Coat Rack with a bit of Wall Protection

Materials: Molger Floor Decking and Attest Knobs

Description: Normal coat hooks near the door have always had the problem of buttons, zips, etc. scrapping the walls so we wanted a different solution.

Our answer was to use four Molger floor decking panels with 10 (5 packs of 2) Attest knobs as coat hooks - other knobs are available!

APPLÅD and Godmorgon Coffee Table

Materials: APPLÅD doors (60x90 cm), APPLÅD drawer fronts (13x60 cm), Godmorgon legs (22 cm), Screws, construction glue

Description: We had been looking around quite a while for a suitable coffee table for our new penthouse apartment. We had a fairly good idea of what we were looking for, but we couldn't really find the right model - at least not for a reasonable price.

One day we decided to build our own coffee table and went to IKEA to get:
- 2 APPLÅD doors (60x90 cm
- 2 APPLÅD drawer fronts (13x60 cm
- 4 Godmorgon legs (22 cm)

PAX VIKEDAL 4 Fitness

Materials: PAX VIKEDAL mirror door

Description: To build a low budget big surface, distortion-free and easy to handle mirror, you need ...

- PAX VIKEDAL mirror doors
- a set of top hat rails
- straight wooden slats
- screws (and screw anchors)
- cloth pads
- appropriate tools

Get ready with the material you need.

Screw the top hat rails onto the back of the mirror doors on both top and bottom. I am using some CD jewel cases that help me easily keep a certain distance to the edge.

Add one extra slat above the upper rail to prevent it to slide slightly ...
Stick cloth pads (3 on each rail) to avoid scratching the wall ... and to ensure a tight wall - mirror connection.

The mirrors are now ready to be hung with two big (3 mirrors weigh 60 kg together) screws. Please use appropriate screws and screw anchors. Mount the screws but leave 2 mm of space so that top hat rails "hook" onto both screws.

Mirror hanging 9 cm off the ground.

Little distance to the wall lets the air circulate and clears possible uneven surface. Mirrors hang safely on the two screws - but may still be slid sideways.

Have fun!

~ Mihi

EXPEDIT - kitchen storage

Materials: Expedit, door hinges, black MDF, plywood (pine tree)

Description: As we like a very "open" style of kitchen where you can see at the end all the stuff that is part of this room we decided to buy an Expedit to store our plates and glasses etc..

Ivar sideboard (or "hidealottastuff")

Materials: Ivar cabinets (two, 80x30x83 cm), Ivar side/upright unit (one, 30x226 cm), shellac, paint, varnish, wood glue, screws. Optional: Rationell Door Damper (4)

Description: I had some Ivar cabinets and some Ivar shelving in my living room. But I wanted a more "grown-up" look. My friend/colour consultant/interior designer suggested I needed more closed storage in the living room and wondered if something could be done with the cabinets (they had already been painted for a previous incarnation). And this is where that idea went. I still love it, 3 years later.

Striped Linnarp TV unit

Materials: Linnarp tv-unit, masking tape (white, blac and silver), scissors, ruler, carpet knife, 2 knobs

Description: Tape 8 stripes (3 white, 2 black and 3 silver) horizontally with masking tape to each sliding glass door. Measure distance of tapes with ruler. Cut each tape with scissors. Finish stripes with sharp carpet knife. Screw new knobs to glass doors.

See more of the striped Linnarp TV unit.

~ Miia, Tampere

Kvart lamp to single-digit clock

Materials: Kvart Lamp

Description: I converted the Kvart desk lamp into a single-digit clock using the Arduino microcontroller system and some electronics. This involved removing the AC wiring and light bulb socket, and replacing this with a 7-segment LED display module at the top of the lamp's neck, and replacing the base weight with the electronics.

See more of the digit clock.

~ John Boxall, Melbourne, Australia

Anders ABSTRAKT splash guard

Materials: ABSTRAKT Glossy door, Saw, Glue, Silicone

Description: When remodeling my studio apartment I wanted to make the kitchen part integrate with the rest of the room. Since I used the ABSTRAKT doors on all cabinets and wardrobes in the apartment I figured I could put one horizontally on the wall over the countertop as a splash guard.

1. Cut the side of the door to make it fit over the counter top.
2. Glue it to the wall with PL400
3. Fill the crack between the splash guard and the countertop with silicone.
4. Done!

This was a really cheap alternative to tiles.

~ Anders W, Stockholm, Sweden

Flort turned into Car Organizer for Kids

Materials: Flort

Description: Not much of a hack but Elisabeth shares this great idea for the Flort Remote Control. It works just as well as a car organizer for kids. Stuff it with art supplies, tissues, toys, books, paper, etc. And the best part - it doubles as a seat protector for those messy little buggers.

Stairway handrail to heaven!

Materials: Kvartal ceiling fitting

Description: I wanted to improve safety of stairways leading to the basement in my house by adding an handrail.
However, there were 2 issues...
1- This is a very narrow place so I don't have room to install a "regular" handrail
2- Usual handrails are ugly and no fun!

Materials needed:
- A lot of Kvartal ceiling fitting
- Plexiglass tubes as you need (2cm diameter, 2m long each)
- LED strip (5m in my case)
- usual set of tools: driller, saw...

BRÄDA laptop grip hack

Materials: BRÄDA laptop support, rubber sheeting, superglue & cutting tool

Description: Simple hack that allows you to sit with your knees up in bed without your laptop sliding down the slippery BRÄDA plastic surface.

Place the rubber over the BRÄDA and mark the outline of the BRÄDA along it with your knife.

Kids' Sand Table from Under Bed Storage Drawer

Materials: Aspelund underbed storage drawer, Lack Coffee Table

Description: I picked up an Ikea Aspelund underbed storage drawer in the "as is" department for about half price. After I duct taped the seams and corners, I placed the drawer at kid height (on top of an Ikea "Lack" coffee table) in our garage.

I added 1 bag of playground sand and some dump trucks and toys and Voila! A new sand table resulting in hours of fun for my children!

See more of the sand box from underbed storage.

~ Vancouver Storage & Movers, Vancouver

Ekby Valter lamp

Materials: IKEA EKBY VALTER bracket, IKEA HEMMA cord, set drill. screws, plug connector

Description: Only one hole needs to be drilled, all other holes are already on the shelf bracket. Basically thread the cord, and connect the plug connector so you can plug it in the socket. And find a place where you can enjoy it. I love our lamp!

See more of the Ekby Valter lamp.

~ Petra, Budapest

Ikea Hyllis Shoe Storage

Materials: 2 Hyllis shelving units, power drill

Description: We needed a good solution for storing our shoes so that it wouldn't take too much floor space. Hyllis was just the right height and width but it didn't have enough shelves. My solution was to buy two of them and combine them to have enough shelves for our shoes. This way the there would be less unused space and we could fit our shoes in properly.

My slick Lack hack

Materials: Lack side table, metal frame

Description: For quite a while I've been crushing on side tables with thin metal frames/legs. I like the industrial-chic look, the juxtaposition of the warm wood and metal, and the fact that the streamlined design helps make any small space appear larger.

Since furniture stores where I live don't carry these styles, I decided to repurpose my 4 yr old Lack side table to create a similar look.