Our product team believes in following furniture through its entire life. For this case study we selected the Floating Shelf, Pre Knocked Down, and followed it for one month in the home of a customer and a cat named Jasper.
The purchase
The customer, a calm woman named Mrs Aldous, purchased the shelf on a Friday. It arrived flat packed, in a slim box, with a single tool and a leaflet entitled ‘Do Not Worry’. She read the leaflet. She worried.
The installation
Mrs Aldous spent three hours installing the shelf. She drilled four holes. She inserted four brackets. She attached the shelf, and she stood back and admired her work. It was perfectly level. It looked as though it was floating. She felt proud.
Jasper watched from the doorway, with the expression of a cat who has seen many shelves.
The first week
- Day one: Jasper inspected the shelf from below
- Day two: Jasper climbed onto the shelf, via a chair
- Day three: Jasper sat on the shelf for six hours
- Day four: Jasper pushed a vase off the shelf, to test the floor
- Day five: Jasper pushed a book off the shelf, to confirm
- Day six: Jasper pushed the vase off again, because it had been replaced
The second week
The shelf remained in place. Jasper developed a routine. In the morning he sat on the shelf. In the afternoon he sat on the shelf. In the evening he sat on the shelf and looked at Mrs Aldous. The effect was oddly regal.
The third week
A new problem arose. The shelf began to sag. Not much, but enough to be noticeable. Mrs Aldous measured the sag at eight millimetres. Jasper measured it with his nose, and gave it eleven.
The fourth week
On the twenty ninth day the shelf let go. It came down gently, with a small sigh. Jasper was not on it. He was on the sofa, watching. He had known.
Conclusions
- The shelf was fit for purpose
- The purpose was not a cat
- The cat has since moved to the top of the wardrobe
Recommendations
We recommend that the Floating Shelf be sold with a small sign that reads: ‘Floats until noticed.’ We have ordered several signs.