Martin Cooper

Our DIY Cat House project makes use of the IKEA BEKVÄM stool, with the space divided into two. A “Päls Hem” aka Fur House. We enclosed the space at the base of the stool to create a cosy nook for our cat to curl in. Add some soft furnishings into the “cave” and your cat will feel right at home. The upper level is for cat’s things, like its scratch mat . We also added a ledge for our cat food and water bowls. Our cat can also climb up to the top to perch, when it feels like it. Here’s how our cat house looks. (Excuse the mock-up cat. Our cat was uncooperative for photo shoot.) IKEA items used: BEKVÄM step stool Tools used: Drill Screws Glue Other materials: Plywood DIY Cat House instructions The instructions for our DIY cat house are below, in IKEA illustration style. First, we measured the stool and cut all the necessary plywood pieces. We also sanded the wood down for a smooth finish. Then, we started putting it together, like so. 1. We cut a piece of p...

Let’s address the PAX wardrobe bulge and sag problems . I did these mods, because in my opinion, there are two big problems with the PAX system: the back and the shelves. 1. The backer board is thin and not rigid. Over the time it deforms. It also doesn’t make the PAX frame very stable. ( Others have mentioned their concern .) 2. The shelves, specially those longer than 50 cm, tend to sag in the middle . Here are my quick mods to solve these 2 problems with the PAX wardrobe. IKEA items: PAX module OBSERVATÖR cross brace Other material: Aluminium C profile 20x20x1 mm (Internal dimension is 18 mm) Tool required: Screwdriver Metal hacksaw Rasp Here’s what I did the reinforce the PAX back and shelves Instructions for back mod: Assemble the PAX structure including the back panel. After this, place the PAX on the floor with the back facing up. Fix 2 or more OBSERVATÖR cross braces using the supplied screws to connect them to the side of the PAX frame. (The screws m...

6 best tips for gift wrap storage and organization As the holiday season rolls around, Nadine asked a preemptive question: “How do you store your gift paper rolls?” The usual case, before the holidays we get a variety of gift wrap and then when the holidays are over, we end up with reams of paper. And scratching our heads wondering where to store them till next year. So, what are your best ideas for gift wrap storage? The community over at our Facebook Group offered lots of suggestions. #1 Use a garment bag Amy suggested using a garment bag to hang up the rolls in your storage closet, as seen in The Chic Site . Just place the paper rolls into the bag and stash away till your next wrapping session. Photo: The Chic Site For this to work, get garment bags with a sealed or zippered bottom like the STUK garment bag . Open ended bags like the cheaper PLURING won’t work. See the STUK garment bag , $9.99 for a set of 3 at IKEA. See the PLURING garment bag , $2.99 for a set o...

Can you make a full height wardrobe from METOD kitchen cabinets? Oh, yes! This post started out as a Hackers Help question. Min wanted to know whether the MAXIMERA drawers could fit into PLATSA frames as she didn’t like the PLATSA range of doors. However, after deliberating it, she eventually ended up with the METOD kitchen range. Yes, she used the METOD (or SEKTION in the US) kitchen cabinets for her wardrobe. She felt that “Having to make all the new holes on PLATSA and that sort of thing seemed quite a huge challenge for me.” Min was kind enough to update us with photos of her new METOD wardrobe set up. And it looks marvellous, almost like a full-height built-in . “I took some pictures of my METOD wardrobe. The room is very small and I couldn’t get nice pictures due to the limited angles …” she adds. Related: How I transformed kitchen cabinets to full length wardrobe Here’s the METOD kitchen cabinet configuration for her wardrobe The wall for the wardrobe is 321cm wi...

Welcome to the final entry in my three-part series on ice dam prevention and heat cables.

The IKEA TRAMPA doormat is one of the best around. It’s made from renewable material (coir fibers) and comes with a non-slip backing. The plain coir doormat is so easy to keep clean too. Just shake it or vacuum the dust off. Photo: Ashley’s Studio Better yet, it’s super affordable. Only $4.99 for the small and $9.99 for the large. And it can be easily made so much better. By that I mean, wittier, cheekier or prettier. Your pick. Upgrades to the mat may take as little as 15 minutes. After that, you’ll be patting yourself on the back and wondering why you didn’t DIY earlier. 6 ideas for your IKEA TRAMPA coir doormat #1 Bring on your own design Photo: Handmade Weekly Hannah of Handmade Weekly made a pretty fall leaves doormat to go with the season. She used a Vinyl Cutting Machine to create various leaf stencils. After that she chose a range of Acrylic Paint in keeping with the season and applied them to the leaf stencils, interchanging the colours where they fit. See th...