paul sent me his hack a while back and i almost lost this goodie in my very disorganised inbox. so glad i didn't because i really like the hacked headboard.
"this particular hack involves a metal ikea heimdal bed frame
(i can't find it on the ikea website). the frame was fine, but it definitely lacked the elegance and mid-century appeal i was trying to go for. well after surfing a few furniture websites, i came across the
tate bed from
crate and barrel. i like the look of the tufted headboard and the tight upholstery along the sides. so, i headed to the local fabric store (
joann's) and luckily they had foam padding and faux suede fabric on sale.
i cut the foam padding according to the bed's measurements and used heavy duty spray glue to adhere the foam to the metal frame. the hardest part was sewing up the faux suede fabric to wrap around the foam padding and bed frame. to make it look more tailored, and not look like it was just fabric wrapped around the bed frame, i sewed seams running down the sides of the faux suede fabric that would be used to cover the side rails.
the hardest part of the entire project however was measuring out how many squares to make, and to make each of them perfectly even on the headboard. on the back of the fabric, i used a straight edge to draw the grid pattern that would guide me in sewing up the fabric to create that seamed, tufted look. once i drew my grid on the back of the fabric, the next step was to create the seams on that are on the headboard. i didn’t want to cut each square out and sew them together one by one to create the seams running across the front of the headboard since that would have taken way too much skill and time. as a shortcut, i just folded the fabric over itself ever so slightly at each of the lines i drew on the back of the fabric and sewed a seam, using the lines i had drawn as a guide.
once the headboard fabric was all sewn up i wrapped the piece of foam that was for the headboard. finally, to finish the headboard, i took the same fabric to make buttons. joann’s fabric or any fabric store should have button making kits. i sewed the buttons onto the headboard at corners of the square seams. you have to used fishing twine to achieve this tufted look, because you have to pull the buttons down very tight to achieve that depressed, tufted look. my fingers were in so much pain from doing that many buttons because the foam was incredibly thick. lastly, wrap the foam and fabric tightly around the headboard frame and you’ve got yourself a great, mid-century inspired bed!"
bravo, paul. i could never be as good, nor as patient, with the needle.
nothing over the top but enough to make your mass-produced ikea item so much more personal and homely.
change ribbons in an instant!
i was so happy with how it turned out that i built a tv stand from some MDF i had cut at the home depot and four casters. i painted it with the one shot paint to match the wardrobe, and will eventually put a long door on the front that flips down with a lansa handle.
although it still is a work in progress, and not an extreme ikea hack, i think it turned out better than expected. if only i can figure out how to get rid of the gap between the two large doors."
"i want to know if anyone else has had difficulty ordering ikea merchandise through their online or phone services? i have had about five orders "mysteriously" disappear from their system. i have the email inquiries i've sent and i've documented the frustration on my blog in this post.
what you'll need for the hack:
the outlets of the power bar are oriented 90 degrees to the strip making power cord routing much easier. it was too long to fasten to the desk by the end brackets. the back plate was removed and two holes were drilled in it, corresponding to the screws holding the metal cross-member to the bottom shelf of the desk. the plate was affixed to the desk using these screws. the remaining part of the power bar was screwed on the back plate and the power cable threaded through the opening of the brace to the floor.
before each cable was inserted into the brace, it was folded over into a 10-15 cm bundle and zip-tied. for tidiness, the bundle should hang below the top edge of the brace. a gap along the bottom of the brace was covered by a strip of black duct tape while leaving the ends open.
i'm so happy to announce ikeahacker's first contest in collaboration with the good folks at arash and kelly. woo! can you tell that i'm excited?
1st prize: 
notebooks.
i cut the foam padding according to the bed's measurements and used heavy duty spray glue to adhere the foam to the metal frame. the hardest part was sewing up the faux suede fabric to wrap around the foam padding and bed frame. to make it look more tailored, and not look like it was just fabric wrapped around the bed frame, i sewed seams running down the sides of the faux suede fabric that would be used to cover the side rails.
once the headboard fabric was all sewn up i wrapped the piece of foam that was for the headboard. finally, to finish the headboard, i took the same fabric to make buttons. joann’s fabric or any fabric store should have button making kits. i sewed the buttons onto the headboard at corners of the square seams. you have to used fishing twine to achieve this tufted look, because you have to pull the buttons down very tight to achieve that depressed, tufted look. my fingers were in so much pain from doing that many buttons because the foam was incredibly thick. lastly, wrap the foam and fabric tightly around the headboard frame and you’ve got yourself a great, mid-century inspired bed!"
chocolate sundaes, anyone?
