A Sleek, Wall-Mounted Spice Rack

photo courtesy of www.casasugar.com

Materials: RIBBA picture ledge, DROPPAR spice jars

Description: I discovered this while Googling around this morning. It's a simple, but very effective hack to create a minimalist spice rack with a cleverly stenciled RIBBA picture ledge.

Makes me wish I had some wallspace where in my kitchen I could do this same thing!
See more of the Ribba picture ledge spice rack.

~ submitted by Rob O., Odessa, TX

Recipe Bar/ Planning Desk

Materials: Ikea Vika Annefors, Ikea Vika Amon, Ikea Capita Legs

Description: I like to cook and have amassed a large collection of cookbooks over the years. We had been looking for a way to make a Recipe Bar and/or Kitchen Planning Desk for a while, but we didn't want to spend a lot of money. This is where the IKEA as-is section came to the rescue.

We started with the Vika Annefors storage piece and simply elevated it to bar height by attaching Capita legs. Then we attached the Vika Amon tabletop. The tabletop was cut short to our desired length and then a 2x2 was used as a ledger board to secure it on the wall.

Ta-da! Instant planning desk and recipe storage! Thanks to the as-is section, we spent a grand total of $60 on this project. We still need to add some trim and finishing touches, but we still really really love it.

~ Heather Conley, Newport, KY

Varde Island with mosaic front panel

Materials: Varde, glass tile, grout

Description: My husband and I purchased a 1960's split level that recently had the kitchen revamped - but not in a style we liked. The original island was too small for the kitchen, looked out of place and didn't offer additional seating.

After purchasing new appliances, painting the cabinets and a trip to Ikea - our kitchen looks thoroughly modernized and we love our Ikea island!

The island is a VARDE base cabinet unit, which we topped with one of Ikea's oversized butcher blocks. Then I tiled and grouted its original melamine white front with the same glass mosaic tile we used as our backsplash.

You can't quite tell in the picture, but the butcher block top overhangs the base unit, which allows for three stools to fit perfectly underneath it.

Ikea products used in kitchen: VARDE cabinet, VARDE cabinet handles, NUMERAR countertop, GRUNDTAL shelving, and Ikea stools (that I can't find the name to).

~ K Lonnstrom

Base + Base = Tower

Materials: 2x kitchen base cabinets, Stat doors, Rationel drawers + dividers, Cover panel. Tools, electric drill and the usual suspects.

Description: The problem we had was in the house we moved into, the kitchen cupboards were all low down which meant bending and leaning into the cupboards to get commonly used items. A pain !

We looked everywhere for a cupboard to fit in the wasted space besides the fridge to no avail.

Then glancing through the Ikea catalogue, it occurred to us that we could stack two kitchen base units and fit them with drawers and shelves. A cover panel could be cut at the back and fitted to the top of the top base cabinet.

The cabinets were assembled and the top one screwed to the base by screwing through from the base cabinet to the top cabinet. As an extra precaution the top cabinet was fixed to the wall.

The top was then fitted with shelves and the lower cabinet fitted with drawers. We love the result and now we don't have to kneel to get things out of cupboards.

~ Paul Barton, Perth, Australia

Broder turns into kitchen workbench

Title: Materials: IKEA BODER, Koskisen Koskidecor (finnish birch plywood), IKEA BREDSKÄR etc

Description: Wanted to have a functional kitchen system which can grow easily on demand and has a flexible working height.

~ Bruno Schulz, Bad Kreuznach - Germany

Bekvam + Fullen Solve 3 Problems

Materials: Bekvam, Fullen, Ekby Valter, Saw, Drill, Rotozip

Description: My family and I recently moved to a new apartment. We brought with us a 3 year old Bekvam kitchen cart that simply did not work for our new kitchen. Rather than sell or throw away the Bekvam, I decided to make use of the wood and hardware.

Our bathroom had a sink mounted on the wall with no storage underneath. This was a problem for us, so I decided to go out and buy a new Fullen cabinet. Fullen's do not have tops, but the top of the Bekvam was just the right size. Using my Rotozip tool, I cut a large "U" shape out of the Bekvam top, sanded it down a bit and attached it to the Fullen using a couple of angle brackets. I finished it off by sealing the gap between the wood and the sink with white silicon.

There's an odd gap in our kitchen between a couple of built in closets/cabinets. It turned out that the two Bekvam shelves would fill that gap perfectly. Using a few mending plates, I attached the two shelves together at the bottom and then attached them to two new Ekby Valter angle brackets. After mounting them on the wall, we had a new home for our microwave.

I was left with the Bekvam legs, part of the top and the apron. Using my circular saw, I cut the remainder of the top into two rectangles, which became the new top and shelf. After trimming the Bekvam's apron pieces down to size, I attached them to the new Bekvam top using the original hardware and reattached the legs (which were also shortened by 6 inches). Using a band saw, I cut rectangular notches out of each corner of the new Bekvam shelf, stuck four old wooden dowels in the existing holes in the legs and rested the new shelf on top. We now had a new end table and cat perch.

Overall, I'm quite pleased with the results. I'll probably end up painting the table, but for now, it's fine as it is.

~ Doug

Island Getaway

Materials: Any Ikea Base Cabinet, Ikea Perfekt End Base Unit, Ikea Capita Legs, Any Ikea Wood Butcher Block Countertop (Lagan, Varde, Numerar), Wainscoting Panels

Description: Okay, maybe not, but with the money I saved on my kitchen island, I probably could have taken a nice little vacation. I turned an Ikea base cabinet into an island for my kitchen. First, I took a 21 inch base cabinet (the drawer front and door only cost a dollar each because it was discontinued) and attached a Perfekt base shelving unit to one side with some screws.

Then, to finish the back, I bought a package of $10 wainscoting from Lowe's and used liquid nails to glue them to the back. I attached Capita legs to the bottom and for the top, used a leftover piece of a Numerar butcher block top from my mom's kitchen. The whole project took only a few hours to complete and cost just over $100.

See more of Jen's kitchen island.

~ Jenspire

Shortened pot rack

Materials: Bygel rails, Grundtal hooks, pine planks, L brackets

Description: For 10 years, my Grundtal wall shelf served me well, holding all my pots and pans within easy reach while cooking. When my husband and I downsized to a much smaller apartment (and kitchen!), I realized that there was no place for it.

The space that I had to work with was only 2 feet wide - much narrower than the smallest of the Grundtal wall shelves. I had to improvise.

Using some shelves that I had built a year ago out of L brackets and stained pine boards, I simply attached three Bygel rails to the bottom, and hung the Grundtal hooks from the rails.

It's a simple hack, but the result is super. I have quick access to all of my pots and pans, saving much needed cabinet space!

~ Charity, Los Angeles

TV-bench for Henriks breakfast

Materials: BORGHAMN-TV bench, 2 IVAR-Cabinets white paint with STRECKET-Handle, VARDE wall cabinet, 2 VYSSA SLUMMER-Mattress for cot + SOFIA Fabric broad-striped

Description: For my son I needed a seat in our very small kitchen. I combined old and new IKEA furniture.

~ Bianca Reinecke, Hannover, Germany

3-in-1 Expedit Kitchen Counter

Materials: Expedit Shelf, Vika Amon Table Top, Capita Legs

Description: So my wife and I were setting up our first home, and it's a small but beautiful white box of a place with a minimalist excuse of a kitchen along one wall of the living room.

We figured we needed some sort of dining table, plus more kitchen counter space, space to work at our laptops, plus general storage... all without taking up precious living room space. What better solution than to use the Expedit bookcase on its side as a storage base for a kitchen/dining counter!

Sure, we've seen lots of hacks with Expedit shelves, Capita legs and various table tops, but I thought I'd just share the little touches that made this project extra special.

1) Ingredients: One Expedit Shelf, assembled. Check!

2) The underbelly of my Vika Amon table top. Note the asymmetrical positioning of the Capita legs, cuz of my cantilevered design!

3) Since I knew the cantilevered top would have to take a lot of stress, I figured that I had to secure the Capita Legs to the Expedit with more than just double sided foam tape. This is a closeup of how each Capita leg base was screwed into the Expedit. I had to chisel away bits of plastic to fit the screw heads. (The bits of 3M tape were just there to help me position the legs accurately.)

4) The metal cap hides the screws completely!

5) The penultimate step... just before popping the table top onto the plastic feet.

6)The gap under the table top is perfect for keeping our 2 laptops and with mice and cables away for mealtimes!

7) The table top floats away from the wall for more comfortable seating (no one likes to be squeezed against the wall). The resultant gap is perfect for keeping table-top accessories like utensils and tissues. Our Nespresso machine lives there now.

8) The finished Kitchen-counter/Dining-Table/Work-Station. 3-in-1! Completed with a few Kassett boxes and Stig stools. The open shelving lets light through to our kitchen, with space to display our books and knick-knacks.

Enjoy!

P.S. The curvy wooden thing is an stool I made as a freshman design+build project in architecture school. Cost me a bomb to fly that back home to Singapore from Pittsburgh, but it is so happy to have the place of honour at our dining table! (And it's way more comfortable than the Stig stools!!)

~ ucn, Singapore

STOLMEN in the kitchen

Materials: STOLMEN, MUDDUS table

Description: This is not a real hack, just a new use to an IKEA item, but since I have not seen STOLMEN used in the kitchen, I thought I'd show it to you.

When a whole cupboard full of plates fell from the wall, we knew we had to find another kind of shelf, that is not fixed to the wall. Also we were looking for a small breakfast table for the kitchen.

So we went to IKEA and found STOLMEN. The poles are fixed to the ceiling and the whole structure is really solid. I had always wanted a cookbook stand, and the STOLMEN shoe rack is just perfect. The clothes rail makes a good pole for kitchen rolls, I just fixed it with two of the many allen keys you get from IKEA.

In the future I plan to buy 2 STOLMEN hooks and 2 small metal boards, screw everything together and lay the clothes pole into the hooks (too short now.)

That the MUDDUS table fits perfectly between the two poles is an added bonus that we didn't plan. (Those things never work, when you plan them).

See more of the Stolmen kitchen.

~ Susanne, Antequera, Spain

Kitchen cafe counter

Materials: 2 tall Ikea cabinet doors about 6 feet found in the as is section for $12 each, 8 foot 3/4 inch metal tubing, angle brackets,woodscrews, saw, drill,hacksaw, level 6 or 8 plumbing fixture wall /floor rings 1/2 inch wood screws, Anchors

Description: Cut Ikea Tall Hard plastic coated doors to length sparing the factory edge for visible ends. One slightly longer for top shelf. Cut tubing to desired height for counter. Hold tube to wall and mark height. With a level, mark on wall shelf height. Attach 3 - 3/4 inch l brackets to underside of shelf with 1/2 inch woodscrews.

Stack all shelves and counter with wall edge lined up. Drill a small hole where you want the post to be through all shelves. Mount Rings on top of and under each shelf/counter with 1/2 inch woodscrews. Mount 3 or more 3/4 inch angle brackets on the underside of each with 1/2inch woodscrews

Mount counter to wall with screws as long as needed and/or with wall anchors. The Counter should really be secure as you will be leaning on it. the first post that you cut will hold the other end while you mount to wall. You might need a hand.

Now that your Counter is mounted to wall place a ring on the floor to prevent post from sliding. this can be secured with screws to floor or you can get a rubber non slip foot to put on the end.

Cut the next tube to height and follow same method as the counter . Mine does not go to ceiling but it could. Upper shelves have the finished side facing down so you don't see the large hinge hardware holes. After a few years of wear you can reverse the shelves and have a new surface.

The shelves I used had a hard plastic coating that seems to be fairly durable. My heights were based on the stools but you could use chairs. Also you could mount a wine glass rack under shelf or Computer keyboard tray under counter.

This was based on a $1200 designer unit I saw.

~ Scott Bourgeois, Vancouver

Mismatched kitchen doors

Materials: Faktum

Description: The video below explains what I did.

~ Pascal Anson

Ikea Spice Rack Hack - The Warli Way!

Materials: BEKVAM Spice Rack

Description: I wanted spice rack to match my theme in Indian Kitchen. Got it Painted Black and did warli Painting on it.

Warli painting dates back to 10th Century, found in Maharastra in India. It depicts the daily life of Warli Tribes.

See more of the Warli spice rack.

~ Anitha Murali, Dubai, UAE

Kitchen Island Beauty

Materials: Varde free standing cabinet

Description:
1) Took the Varde cabinet (great organizer, looks tacky from the back).
2) Added a shoe organizer at the end (so when we come into the kitchen from the outside we leave boots at the door, and grab slippers from the shoe organizer)
3) Covered the whole thing in 1/4 ply and 1 x 3 MDF trim
4) Painted
5) Installed new Ikea wood counter on top (removing worn out thinner one that came with the unit)

~ Jenny Moye

Tutorial - How to Make a Magnetic Calendar Holder

Love this!

Magnetic Calendar Holder Tutorial at Sew-Much-Better
"This is not a sewing project but did lead me to create the same thing with fabric but for now I will show you the paper version. I work at a calendar company and a customer wanted a holder that she could use on her frig. After some discussion this is what I came up with..." Read more

Tutorial - How to Make Talking Fabric Coasters

What a fun way to get the kids reading and talking!

Talking Fabric Coasters Tutorial at Creating My Way to Success
"I saw something similar to this sometime last year made with tiles - and thought I'd try it out with fabric!
First I decided to make some to use for daily family dinners. Now that both my daughters can read - they may add a bit of fun to dinner times!

I wrote the questions I wanted on the coasters - then printed them onto fabric using my regular computer printe..." Read more

When Ikea doesn't make a small enough cabinet

Materials: cover panel, plywoods or cabinet material, IKEA hinges, drawer track and handles

Description: The problem with this space was it was too small for a regular sized IKEA lower cabinet. She really wanted the space for baking sheets and bag storage. We had to custom build two side cabinets with door fronts made from the cover panels that are the same brown stain as the rest of her IKEA kitchen. We ended up using one side hinge drawer from another IKEA cabinet as a track that sat underneath the pullout instead of on the side like IKEA cabinets.

The cover panel was cut down to size and stained on the side that was cut. The cover panel/door was routed to fit the IKEA hinges.

We had the same IKEA handles added to the drawer. Now we have to 7" width drawers that look exactly like IKEA cabinets on the outside.

See more of the slim kitchen cabinet.

~ John Webb Construction and Design, Portland and Eugene, Oregon

Plastic Bag Trash Receptacle

Materials: Rationell, hacksaw, epoxy (optional)

Description: This little hack turns a Rationell trash receptacle into an interior cabinet trash holder that can reuse plastic grocery bags.

I used a hacksaw blade to cut at the red lines. Originally, I tried a utility knife but found the plastic was too brittle and had a tendency to suddenly split.

The plastic bag handles hook onto the little "nubs" left on each side and the handles feed into the little triangles at the top.

By cutting away at the body, it allows the bag to expand to hold much more. Optionally, I laid a little epoxy along some of the plastic bends to strengthen it up a bit.

Install it inside a cabinet and start reusing all those plastic trash bags you accumulate at the grocery.

~ Jeff Yu, Naperville, IL

Dead fridge goes Rationell (retrofitting old cabinet)

Materials: Rationell drawers, old cabinet, various tools

Description: After my built in fridge died we (me and my wife) bought a new one with no built in.
The cabinet of the fridge was a very interesting place for an Ikea hack.
I was inspired by this but mine was a little bigger.
We bought 5 rationell drawers.
The cabinet is 4 mm wider than drawers so we had to use a 4 mm plywood as a widener on the door side of the cabinet.

If you plan to do a same hacking and you want keep your existing door be VERY careful of the offset of the door when you open it.

That's all, now we are planning to do the same in the pottery cabinet.
Not so difficult but a quite longer (an entire sunday has gone).

~ Giacomo, Milan, Italy