ikea hacks.

I hope saying this doesn't get me de-registered as an architect, but I'm not completely adverse to Ikea. I'm excited by the idea of making reasonably decent, Scandinavian design accessible to the masses. The giants of early modernism were pushing a similar agenda, so it can't be such a bad thing, right?

The problem with Ikea (other than the fact that it's the world's scariest obstacle course on the weekend), is that all our houses start to become cookie-cutter Ikea catalogues. There comes a time when you reach Expedit-shelf-saturation and you feel you can't look at another repeato Ikea living room again.

Enter, these artful Ikea hacks which transform mass produced pieces into something more bespoke. Some of these are truly inventive, using Ikea pieces in unexpected ways and facilitating new ways of using the product. Admittedly, they don't all re-invent the wheel but in my opinion, they are all aesthetically successful and provide unique and affordable furniture solutions.

Image credits from top:
1. Vika Lerberg legs with top sourced elsewhere by Weekday Carnival.
2. Painted Prant storage boxes, clamped together with butterfly clips to create a storage wall. Image via Livet Hemma. I don't like to play favourites, but...
3. Expedit shelves hacked by Regina.  Regina's solution to storage in her compact apartment was to place the Expedit on wheels and create a series of roll out compactus units. So clever. Images via her blog.
4. Ikea Vika Lerberg trestle legs with pine boards. One board painted black. Image via Remodelista.
5. Byholma basket dipped in white paint. Full DIY tutorial found here.