New life for Old Poang!

Materials: Poang Chair, Fence boards, drywall screws

Description: Poang... That iconic chair from IKEA, what do I do when I see one on the side of the road that obviously has seen better days?

I throw it in the truck!!! I was looking at the frame and thought... I bet that could make a cool piece of patio furniture. So some light sanding, and cutting, and some cedar fence boards, Just cut the lumber to the desired width, and one by one screw them in with drywall screws. And voila a Poang Patio chair!!! Now to decide if I paint it or stain it...

See more of the patio Poang.

~ Rob, Burien, WA USA

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Sultan Lade Table

Materials: Sultan Lade Bed frame

Description: My wife and I had this crazy idea of making a table from these hand me down Sultan Lade. First step is to remove all staples and fabric supporting the frame. A leg was made from 2 wood slats, cut and connected together with screws and wood glue forming a narrow 70cm x 10cm rectangular frame. We made 4 sets of legs, 2 legs were connected by a full slat coming in between the leg frame, this will become the support of the table top made again from slats nailed and glued from the bottom

~ Marcus Isip, Dubai UAE

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Simple Lack Ottoman

Materials: Lack coffee table, Capita legs

Description: I love the new SODERHAMN ottoman, but right now is out of my budget (250 dollars for an ottoman? what?!) so I came up with this, which is basically another approach to a LACK/OTTOMAN hack you would find here, the only difference is that I used the 35" x 21" coffee table instead of the little one.

The instructions are the same as other ottoman hacks, the only difference is that I didn't use spray glue because the foam will stay in place when you staple the batting.

Costs:
Lack table $10 used from Craigslist
Capita legs $10 I was lucky enough to found them at "as is" section.
Fabric $15 (I got 1 1/2 yards, you can use the rest for cushions covers)
Foam $ 15
Batting/Dacron $ 8

Total $58

Now, if you live in US consider yourself lucky because I'm sure the material costs are cheaper than here in Canada.

~ Aurea M, Vancouver, BC, Canada

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Henriksdal's new look

Materials: Henriksdal bar stool and wool yarn scraps

Description: Pimp up your stool with scraps of wool yarn: wrap different colors of yarn around the stool and tie under the seat.

~ Rosandra

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Cat cubby window seat with Ikea Akurum Kitchen Cabinets

Materials: Akurum Abstrakt kitchen cabinets and Ikea red pillows

Description: Akurum Abstrakt 36" wide x 24" deep x 15" high cabinets, which would normally be used above a refrigerator, were placed on the floor on a 1-1/2" high base covered with a matching Akurum base kick ripped down to size.


Holes were cut in fronts of 2 of the doors in the corner cabinet and trimmed out with the iron-on Ikea trim strips. The 2 kitty cats in the household each have their own cubby space with red Ikea pillows inside the corner cabinets.

Additional cabinets of the same size are installed around the remainder of the room perimeter and topped with custom cushions and red Ikea pillows to make window seats with storage inside the hinged door Akurum Abstrakt cabinets.

~ Lynn Bichler Architects, Mequon, Wi

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Hacker Help: Sofa with built-in storage shelves?

Materials: unknown

Description: I'm looking to hack or build a sofa sectional with built in storage shelves on the side arms all the way to the back of the sofa. I think this has extremely hacker potential, anyone have suggestions?

~ Gus

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Riveting Ply PELLO Recliner

Materials: IKEA PELLO Armchair, Sheet of Marine ply, Pop rivets, Enamel spraypak (optional)

Description: My neighbour was throwing out a very worn and torn up Ikea recliner, but the bones were good and I just wanted to try and revive it.

With a bit of thought, patience and a good set of clamps I was able to clad the ply to the original steel frame with rivets.

In the middle I overlapped strips of ply to get the curve and strengthen the back similar to a closed venetian blind. There is also a single 10mm timber slat on the underside of the base to hold your weight.

I also wanted to inject some color so taped up the original timber sides and sprayed a bright orange over the rest.

Oh and you will need to to notch out the original arms to allow for the overhang of the ply or it won't go back together.

So for around $10 for the ply, $6 for the rivets I've got a pretty cool and comfy chair. Hope you guys like it.

~ Joe, Melbourne Aus

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From dining table to kitchen bench

Materials: BJURSTA extendable dining table

Description: when I restyled my kitchen, I converted my BJURSTA table into a kitchen bench. But you can also make this for the hallway near to your wardrobe, easy to sit on while putting on your shoes. In that case the storage under can be used for other shoes.

- for this bench you need the 2 small 30/90 parts (to extend the table)
- the four legs
- all screws and construction parts
- the construction between the tabletop and the legs.
- some other screws and 4 metal corners

1. Unscrew the whole table. Use all screws and construction parts again.(Remember the construction of the legs to table top, because you have to do this again).

2. Take the 2 small table tops. Deconstruct all parts and use the table tops only.

3. Saw the legs to the height you want. Saw them from the bottom, because you need the construction on the top.

4. Saw the construction between the tabletop and the legs in the width of <30 cm.

5. On one side the 90 cm length will follow the construction as it was. You can use all screws and construction parts as it was.

6. On the other 90 cm side you have to carve a new slot in the construction between the table top and the legs. This is easy to make with a saw and a carve. You know what I mean when you deconstructed the table.

7. construct the other side.

8. Construct the table top on the construction. (follow the ikea instructions!)

9. Construct the legs.

10. Saw four corners out from the other small table top, in order to fit between the four legs.

11. You will need other screws and metal corners.

12. To finish the bench I used an unused wooden winerack and two wooden boxes.

~ elsbeth dijkstra, amsterdam

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A Better Bench featuring Malm and Lack coffee table

Materials: MALM storage cabinet and LACK coffee table

Description: We combined a MALM storage unit and a LACK coffee table to make a bench with storage. To make this work we had to widen the coffee table by a few millimeters and flip the storage unit so that the lid is now the bottom.

The MALM storage unit and LACK coffee table are almost a perfect match. They are the same depth and the MALM is just a few inches shorter than the LACK table. The only problem is that the MALM is just a hair longer than the inner spacing of the LACK table.

Luckily the LACK tabletop overhangs the legs by a few millimeter on each side, so we could widen it just enough to fit the MALM. We carefully drilled out the mounting holes in the legs just enough so that we could slide them outward, making it flush with the tabletop. This created enough room so that we could just barely slide the MALM into place.

Flipping the storage unit was pretty easy, we just laid the lid on the floor and moved the sliders from the top of the cabinet to the bottom side. The result looks like they were designed to go together.

See more of the Malm & Lack bench.

~ Ryan Burns, San Francisco

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Hova goes Honeycomb

Materials: Hova armchair (1993, discontinued), painters tape, paint, fabric medium

Description: My aunt gave us an old accent chair she no longer had room for. It was 20 years old and from Ikea. My initial idea was to make a new cover out of a fun patterned fabric. The problem? I don't really know how to sew, so I'd either have to learn, or ask someone for help. My next idea was to dye it. That posed another issue: it wouldn't be patterned, something I think is severely lacking in the living room.

So I decided to try my hand at stenciling the slipcover with paint. I had already done something similar with a rug and I loved the results, plus I figured if it didn't turn out okay this time I could sew a new cover eventually. After checking out other armchairs out there I settled on a hexagonal design. My idea was to tape off all the areas I wanted to leave as-is (the lines between the hexagons) and leave the hexagons bare so that I could paint them.

I started in the middle of the armchair, and with painter's tape, I taped around a cut-out hexagon. I moved it around and continued to tape, tape, tape.

Once all the lines between hexagons were taped off, I started painting. The best thing about using the painter's tape method is that you can use a roller if you taped off everything properly. I used normal latex paint mixed with fabric medium. Unfortunately one coat of paint wasn't enough in most places so I had to do two. Once it was dry I sprayed it with Scotchgard to protect it a bit.

The verdict? Well, to be honest, I'm not sure. I really like the design, but the paint has more texture than I expected. I only spent 10€ on this - and I have half a can of paint left over. So, maybe eventually I will decide to reupholster it properly, but in the meantime, I can totally live with this.

See more of the stenciled armchair.

~ Ainhoa

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Kitchen cart and butcher block transform into bench

Photo: IKEA.com

Materials: Bekvam Kitchen cart, Numerar Butcherblock

Description: We scored the butcher block in the As Is section and my husband had the instant idea to finally make a window bench for our daughters room.

We also ran into the Kitchen Cart which was heavily reduced.

Here's how it worked:

The kitchen cart legs where shortened to the desired height, put together (without the top and the shelves) and just cut in half to create 2 leg sections.

Each half was used on either side of the custom cut wood top (butcher block) and attached with the hardware included with the kitchen cart.


Nothing was added to it besides one piece of maple board to finish of the front. Just two quick router cuts and the hardware from the kitchen cart fitted perfectly.

It fits like a glove and we had lots of fun reading, playing and relaxing on it already.

We've also created custom drapes using existing Ikea curtains and added their fun fabric as well as throw cushion and floor pillow.

~ Neat & Simplified, Canada

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Now you see it, now you don't potty chair

Materials: Stefan chair, additional seat panels

Description: My grandmother lives in an old house in Malacca, Malaysia without upstairs plumbing. I hacked the Stefan chair to build her a potty that looks like a regular chair.

It was quite easy, mainly because I stumbled across a bunch of extra seat pieces in the As-Is section for Singapore $1 each. I used them to make a raised section to hold the rim of the potty, a seat cover, and 3 panels for the side.

If I was to do it again, I would use a chair with arms, but Granny loves her new chair nevertheless.

Inspired by all the creativity on this website, I have done many other Ikea hacks over the years and will be submitting them soon, now that I have figured out how; in the meantime, many thanks Jules and do keep up the great work on this website!

~ mmscpsyh, Singapore

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IKEA Lack bookcase to bench

Materials: IKEA Lack

Description: Well, my hack was inspired by this site, I just wanted to share the result, as it is my first project :)

Used an IKEA Lack bookcase 1x4 bought from a used furniture local website.

As the shelf was pretty scratched and dark brown, which didn't match anything in my apartment, it needed repainting.

What I did:

- sanded it pretty well
- gave it 2 coats of white primer
- gave it 2 coats of white glossy paint
- bought foam, fabric for the cushion cover, cardboard and colored paper for the back
- to make the cushion I just first used an old bed sheet I had to make an inside cover, superficially sown by hand
- sown by hand the cover as well, it was easier than I thought and the result was better than what I expected :)
then slid the cushion in and tucked the sides inside
- for the back of the bookcase I cut the cardboard to cover the openings, decided on a chevron pattern so I printed one online, drew it on my colored paper, cut it with an Exacto knife and glued it on the white cardboard.

That's it.

See more photos of the Lack bench.

~ Julia, Montreal

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Ikea Lack Side Tables Turned Ottomans

Materials: 2 Ikea Lack Side Tables, 2 Yards Ikea Sofia Fabric, Batting, Foam Camping Carpet Pad from Home Depot, Spray Adhesive, Staple Gun, Hacksaw, Scotch Guard, and scissors of course!

Description: I made these inexpensive custom ottomans for my mom for Christmas to make her Ektorp sofa more comfortable for multiple people because although its great for one person, but add another and it's not quite as comfortable. It's difficult to really stretch out and relax. So ottomans were the perfect solution. Its not the most original Ikea hack, but effective and simple none the less, and I think they came out quite lovely! Not only do ottomans provide a place to put up your feet, but they also function together as a coffee.

First, line your table top up with your foam (I skipped expensive upholstery foam and bought a camping foam carpet pad at Home Depot) and cut along the edges with a sharp kitchen knife so that the foam is the same size as the table top.

Spray both the table top and the foam with adhesive and stick them together. Make sure the foam is on the top of the table. You'll need the holes on the bottom free to screw in the legs.

Next, lay the top onto the batting (foam side down), pull the batting over the sides and staple the batting on starting at the center and stapling one side and then the opposite side to making sure it is evenly taut. When you get to the corners, make sure you don't cover up the hole where the legs will screw in.

Use a hammer to make sure all staples are not sticking out and trim away the excess batting.

Cut your fabric to size and line it up so that it is centered over your foam. Staple using the same method used for the batting. To make clean clean corners, first staple down the side fabric, pull the fabric over the corner to the front, staple again, and then fold down the front and staple again. Hammer in any staples that are protruding and trim off excess fabric. I also coated them with a few coats of Scotch Guard to give them a little added protection.

If desired, cut table legs with a hack saw so that the ottomans will be even height with your sofa. You want to cut the finished end off so that you still have the hole to screw the legs on. I discovered that Home Depot wont do this for you because they are hallow and their machine might split them. But a hacksaw works great and with a little sanding, you can get them looking pretty nice and finished.

Finally, follow Ikea's instructions to screw the legs on and you're done! Now relax and put your feet up on your beautiful new custom ottomans.

See more of the Lack ottomans.

~ Genevieve, Newport Beach, CA

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Reverse Stencilled BEKVAM Step Stool

Materials: Ikea step stool; CeCe Caldwell paint; Dollar Store Wall Decals; Poly Acrylic

Description:
1. Pick a decal that you like and apply it on the stool.
2. Paint directly over them. I used two coats of CeCe Caldwell paint in a soft Kentucky Mint green.
3. Carefully remove the decals. With my fingernail, I gently push out any small areas where the paint bled under the decal.
4. I lightly distressed the stools edges after the paint had completely dried. Follow that with two coats of satin poly acrylic.

DONE! I really like the wood grain showing.

See more of the reverse-stencilled stepstool.

~ Kathryn, Vancouver, Canada

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LACK Footrest/Ottoman

Materials: Lack Table (Black), Curtains (2x2,5m), Foam, Nuts&Bolts

Description: There have been many hacks for Ikea Lack posted, but not many had the form of the ottoman that I was trying to achieve: slightly round on top, to look puffy.

You'll need two people for this hack, as one will have to pull the material over the edges, while the other one nails it on the back.

Get foam cut 3cm over the edges of the table, so you can form the rounding at the edges. I got the foam from Hornbach in 5cm thickness, but had to put 2 layers of it.

Challenging was to fold it in the corners, so the pattern doesn't get messy and we used here what youtube showed on how to fold canvas.

Then I made the holes in the material for the feet and got the feet cut to size (electric saw is of great help and cut all 4 at the same time, to be sure they will get same size).

The last row of decoration nails was put at 1am, which sort of excuses the lack of idea of drawing a line first, then nailing on this line to get them straight. Oh well, next time...

~ Josephine, Deutschland

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Custom Dining Booth From Bookcases

Materials: Expedit Bookcases

Description: We wanted to make a dining booth for our odd shaped corner dining room.

We bought 2 Expedit bookcases in the dark brown-black and planned on turning them face down and making "lids". Turning them sideways made the height better, we could always add baskets or bins in the holes. But then we got a puppy...so we left them empty.

We butted them together in the corner, put a vinyl upholstered foam cushion on top (easy slippage for butts) and stapled upholstered foam to the wall for the back.

The person who bought the house insisted we leave it for them (must have thought it was some expensive custom-made piece!)

Oh yeah, those are Ikea chairs too.

~ Laura G

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Princess throne

Photo: IKEA.com

Materials: MAMMUT child chair

Description: The backrest is made out of solid metal and polystyrene.
Been glued to paper (wallpaper paste). Then painted with acrylic paint color.

~ Jürgen Behrens, Wiesbaden Germany

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Prant becomes Alkov

Materials: 3x Prant boxes, 1 Alkov basket, cuphooks

Description: During our first Ikea hack we converted Expedit bookcases into a wall unit with bench seating. But with the Alkov basket being discontinued years ago, we didn't have enough matching storage baskets under the bench seating. Three baskets, just three baskets, I prayed ... many internet searches & shopping trips later and still nothing even close! Then we saw the humble, yet sturdy Prant box.

We first disassembled one of the Alkov baskets. The baskets are held together with metal screws, which made this hack possible. The front piece, back piece and side pieces would be used to complete the illusion that we have 8 matching Alkov baskets under the bench seating.


Using a table saw, we cut off 3/4 of an inch from the top of each Prant box (they are taller than the older Alkov baskets) sanded the cuts and assembled the boxes. Placed the Alkov back piece to the front of the Prant box, and marked the handle location. Drilled holes at the handle locations and screwed in the cuphooks - spray painted black first. I had 3 handles made from a local metal shop and they match close enough. The cuphooks were pushed thru the banana leaves, given another full turn and the new handles hung on the cuphooks.

The cuphooks provide enough resistance to keep the basket attached, however we placed a few Command Adhesive velcro picture frame hanging strips on the backside of the Alkov to prevent any side to side movement.

Repeat the entire procedure three more times, and voila it looks like we have 8 matching Alkov baskets!

~ Marika, Vancouver

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Tuneo de Torbjörn de Ikea

Materials: Chair Tobjörn of Ikea, wool needle, cotton thread # 5, inspiration

Description: I was inspired by embroidered red and I used the back of the chair mat as well and change its appearance. The drawing was invented on the fly changing in each row fretwork pattern.

See more of the embroidered chair.

~ Lo veo y me gusta, España

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