An Italian architect has designed an eco-friendly flat-pack home

Nov 29, 2017

An employee of Swedish retailer IKEA is pictured in Taufkirchen near Munich January 22, 2013. IKEA Group, the world's biggest furniture retailer, posted a record net profit on Wednesday for the 2011/12 year, helped by sales and market share growth as budget design enticed austerity-hit shoppers. Net profit at the privately-held Swedish firm, known the world over for low-price, self-assembly, flat-packed furniture, rose 8 percent to 3.2 billion euros ($4.3 billion) in the 12 months through last August.IKEA says it is relatively resilient to economic downturns as these make cost conscious consumers turn to cheaper goods."Customers are getting more and more value conscious, which makes IKEA a better choice," IKEA said in an annual summary. REUTERS/Michael Dalder (GERMANY - Tags: BUSINESS) - BM2E91M15W301

The tiny homes, which are manufactured by Italian wood specialist Area Legno, are also eco-friendly. Image: REUTERS/Michael Dalder

Rosie Fitzmaurice

Lifestyle Fellow, Business Insider UK

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