing has gotten more varied, so has furniture. As you said, back in the day, everyone lived in cookie cutter houses, and often space was limited, so these things were used a lot.

EDIT: "wall unit" is also used here, and if they are part of the wall, again, they are called "built-ins." My mother-in-law's house has an entire wall like this. It's a built-n. Shelves up top, cabinets down low (the most common arrangement, it seems), with an area for the TV in the middle. It's one wall of her living room and looks great. But it is part of the house. That's the typical way it's done here now, and it's a feature in some houses (meaning it is looked upon favorably, as built-ins give you lots of storage but don't take up space or require moving like separate units would).

[dieastra.livejournal.com]

I didn't know if I could call it book case, as for me that really would imply open shelves with just books and nothing else.

Them being built right into the house/wall sounds good indeed if you don't have the trouble with moving. But then everyone has a different taste and when you go househunting, not only the house needs to be to your liking, but the furniture as well. Doesn't that make it harder to find the right perfect thing? And what if something is broken, can you go somewhere to buy replacements?

[jackwabbit.livejournal.com]

Google "wall unit," and you get tons or results.

Here is one like my mother-in-law's:

http://www.rockvillecustomcabinets.com/images/Rockville%20Custom%20Cabinets%20Wall%20Unit%20001.jpg

These are done here, just a little differently.

[dieastra.livejournal.com]

Thank you, that one looks very nice! I never had considered white furniture, as it can look too much like from a Doctor's, but it works surprisingly well. I don't like those really dark furniture, that's depressing. I love the many drawers also, I am hooked on drawers.