ikea hack of the month - july

as cliche as it sounds, it is true that times flies when you are having fun. another month of ikea hacking has passed and it's time to vote the best for July.

my picks are:

1. the cheap yet chic stair lighting because i love its ingenuity and uber cool looks.
   
2. the i-was-once-a-teddy bear cam creature because it is cuter than its original form.
   
3. timtom's romantic palanquin bed because, well, which girl doesn't like romantic beds?
   
4. and, the last minute contender, the i-am-all-dressed-up-billy because i so want to do the same to mine.

click the buttons to give your nod.



previous hack of the month:
> june

easy lamp makeover with post-its

want an instant makeover for your ikea uplighter? here's a quick and cheap dress up trick from make flickr photo pool member neonarcade [via make]. "i dressed up my old ikea lamp with some leftover post-it notes," he writes, "just make sure you use a cool bulb, like a flourescent." link.



i like the ethereal glow, retro chic and of course, the quick but dramatic fix. nice work, neonarcade.

other ideas for lamps:
> make your own ikea dna lamp
> ikea fado pendant lamp at half the price
> cheap yet chic stair lighting

tags: ikea, lamp, lighting, post-it, makezine

unflatpack your ikea

aah, you guys in the uk have a good thing. unflatpack is a business that well, unflatpacks your flatpacks. you call them, place your order, they go to ikea, buy the stuff, deliver it and set it up for you. no manoeuvring of big clumsy carts. no queues. no blisters. ikea served on a silver platter. they will even fix up your furniture, if you give up diy-ing half-way.

some one, start an unflatpack franchise, please.

tags: ikea, unflatpack

dressing up billy

vanessa of la apartment therapy spotted this while browsing her copy of style at home, "they show a great way to dress up that blah bookcase. in the photo they purchased billy doors - attached small rods to the top and bottom of the inside of the doors (or you can use a staple gun for a quick fix), and displayed damask looking fabric in which they cut the fabric larger than the door to create a gathered look."


blah to babe in a wink. here's the link.

an otherworldly billy hack:
> make a coffin from 2 billies

tags: ikea, billy, bookcase, apartment therapy

hacking ikeahacker

voila! new looks.

i'm kinda hoping the tabs at the top makes it easier for you to browse. that said, i do know it's still kinda dumb navigation wise, because you'll have to keep hitting your browser's back button or the tabs to return to the category listing after reading a post. unfortunately that's the best i can do - cause blogger doesn't support categories. (sigh. i should've gone with wordpress.)

rant aside, i'm pretty pleased with it. except for the ikeahacker logo - which i slapped together using microsoft paint! it's bleeding inky blue as if i shot it. help, someone!

you'll also find new columns like the resource guide and ikea helpers, featuring complementary ikea services or products. i hope to grow this list. if you sniff anything interesting or useful, drop me a line.

so this is the new look. test run it a bit for me, will ya? and squeal on any kinks. suggestions for new columns, categories, are also welcomed.

and yes, thanks andreas and gecko&fly for the template design. love your stuff.

tag: ikeahacker

timtom's trio: #3 romantic palanquin bed from tupplur blinds

the third in timtom's series - a beautiful peekaboo bed.

"we also have a 'palanquin' bed. it's the fairy-tale kinda bed, with curtains, but I always found curtains were a bit too ... well fairy-tale-ey. so we replaced the curtains with two ikea 'blinds strips' (also tupplur, these are long pieces of fabric of about 60cm wide and 2m long you are supposed to use for these übercool sliding blinds), which I weighted on each end with some metallic bar. the electric lanterns add to the romantic touch.

not some very mind-twisting hacks, but I'm quite happy with them. life without ikea would be only half the fun."

nice. tupplur blinds, we think, are no longer in production. but enje blinds would work just as well for this hack.

the trio
> #1: tupplur home cinema screen
> #2: movable dvd player storage

tags: ikea, bed, palanquin, blinds, timtom

timtom's trio: #2 movable dvd player storage

the second in timtom's series - a movable feast for the eyes.

"i had to place my projector and dvd player on a movable support, since our living room is a bit too wide and the projected image was larger than my screen. so we have to move the projector forward a bit before enjoying a movie. I chose the bekvam kitchen cart for this. I just added an extra shelf so that the projector is at an optimal height, plus it makes just enough room for the dvd player on the middle shelf, which makes it quite a neat fit.

i still have room on the bottom shelf to store some stuff. power cord and stereo connections to my hi-fi system run from the cart to the wall (with some reserve in length), into a cable canal so they become invisible. curtains made from fabric we brought back from india complete the setup by hiding (and protecting) the electronic equipment when not used."

smart move, i say.

the trio
> #1: tupplur home cinema screen
> #3: tomorrow

tags: ikea, mobile dvd storage, timtom