Breakfast bar/home office desk

Materials: AKURUM kitchen wall cabinet + LINNMON table top + cover panel

Description: We needed a dining table and home office desk in a very small area. Also needed storage space for office that wouldn't look cluttered.

Bought AKURUM kitchen WALL CABINET in the wood finish that matched existing furniture. We chose the 30" high X 39" wide cabinet and assembled it and sat it on the floor as the base of the table/desk. We could have bought short legs or built a base to raise it up higher, but chose not to because our existing stools were the right height to leave it as-is.

If you want to install doors to hide the shelves, you WILL need legs or a base for it so that the bottom edge of the doors will be off the floor. This wall cabinet has many holes pre-drilled for adjustable shelves so we bought 2 pairs of shelves that fit the entire width and installed them where we wanted (pegs are included with shelf purchase).

We bought a "cover panel" from the selection of cabinet doors and cover panels that also matched the existing furniture - we glued that on the back side of the cabinet since that side normally mounts on the wall and is not "finished".

There are several finishes to choose from. In order to be the right size, we bought one that had to be turned sideways and then we sawed off one edge that would be up against the wall, so it didn't need to be a "finished" edge. There are several sizes of wall cabinets and several sizes of doors or cover panels, so find the size and color you want.

Next, we found a LINNMON table top in black-brown that matched our stools (several colors are available). The size we choose for our space was about 24" X 48" and we placed that on top and positioned it where we wanted (a little more overhang on one side worked for us).

We attached it by drilling up through the top of the "cabinet" with wood screws. You can't see in the picture, but for an added effect, we installed a strip of Ikea's LED lights under the overhang on the finished side of the breakfast bar/desk. Perfect for home office and perfect for dining - fits in a very small space and the shelf contents stay hidden from view.

~ Rebecca & Manny, Orange Co. CALIF

Read More »

Bar Cabinet from wall cabinets

Materials: Akurum wall cabinet frame, 30"w x 39"h, Perfekt wine shelf, 9"w x 39"h, (2) Lidi glass doors, (2) glass shelves (comes in a pack of 2 already), Cabinet door hardware, Cabinet door dampers, (3) Boholmen cutting boards, Dioder LED 4-piece strips, Some extra hardware from the spare parts As-Is department, Satta Door Handles in the aqua color, (6) 4" Capita legs, Wine glass rack

Description: 1) Assemble Akurum wall cabinet frame as instructed. Assemble Perfekt wine shelf as instructed.

2) Use the male/female bolts you found in the as-is spare parts section- you're looking for 4 bolts no longer than the two frames together (so about 3/4" to an 1") and the size of the already pre-drilled holes in the frame. Line up your two cabinets and clamp together (or recruit friends to hold tight). Drill through the pre-drilled shelf holes in the Akurum frame into the Perfekt frame; two in the top and two in the bottom. Make sure you don't use a hole that the door frame hardware will need - we ended up going 3 holes from the top and bottom to clear those. Attach the two cabinets with the male/female bolts.

3) Attach the 6 legs to the bottom corners of the Akurum cabinet and the outer corners of the Perfekt cabinet.

4) Attach the doors as instructed onto the Akurum cabinet, and add the door pulls where desired.

5) Install the wine glasses rack in the top of the cabinet, place Dioder lighting as desired. I used the holes in the top of the cabinet to string the lighting through the back and not have visible wires. Tape wires in place on back, and Velcro the Dioder remote to the side of the cabinet for easy accessibility.

6) Determine how much you want your butcher block top to overhang - measure and cut your boards to fit, keeping two edges rounded on either end if desired.

7) Glue and clamp your cutting boards together, following glue instructions (I used Gorilla Glue).

8) Sand the entire top smooth, especially around seams. Oil the cutting boards to ensure any water won't warp the top of your bar.

9) Clamp top in place where you want it, and screw into place from top of Akurum cabinet. This is more to keep from moving than for strength, so large screws are not necessary.

10) Place glass shelves in cabinet and fill!

See more of the wine cabinet.

~ Cindy, USA

Read More »

EXPEDIT Back Bar WIne Display

Materials: EXPEDIT 4x4 (2)

Description: We decided to remodel our back bar display and wanted shelving that would display our red wine selection and also fit into the space we currently had available. To achieve this i purchased 2 4x4 Expedit shelving units.

In order to achieve the correct size most individual pieces had to be cut to size. An L shape also had to be cut out of the bottom to fit around the existing back bar structure. I used blocks of pine wedged and glued to the inside of the thicker outside edge pieces once they had been cut to reinforce. A few brackets also came in handy to secure the seams of the outer edge pieces.

Once assembled it was slid onto the back bar and thankfully fit perfectly.

~ Brendan Hough, Sydney AUS

Read More »

LACK/MONGSTAD/BESTÅ bar

Materials:
IKEA BESTÅ shelf unit (201.021.54)
IKEA BESTÅ shelf unit (501.021.57)
IKEA BESTÅ black glass top panel (901.965.35)
IKEA BESTÅ VARA glass door (701.785.80) x2
IKEA INREDA drawer without front (901.812.23)
IKEA BESTÅ… VARA drawer front (501.473.73)
IKEA INREDA bottle rack (901.965.21) x2
IKEA INREDA mirrored glass shelf insert (501.965.42)
IKEA DIODER LED light strip set (501.923.65)
IKEA MONGSTAD mirror (000.815.91)
IKEA LACK wall shelf (401.037.51)
The Container Store oak undercabinet stemware rack (390040) x3

Description:
After spending over a month shopping around for bar furniture and not finding any one piece that was "just right," we resolved to hack together our own. We had started off thinking about doing another EXPEDIT bar, but after walking around the IKEA showroom, inspiration struck and we put together this LACK/MONGSTAD/BESTÅ bar.

We assembled the BESTÅ shelf units and put them together to form a three-wide unit. Before doing anything else, we realized we had to put in the DIODER lights because we wouldn't have any other way to do so once it was wall-mounted. We put a hole in the middle unit where the drawer would later be so that we could string through and hide the lighting control in the drawer. The shelf units with lights were mounted on the wall with the top about waist high.

We then installed the mirrors in the middle unit, followed by the bottle racks, and then the drawer. Next, we put the glass shelves into the side units and then installed the doors. We ended up not using any of the wooden shelves that came with the BESTÅ.

The LACK shelf was the next thing to be mounted. The oak stemware racks from The Container Store were the nicest racks we could find, and the color provided a nice contrast against the black-brown of the rest of the bar. One of the racks had to be trimmed to length so that the three could fit within the span of the shelf. We pre-drilled the holes to mount the racks into the bottom of the shelf before putting it up, since the holes to mount the LACK to its bracket would be blocked by the racks. Once the shelf secured to the wall, we finally mounted the racks to the underside of the shelf.

Finally, the MONGSTAD mirror was hung in place between the LACK shelf and the BESTÅ… shelves. With everything hung and mounted, we finished off the bar with the black glass panel, which provided a nice surface for our bar.

We're thinking about applying a decal to the mirror (perhaps Guinness or Johnnie Walker) to really give it that pub feel. Now to stock it!

~ R Truong

Read More »

Hacky New Year EXPEDIT Bar!!!

Materials:
IKEA EXPEDIT 2x2, 1x5 and desk extension
Ikea Expedit Desk add-on
Undercabinet Stemware Rack
Wine Bottle Racks (2)
Aluminum Channel
Plastic speaker port
Anthropology brass pulls (5)
Rigid Casters (4)

Description:
We hacked together a mini-bar for our office holiday party and beyond. Here's how we did it. Cheers!!

1) I used a 2x2 and a 1x5 to create an-extra long counter top for the bar, and an EXPEDIT desk add-on as a moveable door/surface combination. The idea was to allow the bar to take on different looks depending on where the moveable door was positioned.

2) I cut a continuous channel into the top of both EXPEDITs. We laid length of aluminum track from Home Depot into the channel. The channel is set a few inches in from the outermost edges of the EXPEDITS so that it'€™s not visible from the sides.

3) The rolling cabinet door is basically an inverted L, with inset casters rolling along both the floor and inside the aluminum track.

I cut the edge of the EXPEDIT desktop to a width of 11-3/8"€œ, to be 4" shy of the back edge of the EXPEDITs. This left a 4" surface along the length of the bar to display bottles without blocking
the track.

I also cut out a recess in the underside of the desktop in order to mount the first set of casters.

4) Next, I cut the bottom end off the vertical support of the desktop to reveal the cardboard honeycomb inside. I removed enough honeycomb to insert a 1" x 2"€ pine strip into the hollow frame. I attached the casters to the pine strip and mounted it inside the cut end of the desk - deep enough so the wheels would the floor without being seen.

I used Gorilla Glue to affix pine blocks into the channels for the other casters and the aluminum track, since the EXPEDIT is too hollow to screw into otherwise.

Now the fun part...

5) I cut a hole through the top of the EXPEDIT 2x2, and lined it with a 4" speaker port. Easy ice access, and it'€™s the perfect size to let a bottle chill for awhile. A last-minute brainstorm was to turn an EXPEDIT door Insert on it'€™s side so that we could pull it down to open, slide in a small trash bin as an ice bucket, and voila!

6) For the finishing touches I added two J.K. Adams 12-Bottle wine racks because they fit almost perfectly in the square compartments of the EXPEDIT. I had to sand the outside edges down a little and pounded them in with a rubber mallet - no glue necessary! They came unfinished, so I sprayed them black. I did the same with an under-cabinet stemware rack from The Container Store, then Gorilla-Glued it in.

I use Rosewood PANYL, which is one of my favorite combinations with the Black-Brown EXPEDIT finish. Lastly, I took the woodgrain theme even further with some petrified wood pulls that were being closed out at Anthropology.for $2.99 each.

Total Time: 6 hrs

Total Cost:

EXPEDIT 2x2, 1x5 & desk add-on - $150
Aluminum track, casters, wood - $40
Speaker port - $6
J.K. Adams wine racks - $54
Container Store stemware rack - $30
Anthropology pulls - $15
PANYL - $35

TOTAL - $330

~ PANYL, NYC

Read More »

Breakfast Bar with lot of storage space

Materials: VIKA AMON, EXPEDIT, CAPITA

Description: Step 1: add wheels to the Expedit unit
Step 2: screw Capitas on Expedit
Step 3: screw Vika Amon with Capitas

Budget: bar + stools (from amazon) $250

Make sure to choose wheels with brakes for obvious reason.

~ Pierre, San Francisco

Read More »

EKBY MOSSBY wine rack

Materials: EKBY MOSSBY, EKBY BJARNUM, thunder group 10" chrome wire glass rack

Description: I needed a wine rack, but since I live in an apartment I had no room for a standing bar. All the hacks were of standalone bars or under cabinets and my cabinets were too low to hang wine glasses. And everything online was either too small or very pricey.

So I purchased a Ekby Mossby, held it up with the Ekby Bjarnum brackets and drilled in 10 chrome wine glass wire hangers. As you can see in the picture it fits my wall perfectly. Enjoy.

~ J M

Read More »

Wine+Liquor Bar

Materials: Ikea Expedit Wall Shelf, Inreda, Capita, Dioder

Description: 1. Follow step 1 of the Expedit instructions and attach the top of the shelf to one side.

2. Add 2 Inreda racks to the top (underside) of the Expedit shelf.

3. Add the bottom and other side to the Expedit. Leave out the center shelf for a clean, modern look-and-feel. This also allows for plenty of room for a tall wine rack at the bottom.

4. Add the Capita legs to the bottom. I screwed these into both the sides and the bottom piece for extra support.

5. For the half-backing, I used leftover backing from a Billy bookcase. It is wood veneer with cardboard in-between and I cut it to size with heavy-duty scissors. Alternatively, you could use the extra shelf (from step #3) and cut it appropriately.

6. Add a single Dioder strip to the inside top of the shelf (flush with the backing). To hide wires, attach the transformer to the bottom and run wires along the back side (see picture)

7. Lastly, add the alcohol and enjoy :) !!!

Note: the wine rack and top serving tray are both from Target.

~ Aaron, Portland, OR

Read More »

Expedit/Cubes Bar table

Materials: Expedit Shelving Unit, Capita Brackets, 3 Way basics Cubes (non-Ikea), Vika Glasholm table top

Description: This table was inspired by other Expedit Bar table hacks posted on this website.

I first secured the capita brackets to the glass top with epoxy and then to the Expedit shelving unit.

I was going to use vika series leg for the other side, but since there was none that could extend to this height, I replaced the right sides with 3 Way Basics cubes stacked together.

I also installed the INREDA glass rack on one of the Expedit unit to put my wine glasses. :)

~ SAK

Read More »

Closet isn't LACKing anything as a Bar

Materials: 4x4 Expedit, Lack shelves, Hutten, Counter lamps, wine glass holders

Description: Not the first Expedit bar hack, but hopefully you all will still appreciate our interpretation....

Our old place had a multipurpose room we converted into a dining room. The closet wasn't really being utilized, and looked strange with dated bi-fold doors so we stripped it down and converted it into a dry bar.

Using an Expedit and Lack shelves, we create the base layout for our bar.

(I drilled a couple extra holes into the LACK metal frame to line up with extra studs and used some extra strength butterfly anchors where there was drywall. I knew the liquor would add up in weight, so I wanted them to be strong.)

I cut down two Hutten 9-bottle wine racks to fit in the Expedit.

Added few wine glass holders,glass chess boards and shooters,and under mount lighting (wires hidden and run behind the drywall) with a foot switch by the corner. I had to pull power from an outlet on the same wall in the adjacent room. I had always wanted to throw in a proximity sensor for the lights but never got around to it.

Best part is that it was fairly simple to take apart and bring with us when we moved, however, I haven't had a chance to put it back together again yet.

~ aingco, Canada

Read More »

Kitchen cabinets as a bar

Materials: FAKTUM, PRÄGEL, HÄRLIG, PERFEKT APPLÅD

Description: We built out own bar with FAKTUM kitchen wall cabinets, since they aren't as deep as regular cupboards. This bar is 120 cm wide, and we found four already used 30 cm cabinets for a fourth of the regular price at the store, at the "bargain corner" (don't know what that's called in English..).

Then we used a regular countertop (PRÄGEL)and PERFEKT APPLÅD (for high cabinets) cover panel for the side of the bar.

For the front we used two 60x125 HÄRLIG doors since they were cheaper than a cover panel that size. Since the bar uses regular FAKTUM legs it's exactly 125 cm high, so the doors were perfect in size.

The countertop is deeper than the cabinets and we let it "hang over" the front edge about 20 cm. Under that we placed LED lights to make that cool light effect.

As you can see the cabinets are perfect for a bar since the shelves are adjustable in height, making it easy to make place for extra high bottles and so on.

Behind the bar we have BILLY bookcases with BILLY MOREBO doors with the nicest bottles, glasses etc.

If you do a bar yourself, don't forget to fasten it to the wall real good, people are gonna literally hang there all the time!

We're still thinking about getting some sort of doors or maybe a sort of curtain at the back side to hide the mess, but so far it's good enough.

~ Emmeli Hultqvist, Sweden

Read More »