{"id":23734,"date":"2024-03-15T07:07:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-15T07:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodhomesmagazine.com\/?p=23734"},"modified":"2024-03-13T14:51:30","modified_gmt":"2024-03-13T14:51:30","slug":"ikea-hacking-everybodys-doing-it-and-heres-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodhomesmagazine.com\/inspiration\/ikea-hacking-everybodys-doing-it-and-heres-why\/","title":{"rendered":"IKEA hacking: Everybody’s doing it and here’s why"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

All over the world known to IKEA (62 countries to date), people are IKEA hacking. On-trend DIYers are flipping their Swedish flat pack – reworking IKEA basics to turn them bespoke. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people want to make standard items look more bouji on a budget, some to customise pieces to match their unique personal style. Others are driven by more practical considerations: the need to make an item of furniture fit into a particularly awkward corner, or to store some random-shaped possessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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IKEA HAK\u00cfN<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you start digging into the world of IKEA hacking, the overwhelming feeling you come away with is awe at human creativity and ingenuity. Working with the basic building blocks of IKEA\u2019s most popular modular staples, such as BILLY bookcases<\/a> (140 million sold and counting) and the KALLAX storage system<\/a>, IKEA hackers are busy making their spaces their own in a million different ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IKEA hacking has taken on a life of its own, with TikTok accounts<\/a>, Pinterest pins<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook groups<\/a>, Insta accounts<\/a>, websites<\/a>, books<\/a>, YouTube channels<\/a>, Etsy shops and reddit communities<\/a> all dedicated to improving the world\u2019s favourite flatpack furniture.<\/p>

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It\u2019s not just ordinary folk who are innovating. In 2019, top designers contributed hacks to an exhibition called\u00a0IKEA Hacked<\/a>\u00a0at the\u00a0IKEA\u00a0museum<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0\u00c4lmhult, Sweden – hometown of the company, about two hours by train north of Malm\u00f6, in the south of the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The famous IKEA pencils were hacked into a chair as part of the IKEA Hacked exhibition<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Designer Daniel Saakes<\/a> showed his design for a large chandelier made from Lampan lights. You can find the instructions for how to make this on the Instructables website here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Daniel Saakes<\/a>‘s light fitting made from Lampan lights<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

IKEA FACT: <\/mark>The name IKEA was created from the initials of founder Ingvar Kamprad (below), and the names of Elmtaryd, the farm where he grew up, and Agunnaryd, the nearby village. He set up the company when he was only 17.<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad (IKEA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A great place to start exploring the IKEA flipping phenomenon is on\u00a0IKEAhackers<\/a>, the website of the queen of IKEA hacking, Jules Yap.\u00a0Jules has been running her site since 2006, curating the best IKEA hacks from around the world. Initially IKEA wasn\u2019t happy with her using their name for her site and went so far as to issue a cease-and-desist notice. But they saw the error of their ways and recognised Jules for the superfan she is and hacking as the ultimate\u00a0homage<\/em>.<\/p>

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IKEA FACT:<\/mark> The company sells a billion meatballs every year. <\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is an IKEA Hack?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jules defines an IKEA hack like this: “In simple words, it means the alteration or customisation of IKEA products. It could range from a repurposing, reassembly, upgrade, update, personalisation,\u00a0or the creation of something totally new.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2017 she wrote the definitive book on the subject\u00a0I<\/a>KEAHackers.net: 25 Biggest and Best Projects<\/a>. Recent hacks shared on her site include a design for an ironing-board on a wheeled storage unit<\/a>: perfect for any sewing room (built from J\u00c4LL + R\u00c5SKOG) and instructions showing how to convert a SM\u00c5STAD changing table into a desk<\/a> once it\u2019s no longer needed for its original purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IKEA FACT:<\/mark><\/strong> Sm\u00e5land<\/a> (small lands), the IKEA in-store cr\u00e8che, is named after the\u00a0historic province of the same name in southern Sweden<\/a>, from which store founder Ingvar Kamprad came. <\/mark><\/strong><\/p>

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KEY SKYLS\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are certain tricks that turn up time after time in IKEA-hacking: sticking storage boxes on side tables, turning pieces on their side<\/a>, putting wall units on the floor, hanging desk-top accessories on the wall, and using baskets as lampshades. Plus, of course, adding designer knobs and legs from companies such as\u00a0Plank Hardware<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0The Hairpin Leg Company<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also some key DIY skills you\u2019re likely to need if you want to do any kind of IKEA hacking. Prime amongst these is how to paint laminate-covered furniture so the paint doesn\u2019t immediately peel off. Perhaps predictably, the key is in the preparation: there\u2019s a lot of hard work involved in all the sanding and priming. This video shows how to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n