In the toy collector world, there is an unlikely hero. That hero is not a person; it is a piece of furniture from Swedish flatpack giant, IKEA and it is called Detolf. It was not designed for displaying toys specifically but it has become the go-to display cabinet for toy collectors anyways. There has been talk of it being discontinued and finally, it was discontinued early this year, and in its place is a new successor, the IKEA BLÅLIDEN Glass-door Cabinet.
The BLÅLIDEN is a contemporary interpretation of a classic glass-door cabinet. Like the classic case, all four sides are tempered glass. However, unlike the Detolf, it has an epoxy/polyester powder-coated steel frame. The frame, while nice to look at, does not offer an uninterrupted view of your collection.
Looking at the steel frame, you would think the Detolf-replacing cabinet would have better payload per shelf, well, it does not. Each shelf has a maximum load of 7 lbs (3.2 kilograms). Perhaps the frame offers better structural integrity. Maybe? I saw the case in person at IKEA. It does look good and it does not have visible gaps like the original cabinet. That said, I was never a fan of Detolf because of the wide gaps that invite dust to party with your collection.
Another boon with the new IKEA BLÅLIDEN Glass-door Cabinet is that it is lighting-ready. There is a small opening at the top for the lighting cable to pass through. IKEA the cabinet “comes prepared for cable management” but I don’t quite get what that means.
Included are 3 movable shelves—all of which are glass, allowing light to spread throughout the entire cabinet. The cabinet has a footprint of 32 cm by 35 cm (12 5/8” by 13 ¾”) and stands 151 cm (59 1/2”) tall. The effective display area is 28 cm by 32 cm (11” by 12 5/8”).
The IKEA BLÅLIDEN Glass-door Cabinet is available in a choice of black or white frame and sells for US$79.99.
Images: IKEA.
