Dog chair

Materials: Gulliver

Description: A stool for my dog King made of the Gulliver chair. A very simple switch and the stool becomes a dog.

~ Jo Klaps, Brussels

Hamster-Villa above TV

Materials: Bonde

Description: In my Bonde-furniture now lives our little Hamster "Hämpfelina". I took out the shelves and everything else. Then I fixed windows of plexi-glass and installed everything for a playful hamster-life! We have now a lot of fun to see the hamster run around!

~ Carola, Switzerland

Puppy Proofing for Small Spaces

Materials: Ikea Hol Storage Bench

Description: First things first, I must give full credit to the original version of this in 2008, but who completed the answer for my dog crate situation in 2011.

My partner were awaiting our new arrival (a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy), and we knew from the very beginning that we wanted to crate train him. But, as we live in a one bedroom flat, we didn't want to buy one of the huge metal crates that would look hideous in the corner of our relatively small living room. We thought about all sorts of options, and ended up googling 'innovative dog crate' into google and eventually found this fab idea on Ikea hackers.

We bought an Ikea Hol storage unit and when assembling it, we left off the lid and one end. We bought three small bolt locks from our local DIY shop and a piece of timber to reinforce the base. We screwed the locks onto what would become the front of our crate (two at the bottom and one at the top), and nailed the timber width-ways across the bottom of the unit.

Unlike the original hack, we decided not to nail the lid of the unit down so that it didn't come off, as by keeping it flexible we had not only a lockable crate, but also a puppy pen. 

To avoid the base of the unit becoming soiled/wet/wasting away/chewed, we stapled some spare carpet down, remembering to leave about 1 inch spare by the front of the crate so that the door can lock properly. We then covered this in a cut up plastic bag, which we stapled down on top of the carpet. This stopped the carpet becoming messy and acts as a waterproof layer in case the pup should tip up his water bowl/pee. We chose a strong plastic bag that was thin enough to be able to go over the edges of the base, and underneath so that any other fluid would flow out and not stand a chance of ruining the base. Finally, we lined it with newspaper for house training.

We are ecstatic with the results, and everyone who has seen the result cannot believe this is a dog crate. It fits in perfectly with the rest of our room, and as a result we bought the other smaller Ikea Hol storage unit to go with it.

This now acts as a coffee table/electricity hub which protects the pup from any cables/wires that were previously out on the floor. This was really easy to do by just cutting out a small section of the base before nailing it down when assembling it. It now houses an extension cable with a hairdryer, internet box, laptop charger and many more! We wanted a small lamp on top, and to stop the light from shining down into the box and revealing all the messy cables within, we stapled a square of canvas to the inside lid, which also stops any pens/post it notes from falling through the holes into the box.

Overall, it cost us:

£45 for the large Ikea Hol box
£18.50 for the small Ikea Hol box
£3 for the 3 hinges
£2 for the spare timber

A brilliant solution to our problem, and our pup likes it too - thank you Ikea Hackers!

~ Ruth, Cardiff, Wales

Cat Activity Center/Sleep Center

Materials: Ikea Expedit Bookshelf, carpet scraps, sisal rope, cat beds, toys, velcro, staples

Description: A while back, I saw a photo of an old bookshelf converted into sleeping compartments for cats at a cat rescue. It was old and dirty, but I thought it was brilliant. Sooo- I had the idea to buy a 4x2 Ikea Expedit bookshelf to convert into an entire Cat Activity Center. The beds, toys and scratchers are held to the shelves with industrial strength velcro so I can replace individual items as they wear out.

The carpet and sisal are attached with staples. I had two extra spaces when I was done, so I added some regular rope for them to play with and some self-grooming brushes. As you can see, the center is a hit with my cats (I volunteer as a foster for a cat rescue).

The best part, I got the Expedit second-hand from a neighbor, so the whole thing was MUCH cheaper than those cat trees you buy at the pet store.

~ Susanne Campbell-Vincent, La Habra, CA, USA

A rain coat for my dog

Materials: Ikea Frakta bag

Description: With an IKEA Bag I made a rain coat for my dog!

~ Francesca, Rome, Italy

Bunk Beds for Dolls or Kitty Cats

Materials: Oddvar Stool

Description: I took the legs of an Oddvar Stool, and two boards cut to fit inside, covered with a cushy fabric, and secured the boards to the stool legs. American Girl Dolls occupied for a while, but kitties soon took over.

~ Ingrid S., Ohio

Bed for your dogs

Materials: Klubbo coffee table and UNG Drill frame

Description:
1. Painted the UNG Drill frame white. Dry it

2. Pick a picture online and printed it off.

3. Cut out the picture to fit in the frame.

4. Take the table top and put pillow filler on the table top and cover it with your favorite fabric. Staple the fabric on the other side of the table top.

5. Place the table top property and screw it on the leg.

6. Make little pillows to go with it to make it look like a bed.

Completed!!

~ Micci Do, SLC, UT

PAXadies hamstercage

Materials: Pax wardrobe and doors, tons of screws, plexiglass

Description: As I have always been into little furry things, I wanted to give something back to my syrians. We decided, absolutely unselfish, to recreate the bedroom, so the wardrobe could be turned into a "cage".

In Germany, you often stumble across modified pax-wardrobes for hamsters, rats, cats, ferrets and lord knows what else, so I just couldn't help doing it... Or my father.

My father took the Pax and laid it down, cut out the inner parts of the doors an replaced it with plexiglass so we could watch the little rodents. He also added some kind of chicken wire on the short sides of the lower part as this was the only way to get some ventilation in there.

The floor for the upper part is made from one of the side parts, so we didn't have to buy a new board and left this part open for better ventilations.

Finally, the whole thing was called "Paxadies" and two hamsters moved into their new 200x55x50cm (~6.5x1.8x1.6 ft)home.

(And yes, my entire flat is furnished with Ikea-things. The hamster-home is placed on 3 little Lack-tables, which are now hidden behind some anno stra curtains, lit by orgel vreten and so on... :) )

~ Vyerny, Germany

Bookcase with scratching post and hammock

Materials:Expedit Bookcase, LACK Wall shelf, Shelves Carriers, Material from an old scratching post

Description: I took an Expedit bookcase and a LACK wall shelf to create a storage cabinet which also functions as a cat playground.

~ Siebrenna

Billy rat cage

Materials: Billy bookcase, some shelves, hinges, ...

Description: The cage of our rats became too small and we had problems with the old cage because of litter falling all the time. So I reused a Billy bookcase (because I bought a new bookcase) and I separate it into three parts: one part storage, one part for our young rats and a part for our adult rats.

I bought some shelves and put an edge of 5 cm attached with dowels to prevent the litter from falling. Finally I painted everything.

For the doors, I assembled boards with dowels and wood glue and I put the grate recovered from the old cage.

~ Laura V, Liège (Belgium)

Super Rabbit Condo

Materials: Gorm Shelving, wood trim, hook latches, hinges, staples, furniture tacks, steel mesh, galvanized wire


Description: After adopting our new English Lop, my husband decided to take on making a cage that would be functional with our space and give her as much room as possible.

We used The Gorm shelving system:
2 longer shelves (Width: 30 3/8 "Depth: 20 1/8 ")
3 shorter shelves (Width: 19 5/8 "Depth: 20 1/8 ")
3 corner shelves (Width: 29 7/8 "
Depth: 20 1/8 ")
9 Posts (Height: 43 1/4 ")


We assembled the shelving, and then attached steel mesh to wood frames using industrial staples and furniture tacks. He then drilled these frames into the Gorm in sections. We made door frames and attached the galvanized wire via staples. We attached the doors with hinges and latches. They open and close with latches.

We added a long ramp so she could run up and down to the second and third level.

Finally we laid down rubber on the bottom and covered all shelves with carpet.
The best thing is we can continue to expand it as she grows in both length and height!

Total cost about $150.00

~ Elsa, New Jersey

Borrvy lantern as a home for a wee beasty

Materials: Borrby

Description: We adopted a praying mantis female from the garden (before the frost) and were looking for vases to make into terrariums. We stumbled across the large Borrby lanterns - scoree! A perfect size, beautiful, and a much better access than a vase (door on the side).

A few modifications were needed, starting with removing the nail sticking up in the middle (I thought it would snip off but it required some dremel work).

Next was the "windows" which were are probably small enough to keep the mantis in, but certainly too big to contain her food (crickets) - so I glue-gunned mosquito screen from an old window on the side vents. I left the top level of vents open, and instead put a piece of screen across the entire access to the "attic" section.

A piece of cedar shim glued to the back wall gives a nice rough surface to climb on.

The tabs and slots construction left some large openings around the bottom walls, so they got a bead of caulking.

A piece of a plank became a base for plants and sticks, and a dollar store pot holder turned into a nice woven carpet.

Linda (the beast) seems lo like her new abode - she loves to hang out on the screen ceiling, and if we open the door she climbs out all over her house.

~ David d'Anjou, Montreal

Kitty Food and Bar

Materials: OMAR shelves, wine rack, basket

Description: We need a raised feeding station for our younger cat's food to be separated from the older cat's food. With little extra space in the kitchen, I thought that it would be nice to have the furniture serve more than one purpose. That's when I got the idea to stack the OMAR wine shelves over a set of plain shelves.

Measuring younger the cat, and the maximum known height of the older cat's jump, we placed the 2nd shelf out of older cat's reach, and 3rd shelf just high enough that the younger cat could fit in between. I used twist ties to secure the basket to the self, so the can't can't easily knock over his food dishes. I was happy to find that my existing dishes fit perfectly in the basket. Placed a mat over the wire shelf for kitty's comfort. I decided to use shelf #3 for liquor bottles, so I stacked the wine racks after the maximum liquor bottle height was reached. Wine racks were stacked as closely together as possible for an average diameter wine bottle. I ended up with one spare wine shelf that I couldn't fit on, but it still increased my storage space over my old 12-slot rack. Anchored to the wall at rack #3 and at the top.

~ Chris Wass

Another "Pretty Kitty Potty"

Materials: IKEA Lack, Sofia Fabric, Hammer, some tacks, Borris Doormat.

Description: Simply followed the Instructions of the Original "Pretty Kitty Potty" but instead of screens I used some Ikea Sofia fabric and attached it with tacks.

The mat inside is a Borris doormat.

I also added a "door". My kittys like dark spaces as you can see in the Pic. Look out for "Headlight-Kitty"...

I would have attached pictures from inside the tunnel but my cat jumped right on top of it and is now asleep there since 3 hours *lol*

I don't know if all the product names are the same because I'm living in Germany.

Thanks for the Inspiration Fraser.

~ Daniel Stevens, Germany

Effektively hiding a cat box

Materials: Effektiv: base with legs, add-on unit (high), door; Metrik door handles

Description: Cat box hacks are becoming so common on Ikeahacker that this hardly counts as a hack. I thought I'd send it anyway, since I haven't seen the Effektiv used this way before.

It's the classic story (unsightly litterbox, small apartment) with a twist: my cat is messier than average, so she uses a CleverCat top-entry litterbox... which is great, but bulky.

It turns out the Effektiv office cabinet is the perfect size for this behemoth cat box, with enough space left over for storing spare litter, and even an electric air cleaner on a shelf! It was also relatively simple to make, just needing two holes, one of the shelves cut in two, and some angle brackets to keep the shelf steady. I can even add another unit on top if I need more enclosed storage later.

I have new respect for your apartment hackers and their hacks. I had to call in favours from three separate friends to borrow the tools and workspace to make this happen.

~ David Perry, Ottawa, Ontario