Raise your hand if you were looking forward to a concert or two in 2020. Yeah, me too. Missing out on actual concerts was one of the harder pills to swallow during this shamble of year, so the world of audio design got creative. IKEA, after teaming up with Teenage Engineering, released FREKVENS, a limited home collection of audio and light systems that enlists one main objective: get the party started. FREKVENS is a limited collection made up of several pieces of equipment, comprising sound systems and light shows, and Team Engineering leaked all the hacks for stylish accessories to match.
STL files, the most common 3D file format, can be downloaded to any 3D software, that allows design development and 3D graphics production, and then printed, which can take as little as 30 minutes to longer than eight hours depending on your model. Teenage Engineering used a Prusa i3 MK3 3D-printer to print their accessories that work as counterparts for specific items from the FREKVENS collection and uploaded images of those accessories along with their accompanying STL files for download. Once the STL files are uploaded, colors can be chosen for different accessories, which offers the chance for customers to customize their own accessories for their home sound systems. Teenage Engineering ultimately chose a Mondrian, primary color scheme for their 3D prints, which compliments the 60s cubism aesthetic that FREKVENS offers through their designs’ structure and materials used to build them. Each download linked to Teenage Engineering’s website comes with assembly instructions that detail not only how to build the individuals parts, but also how to attach the accessories to FREKVENS products. Some additionals screws and non-fussy tools might be required for assembly, but the overall assembly for each accessory is generally quite easy and no glue is needed.
IKEA’s FREKVENS audio system is designed for the home and Teenage Engineering’s 3D accessories offer that touch of customization to transport listeners anywhere. Whether it be to that EDM light show you had plans for before 2020 or the front row of a small-town, acoustic concert, this collaboration brings back a taste of what life was like pre-quarantine. Teenage Engineering’s 3D accessories for IKEA’s FREKVENS collection could bring a lot of excitement to the humdrum of quarantine life. Showing up on the video screen with a full audio system set up behind you not only gets the conversation going, but the party started. Scroll through the 3D prints below.
Designer: IKEA x Teenage Engineering
