Vintage crate gets IKEA RAST drawers

Materials: IKEA items (2) IKEA RAST 3 drawer chests (plus accompanying hardware), 2 vintage crates, drill, wood glue, screws, saw, rubber mallet or hammer

Description: 1) Cut down the drawer parts (for four drawers or as many as will fit in your crate) to fit the width of your crate.

Less is More with Lack

Materials: LACK Side table on casters

Description: We streamlined our computer, TV, and high-end stereo system into one elegant system and wanted a simple, modern, unobtrusive way to display the amplifier and monitor.

The Lack side table perfectly fit the amp, is sturdy enough hold the 24"iMac, and has wheels so we can roll it away when not in use or position perfectly for TV or stereo use.

Faktum cabinets bed

Materials: 6 Faktum cabinets (2 80X58 cm, 1 30X58, 2 80X37, and 1 30X37)

Description: This is not a very new hack, cause we’ve seen many Malm, Stolmen or Expedit «structures» for beds here but I really can’t remember if I saw some with Faktum kitchen cabinets… ?

We used different depths of Faktum cabinets for this project. When you have small bedrooms, you are looking for any ideas that could provide place for storage, especially in a kid’s room, for both books, games, old clothes, new clothes etc… So, we first thought … Expedit, as often seen here…

But finally we chose Faktum cabinets, and the main idea is to provide a large depth, as deep as the bed in fact.

Billy-Benno library is the Ikea Hack of 2011!

First of all, a big thank you for voting. And yes, we have a winner! Congratulations to Chas for the awesome work on the Billy's, Benno's and miles of books. Chas' Billy-Benno library garnered 28% of votes, while Marloes' Rektangle vase bathroom wall came in at second, with over 23% of votes. A close fight to the end. The other favourite was Pippa's Skimmer soap dish, which pulled in 13% of votes.

This year's Ikea Hack of the Year kinda shifted things a little. No doubt, as some commented, repurposing/upcycling/whatever you call it is growing and does deserve a category of its own. Which may then leave "true-blue Ikea hacks" with a "purer" fight for the title. Definitely in the works for 2012. 

O'verlays for the winner !
Besides bragging rights, Chas takes home a $150 gift card to spend at O'verlays. I have a feeling that the decorative fretwork panels will fit in beautifully in their French country house.

If you're not sure what O'verlays are, check out the photos of their creations below and their website too.

See poll results.

Standing desk with "invisible" data storage

Materials: IKEA Lagan countertop

Description: I needed to improve my living room work place so I made a standing desk out of an IKEA Lagan countertop that I cut to the right size. The problem was that I needed room for four of my external hard drives and I did not want them to take any space on the desk and there weren't much other space I could use either. I did, however, have some space beneath the standing desk so I decided to hang them on the back of another IKEA board under the desk.

It turned out just the way I wanted.

~ Niklas Johansson, Stockholm, Sweden

Goliat drawer unit bench

Materials: 2 Goliat drawer units, thick foam, upholstery material, 2 sided sticky tape

Description: 1. Remove the casters from the 2 Goliat drawer units
2. Put them next to each other in a corner
3. Make a pillow case from upholstery material to cover the thick foam cut out to match the size of the surface of your soon-to-be bench
4. Make 2 similar foam cushions to lean on (back and side)
5. Stick the bottom foam cushion to the top of the drawer units with a 2 sided sticky tape to keep in place
6. Do the same with the other two cushions
7. Add an extra cushion or two for extra comfort and your useful bench is ready!

~ Marta

Spoka light controlled from Android phone

Materials: Spoka night light, Android phone, ATtiny microcontroller, bluetooth board

Description: It's about a simple idea: take a cheap 3 colours Ikea Spoka night lamp, hack it by replacing its original MCU and adding a cheap serial bluetooth device and then write a simple Android app to control the lamp remotely from your phone!

This is just the beginning, imagine the possibilities once the phone has direct control over the colours and their respective intensities. You can make it light up in sync with some music, you can make it change colours depending on some e-mails you receive or your Facebook status, etc. ...

Stereo holder out a CD/DVD wall shelf

Materials: LERBERG and wood

Description: The Lerberg can also be used to house a music system.

~ Gianfranco, Italy

Christmas candle holder out a CD/DVD wall shelf

Materials: LERBERG and glass or wood

Description: Make a candle holder from the Lerberg CD shelf and mirrors.

~ Gianfranco, Italy

Leksvik Pine CD Cabinets and Ikea Pine Shelves = Kitchen Cabinets

Materials: Leksvik Pine CD Cabinets + Set of 5 Ikea antique pine shelves

Description: 1. Saw off the bottom of both units to remove base.
2. Fix both to the wall.
3. Use a whole shelf vertically on the left (against the wall) to give a more finished effect.
4. Fit shelves screwing them from the inside of each cabinet.

The antique pine actually marries quite well with the oak of the Ulriksdal kitchen units.

Sorry about the mess in the kitchen. I'm not looking for a design award, just sharing an idea.

~ Annette, France

VIKA BRÅD STANDING DESK

Materials: The materials for this desk are 100% IKEA! One stop shopping:
1 x LAGAN Countertop (96 7/8” x 25 5/8” x 1 1/8”) - $59.00
4 x VIKA KAJ Leg, adjustable ($15.00 x 4) - $60.00
2 x CAPITA Bracket, stainless steel ($15.00 x 2) - $30.00
… and if you are just starting with a standing desk, get a barstool to take sitting breaks as you build up your tolerance for standing. I recommend:
1 x STIG Bar stool with backrest (29 1/8”) - $19.99
Total Cost w/chair (pre-tax) = $168.99
Time to build: 3-6 hours (once you have the materials)

Tools
Circular Saw
Drill (w/screwdriver bit)
Jigsaw
Pliers
Measuring Tape
Random Orbit Sander and/or sandpaper

Description:
Like other standing desk hackers who have submitted ideas, I had a sore back from sitting at a desk all-day and wanted to try a standing desk without shelling out $800+ for a geek desk, which is functional, but industrial looking. I wanted it to look good, and also wanted stability. I love the paper filled fiberboard that IKEA sells for desktops, but I really needed a wood worktop surface and a desk stable enough to free-stand away from a wall. It also had to be simple, so I could take it apart easily, bring it to my office, and reassemble it without much effort. My budget was $200.

Behold… the VIKA BRÅD (yes, I named it after myself):

Hacker help: How do I hack a table like this?

Description: Hi! I'd like to realize a hack from Ikea product to obtain a table like that in the photo. Someone has to give me tips to make it happen?

Thanks!!

~ Tiziana

Another Frosta Side table

Materials: Frosta Stool

Description: We needed something to hold our drinks while on the couch. We live in a small apartment so we didn't want a coffee table that takes up floor space. But didn't want to pay $199 for the STOCKHOLM side table.

I saw a few Frosta hacks on this site and I thought I'll do my own one. Only costs $14.99 (AUD)

Materials:
Frosta Stool
Cordless Drill
Drill bits

(No extra materials required. Just the frosta including screws)

Coffee haters Zorb lampshade

Materials: Regolit

Description: Instead of gluing on coffee filters, I sewed on muffin cases.

I used a running stitch around the support canes, quite loose. The muffin cases were scrunched up a bit, and I tried to avoid being precise.

The only tricky bit was that I had to wear a t-shirt to avoid getting my arm stuck/ sewn inside the shade.

It took about 400 muffin cases and about 4 hours.

~ Emma

DUKTIG bunkbed for dolls

Materials: DUKTIG doll bed, paint, metal brackets, material & stuffing optional

Description: Name brand doll beds for the 18in dolls are expensive. I had already found the DUKTIG bed to be a great deal. As the doll collection expanded, so did the DUKTIG collection. Short on space in a room that the girls share, we decided the dolls needed bunkbeds. The beds will not stay on top of each other on their own so we used a metal bracket.

1) paint pieces (optional)
2) lay headboard & footboard on firm surface & hammer the bracket into place securing the two beds together.
3) assemble side rails
4) you can use the bedding provided or you can spruce it up.

~*~*~*~*~ a more skilled woodworker could drill holes in the top of one headboard/footboard and the bottom of the other, then use a dowel pin to secure the beds together. This would provide a seamless look, and allow the beds to be taken back apart into single units.

~ Sonya, Virginia, USA