Recession's Newest Beneficiary: Design?

The NY Times' Week in Review ponders whether another Depression will encourage good design, affordable products and innovative use of materials. Way to find an upside, guys. Looking at the Depression and the leaner years of World War II, the paper concludes constraints are good for design, and good for the common folks who can't afford Hella Jongerius' $10,615 Ponder sofa. Wait, didn't Ikea already take care of this problem for us? [NY Times]