Ikea hacking iPhone style...

Materials: iPhone + catalog

Description: I wanted to picture Ikea furniture in my house before I bought anything.

Mainly for one reason: returning things is a pain in the ass.

So me and 2 friends hacked together an iPhone app that does just that.

It's called Ikea Now.

With our app, you can now picture popular Ikea furniture in your phone using the camera. We think its cool.

Get the FREE app here.

~ Andy Kim, Orange County, CA

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Accessorize, glamorize your IKEA with Parts of Sweden (FREE Shipping worldwide)

Pawfect legs!

Today, I am really happy to announce a collaboration with Parts of Sweden. They are a company founded by a group of Swedish IKEA enthusiasts and aims to offer unusual solutions and accessories especially adapted to Ikea furniture. Think of them as a companion to your local IKEA, an extension of your IKEA furniture options.

Okay, enough corporate talk. Onto the goodies ...

What I especially love are the Parts of Sweden products that make me think "Why doesn't IKEA make this?" such as the Divide X and Divide 4 for EXPEDIT. Talking about the EXPEDIT, they even have a stool that fits right into the cubby hole when not in use. Genius!

Also loving this Billy bar, which I think can double up as an occasional desk. Lift the drop leaf table up and  your poison disappears from view. 

[Free shipping details after the jump]

You'll also be spoilt for choice when it comes to stickers to personalise your IKEA furniture. Their Disney range is lovely, if you have Princess theme or a Lightning McQueen theme going on in your kid's room.

Hide clutter with these King baskets are made to fit the Expedit. Check out the doors too.

To celebrate our collaboration, Parts of Sweden is making their products very accessible with free shipping worldwide. You just have to click through to the Parts of Sweden site from IKEAHackers to enjoy this promotion. Sweet! Don't miss it.

~ Jules

All images courtesy of Parts of Sweden.

Disclosure: IKEAHackers is on Parts of Sweden's affiliate programme, which means IKEAHackers.net receives a commission for every completed sale on Parts of Sweden that comes  from this site.

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Cheapest & Most Expensive Places in the world to Hack IKEA

I've always thought IKEA prices were standard round the world and wherever you go the price for a BILLY is a BILLY. Nope, if you take a look at Idealo's price comparison research. From the results, it seems I should be moving to Poland, the country with the lowest prices for IKEA, with or without VAT.

Singaporeans and Australians, you've been paying the most for your IKEA fix. And my American friends, Portland's the place to shop IKEA.

The survey by Idealo.co.uk is an analysis of the prices worldwide of 40 popular IKEA products prices in 33 countries with an IKEA presence. Here are some of the highlights from the research:


Highlights for the US:
- IKEA Prices in Portland, OR (lowest U.S. sales tax - 0%) rank as the third cheapest in the world.
- IKEA Prices in Seattle, WA (highest U.S. sales tax - 9.5%) rank as the 17th cheapest in the world.
- IKEA Prices in Canada are 12% higher than in Portland, OR
- IKEA Prices in Portland, OR rank as the most affordable in the world relative to the U.S. economy.
- IKEA Prices in Canada rank as the 10th most affordable in the world relative to the Canadian economy.

Highlights for the rest of the World:
- IKEA is the most expensive in Australia and cheapest in Poland
- The Region of Asia (Australia, Japan, China & Singapore) has the most expensive IKEA prices in the world.
- The Region of the Americas (Canada, United States & Dominican Republic) has the 2nd most expensive IKEA prices in the world.
- The Dominican Republic has the least affordable IKEA prices in the world relative to their economy.
- Western Europe and Eastern Europe have nearly identical prices on average, despite the economic disparity between regions.

You can find full details here.

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The 2013 IKEA catalog is alive!

The IKEA catalog gets better. As of July 31st, the catalog itself will be an interactive product of the latest augmented-reality technology, with smart ideas, photo galleries and inspiration coming alive right before your eyes.

You'll need to download the IKEA Catalog App for your iOS or Android smartphone or tablet, and scan select pages to unlock the goodies. I can't wait to test it out.

Have you got the 2013 catalog yet? 

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Hack it with Zaarly

Over the years, I've heard from many readers saying how much they loved a hack but lacked the skills, space, time or tools to bring it to life. I know how frustrating that can be as I am no super hacker either. Well, fret no more. Enter Zaarly. You may have noticed  the Zaarly button on the top, bottom and first image of a post. So, what's it?

Zaarly is a marketplace that enables people to ask for anything from other people nearby. So, say you're looking at this nailhead side table and think, "I love this but I just don't have the time (or patience!) to whack those little shiny buggers in. If only someone can do it for me!" Well, your wish is Zaarly's command.

Just post your request on Zaarly and the amount you would be willing to pay for it done. A talented individual, expert DIYer or carpenter in your community can then respond to your request and voila! A few days later, you can sip coffee with little nailhead by your side.

But that's not the only thing that makes Zaarly a great idea. Besides getting the hack you want (without having to lift a hammer), you get to make new friends and discover the IKEA hacker next door.

Of course, it works in reverse too. You can respond to requests and make some dough on the side. I know some of you are just amazingly talented hackers who may be able to benefit from this new marketplace.

The only setback is, Zaarly is currently only in the US. They do have plans to roll out to other countries soon. So, like me, we've just gotta wait for it to come to town.

Watch this intro video for more information on Zaarly. Then give it a whirl.



Disclosure: I am an affiliate of ZaarlyAnywhere. This means I receive a commission if you complete a transaction with Zaarly.

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