Skip to main content

IKEA releases furniture add ons for people with disabilities

This is the kind of hacks from IKEA that got me cheering. Just simple add-ons that make their furniture so much more accessible.

Couch leg extenders, extra large light switches, easy grab handles may not appear like jaw-dropping hacks but they make IKEA products more usable by people with disabilities.

The add-on products are designed to fit at least one popular IKEA product. IKEA Israel has offered them as free downloads, accessible from anywhere in the world. With the files, you can then 3D-print them at home or at a local 3D printing hub.

Let’s take a closer look at ThisAbles furniture add-ons

Sofa lift with leg extenders

IKEA ThisAbles furniture add ons accessibility for people with disabilities

A sofa leg extender for the KARLSTAD sofa. Slip them over the regular KARLSTAD legs and they raise the sofa height making it easier to get up from.

Mega Switch to turn on or off

IKEA ThisAbles furniture add ons accessibility for people with disabilities

Slip a larger printed switch over the existing push button to make it easier to hit the on-off button.

Easy grip for shower curtain

IKEA ThisAbles furniture add ons accessibility for people with disabilities

Curtain Gripper makes it easier to grab and draw wet slippery shower curtains.

Large handles for PAX wardrobes

IKEA ThisAbles furniture add ons accessibility for people with disabilities

Easy Handle allows PAX wardrobe doors to be opened with the forearm, instead of fingers.

Bedside hooks for cane
IKEA ThisAbles furniture add ons accessibility for people with disabilities

Cane By Me are genius hooks that can be fastened on the bed frame and allow a walking stick to be kept close to the user.

A few others in the ThisAbles accessibility designs are:

  • Friendly Zipper — Attach the extra large ring to any zipper to make it easier to zip and unzip
  • Glass Bumper — Fix onto glass doors at the height where they might be hit by a wheelchair
  • Insider — Insert this angled mirror into high shelves so that their contents can be seen from below

Watch the entire ThisAbles product playlist here and visit ThisAbles website for the full list of accessibility furniture add-ons.

Well done, IKEA Israel. May I suggest, in time to come, these furniture add ons be added as actual products (or a print-on-demand service) in all IKEA stores? 3D printing is still not as easy or affordable in many countries. Let’s go all the way to create a better everyday for the many people.

 

The post IKEA releases furniture add ons for people with disabilities appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hackers Help: How to attach headboard to ESPEVÄR mattress base?

I’m trying to figure out if a headboard can be attached to an Espevar Mattress Base , and how to accomplish that. I’m looking at a standard metal headboard (because I just prefer the look of curved metal to what IKEA offers) and am not interested in a slat base with just a mattress on top, and a wall mounted headboard is not an option due to renting. Thanks for any help! ~ Amy *** Hi Amy I’ve not seen the ESPEVÄR in person but I believe it is possible to attach a headboard to it. From the website, the ESPEVÄR looks like a regular wooden slatted mattress base under a bed base slipover. As to how to attach it, that will depend on the fittings on the metal headboard. So you will just need to get the right hardware to secure the metal headboard to the wooden frame. And make some small openings on the slipcover to let the fixtures to go through. Jules Photo: IKEA.com Try these free-standing headboards for size A lime green and white headboard that takes centerstage in the r
Post a Comment
Read more

Kitchen renovation reveal: Rhombus wall steals the show

It’s been a while since I did a home tour. If you’ve missed the previous reveals, you can catch up with my Master Bathroom remodel and Guest Bathroom reveal . Today, let’s focus on my kitchen renovation. Hands down, this is the most used room in my home. I spend crazy amounts of time in here, even when I’m not cooking. Just off to the side of the kitchen I converted an awkward space into a reading nook . In the mornings, I sit and read or pray and meditate, before it gets too warm. And on the other side, there’s a work-in-progress plant wall / indoor garden which also takes up a lot of my time. So, all in all, lots of traffic in here, and that’s not even counting cooking and eating time. The kitchen is definitely my favourite room, because the transformation is huge and I love how it turned out. Kitchen renovation: The before House 17 when I first got it, actually had 2 kitchens, which is a very common “Asian” home concept. First, the “dry kitchen”, which is where you make simp
Post a Comment
Read more

IKEA sofa with genius armrest storage

Bet you never knew your sofa armrests were prime storage space. Ok, so the guys at IKEA are the masters of hidden / secret storage everywhere. In fact, one of the things I most loved about the  ESKILSTUNA sofa series was the undercover storage on the chaise lounge, but… what? More than 80 liters of storage space wasted on the armrests? NO WAY! I really don’t understand how they didn’t take that opportunity with several different armrest modules. Mobile chargers, cup / can holders, foldable tables, refrigerators… there’s SO MUCH space in there. I can’t stop thinking on different options! For myself, I went for two designs. First, a “full space” design on the (right) side of the chaise lounge. (The cavity fits two foldable chairs). Second, on the left armrest — a flip open section for “mobile charger / remote control storage / etc.”. Below that, a full-depth pull-out drawer, tall enough to store A4 sized magazines. This is the final result: Full space design, right of cha
Post a Comment
Read more