Monday, March 26, 2012

Upgrade your Ikea furniture- Ikea hack to the rescue!

It may not be the best quality of furniture, but Ikea does have a few benefits to offer when furnishing your home- their prices are amazing, most items are easy to assemble... and did I mention their prices? That's probably why Ikea is one of the world’s most successful retailers, with more than 220 stores
spanning 35 countries. In 2007 their stores saw more than a half billion visitors and they purchased over 22 billion in furniture and accessories. I guess it's safe to say that Ikea is not going anywhere anytime soon. SO, what's a designer to do? Well, there's beauty to be had in everything... and if you can't find it, why not make it? Enter the Ikea hack!!!

There are quite a few sites that tackle hacking (or reinventing) Ikea furnishings, whether through embellishment, replacing pieces from knobs to legs or chopping them up altogether to create an entirely different piece. Homeowners, DIY experts and crafters have become quite creative with beautifying this Swedish top seller's wares. There are even new online retailers dedicated to DIY fixes specifically for their pieces. Pretty Pegs is one of them. Their idea is simple. Fun legs for your sofa or bed in any color and exciting styles. Create drama with the bunchy style of Astrid in a bold orange or add whimsy with a touch of Beyonce's ballet heels (as seen in her video Green Light). While facing the sofa, they appear to be just minimal black legs, yet walk to the side and see a funky DIVA shoe... Too fun!

Astrid orange legs found at www.prettypegs.se
 
Give the Green Light to your Ikea sofa with these fanciful ballet shoe style legs, also from Pretty Pegs.

Bemz is another great site dedicated to remaking your Ikea furnishings by incorporating their slip covers into your decor. Ikea offers a very limited, if any, selection of covers for their upholstered pieces. Many styles come in only one color. Enter Bemz and their wide range of covers for everything from sofas and chairs to reinventing their casegoods with slip covers for bed frames... Genius!
 
I love this take on industrial vintage by bemz.com

Not enough for you? There are entire blogs dedicated to hacking your Ikea furnishings. One of the largest is www.ikeahackers.net, where homeowners can post their successful hacks, complete with photos and directions. I found lots of fun projects here, including this denim Lack table redo.
 
 
I love the embellished Malm 3 drawer dresser on the far right. Simple and stylish.

There are even some daring repurposed items, such as these rectangular vases being used as bathroom walls... Look at this!
 

 
Another great hack from ikeahackers.net, using the Rast dresser. Perfect for a boy's room.

There are SO many pieces of furniture that can have a new life, with just a little bit of creativity (or even borrowed thoughts from others online). Yes, Ikea furnishings are considered by many to be the poor man's version of decor, but one or two pieces restyled and mixed in with a room's decor can be just as brilliant as having a high end room with nicely appointed decor and a fantastic $20 vase from Homegoods in the mix. Do it well and no one will ever know. Do it even better, and you'll be dying to share!

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