Martin Cooper

I just completed a makeover — turning the old unit into a wood wrapped KALLAX. A little bit of glueing, staining and screwing and the old dresser has a new rustic look.  Firstly, I have a really old KALLAX 2×2, rather it is an EXPEDIT . KALLAX 2×2 unit | IKEA.com It was used in different rooms the last couple of years and looked really worn already. (It had self-made wooden doors for the last few years). Generally, KALLAX can be easily transformed, so I decided to renew it instead of throwing away. Materials: KALLAX 2 x 2 unit Wood panels Thin plywood Stain Wood glue Furniture legs of your choice I bought wooden panels and stain. The most expensive item were the furniture legs . Related: KALLAX as a modern card catalog cabinet DIY Wood wrapped KALLAX First, I measured the outer dimensions of the KALLAX unit and cut the wood panels accordingly. For the top and bottom panels, be sure to add a margin to overlap the additional two side wood panels. Then sand the pane

I'm sorry for turning my home inspection blog into a newsreel update or online journal on the status of home inspections in Minnesota, but that seems to be what people care about right now.

I have a small nice hack, combining MOPPE mini chest of drawers and a MARIUS stool. And I get a nice side table with drawers out of it. The MOPPE unit was on my desktop, and I wanted to clear my desk to make more space on it. But I still wanted the drawers within easy reach. I had a MARIUS stool that wasn’t in use. So at first I just placed the MOPPE unit on it for the right height. Then, looking at it, I thought it will be nice if the unit had its own legs. It took me like 20 minutes. It’s very easily done with only a simple screwdriver, because the wood is soft. IKEA items used:   MOPPE mini storage chest (mine is an old version but it doesn’t matter)  MARIUS stool Other materials and tools: 4 screws (longer than the original screws that came with the stool) MOPPE side table with drawers 1. Remove the 4 screws that hold the seat to the stool frame. Keep the plastic parts. You do not need to separate the 2 stool leg frames. Related: MOPPE mini chest with sea m

IKEA joins other brands in encouraging “social distancing” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay home instruction manual Well, this is arguably the easiest IKEA instruction manual, though 100 rolls of toilet paper may be hard to come by. The mothership conveyed the message in the style of its iconic step-by-step assembly manual. All you need to STAY HÖME is a key, a lock and toilet paper , the unofficial symbol of the pandemic. Below that, you’ll notice a checkmark next to a closed door and an “x,” beside an open door, signaling that leaving the house is an #assemblyfail. The humor piece was created by created McCann Tel-Aviv Israel and was posted on IKEA Israel’s  Facebook page . It says, “It’s really not complex – just stay home.” Glad to see IKEA keeping its humor during trying times. Reconnect with home IKEA Spain created a more heartfelt campaign about reconnecting with our homes. The 30-second spot by McCann Madrid shows all walks of life, young and old — work and play

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, most companies are shifting to remote work. As a result, plenty of people are reconfiguing their spaces and scrounging for the tools to effectively work from their homes. We reached out to our coworkers for some work-from-home inspiration. Some of us are having to make do and get creative with the space we have at home. Others are seasoned remote employees who have mastered an aesthetic.  Abby Dauchess — Home Jungle, Charlotte, NC “My setup is what used to be my painting/art area now turned into my WFH sanctuary. Once I knew we were going to be working from home for a while, I wanted to prioritize a dedicated space I could focus in. It’s very nice sitting by a window because I have a great view throughout the day while being stuck inside during social distancing. I especially love having a large portion of my indoor plant collection near my workspace to look at and care for.” Ali Dunlap — Parent’s Basement, Raleigh, NC “My father jok

Two great ideas for a KALLAX desk . #1 KALLAX standing desk I choose to stand at work because it makes me feel infinitely more productive. Our department recently moved into a new building and we had the opportunity to design our own spaces. Items Used: VIKA AMON / TORNLIDEN table top x 2 (discontinued, replaced by LINNMON ) KALLAX 4 cube x 2 KALLAX drawer unit x 2 8 – 3″ locking casters / wheels 1 – 6′ zinc brace I had a few VIKA AMON tables laying around (literally) and liked the style of the KALLAX bookshelves. This was almost perfect, but the I still needed more height. Unfortunately, our “local” IKEA store (175 miles away) was out of the KALLAX casters, so I got some from the local home improvements store. Turns out a standard 3″ caster was perfect to raise the table height to a level that felt comfortable enough to hold all of my non-workstation items (phone, loose papers, coffee mug, etc). To complete the build, I braced two VIKA AMON table tops together u

I am desperately trying to find plastic leveling feet for my IKEA GALANT table leg … Any idea where I can find one? As you know, it is all plastic, with a fixed ball joint which lets the whole foot to swivel in the leg.  GALANT A-leg | IKEA.com Your post on repairing the GALANT A-leg was great, only mine was actually broken on the end of the screw at top of leg. The table had been in a huge basement flood, so we resorted to drilling holes into the legs and bolting them. It worked great but now I need the leveling foot for just one of the legs. Really appreciate your help. ~ by Claudine *** Hi Claudine The first place to try is always, of course, IKEA. However, the GALANT is discontinued (replaced by the BEKANT system ), so they may no longer stock parts for it. But then, you’ll never know. Check with Customer Service. They may still have a spare leveling feet somewhere in the vast cavern of a warehouse. If they are out of it, then … Buy a new leg I checked on ebay and

Getty Images As the number of coronavirus cases increase around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to profoundly reshape daily lives and habits. If you’ve spent any time on social media, you’ve likely seen people in the U.S. and around the world “panic buying” in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, but it’s critical to remember that being prepared doesn’t equate to stockpiling or hoarding.  During the coronavirus pandemic, it’s important to not panic or stockpile supplies. There are healthcare workers and sick people around the world who have a much higher need for supplies like face masks. A shortage could pose an even greater health risk to communities. Instead, it’s best to create a household plan, as recommended by the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention. With a household plan, you can prepare and anticipate what sort of items you’ll need in case anyone gets sick at home or there’s a disruption of daily activities in your community. There’s a ton of informa

If you live in one of the many cities advocating for (or mandating) a self-quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic, you’re suddenly spending a lot more time at home. Whether you’re working from home, homeschooling your kids, or just need to arrange your space for staying in, it’s a good time to organize.  After consulting with some top-tier organizing influencers and the president-elect of the National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals (NAPO), we’ve compiled a list of ways you can organize your home for quarantine.  1. Organize your pantry As you’re prepping your home for quarantine, going through your pantry and shelf-stable items is a great first step.  “Shoved way back in a corner of your pantry might be food that’s about to expire. What a great time to use up those older items rather than letting them go to waste. Since grocery store shelves are more empty than ever, I would suggest organizing your pantry and fridge/freezer before anything else in you

Things are crazy and unprecedented in the home inspection world. Last week brought some major changes to our everyday lives, and I expect to see more changes this week. To answer the #1 question that our client care coordinators are being asked, the answer is YES. We're still open for business, we're still inspecting houses.

Discreet arcade games cabinet built into the IVAR system . I recall the loud humming sound. The base resonating from numerous heavy wooden cabinets. Plastic buttons clicking. The smooth surface of a marble ball at the end of a stick. Four Coin tokens inserted. I take my stance. For the next minute or two this cabinet and I will become more than the sum of our parts. It is the essence of good design and the reason that I decided to embark on the task of hacking the IVAR into my own arcade cabinet hack. Why hacking? Well, I live in a small flat and already made a cat walk bookcase combo out of a set of IKEA IVAR shelves. Cat walk + bookcase combo When IKEA came out with the IVAR table add-on it only made sense to combine it to my existing unit and further complicate what is already a rather multifunctional piece of furniture. arcade cabinet Cabinet Ingredients: IKEA IVAR table add -on x 1 UTRUSTA hinge for horizontal door x 2 IKEA IVAR shelf to fabric wall attachmen