Martin Cooper

IKEA is famous for furniture and decor, but the Swedish giant has a lot more to offer like home electronics, lighting systems, bathroom fixtures, etc. Like the rest of their products, buyers find timeless, minimalistic, and sophisticated pieces to elevate the living space, in these segments as well.  However, you can’t just buy a beautiful piece of IKEA furniture or an awesome gadget and leave it at that! These things don’t come cheap and therefore, we have to maintain and preserve them in good working condition. The good thing is that IKEA has a 5-year limited warranty on their appliances to help save money and reduce stress when something malfunctions. Read on to know how it works, some basic tips to keep the warranty valid, and what to do when it doesn’t cover something. Important Tips to Keep in Mind About IKEA Warranty IKEA offers a limited warranty for appliance purchases within the US, valid for 5 years. The warranty is available for ovens, cooktops, hoods, microw...

5 shelves for the price of one cat canopy shelf! Our cats were to be indoors and we couldn’t fit both their cat trees . To give them an indoor playground I began researching ideas. I found a lot of very expensive cat playgrounds and wall mounted cat shelves — all very expensive and costly. So when we saw these BURHULT shelves on sale in IKEA we decided to replicate our own cat shelves but in the style of the very popular On2 Pets Canopy Cat Shelves to bring color and outdoorsy look to the new place. IKEA Items Used: SIBBHULT bracket , white 7 x 7” – $0.75 each (2 brackets per shelf, so we used 10 for 5 shelves) BURHULT shelf , white 23 1/4 x 7 7/8” – $2.49 each (5 shelves used) LANGSTED rug , low pile beige – 2’0″X2’11” – $4.99 IKEA LAST CHANCE (Regular price online: $9.99) We used 1 to cover 4 shelves and we needed 2 to cover 5 FIXA 260-piece screw and plug set – $9.99 / 260 PACK OTHER MATERIALS: Ficus branch...

I made a DIY skateboard from an IKEA chopping board. The project only takes about 3 hours but this depends on how smooth you want your edges. IKEA items used: SKOGSTA chopping board ($14.99) Other materials and tools: Skateboard trucks and wheels Scroll saw / Jigsaw Linisher / Orbital sander Plane/ Spokeshave Sandpaper Drill Countersink drill bit Screwdriver Spanner Ruler DIY skateboard from chopping board Make a template for your skateboard. You can draw around an old board, print one out online or if you are feeling confident sketch your own. You only need half as you want your board to be symmetrical.  Related: 5 ways to DIY a display stand to show off your boards and keep them organized . Find the middle of the chopping board with the ruler. Draw around your template. Flip it over along the midpoint of the board and draw the other side. Use a scroll saw or jigsaw to cut out the skateboard. Use a linisher or plane to smooth out the cut edge. ...

Once in a while, a prized family treasure lands in your hands. In Kala’s case, it was a Canon AE-1 35mm camera . And she did not want to just stash it on a shelf or stick it in a box somewhere. It needed pride of place in her home. After some brainstorming, she ended up making it into a lamp that’s now a cool conversation piece in her living room . She added the camera to the lamp without any damage to it. The camera can be removed from the lamp should she ever want to use it. IKEA item used: IKEA LAUTERS lamp Photo: IKEA.com Other materials: Camera Hot shoe mount adapter bolt and nuts Elevator bolt Lamp harp European lamp harp saddle Furniture tacks Box catches Silhouette Cameo Printable transparencies Printer Cardstock paper Jump rings (or wire, jump ring mandrel and wire cutters) Misc.: sandpaper, stain, spray paint, glue, tape, washer You can view my full step-by-step tutorial on Instructables but briefly …. … here’s the plan The first was...

IKEA SJÖMÄRKE Qi wireless charging pad turns almost any flat surface into a charger. IKEA is not a newcomer to the wireless charging scene, having incorporated them in various furniture such as lamps or tables. But they were, at best, limiting as the items did not always fit in with the decor or needs of the user. The SJÖMÄRKE charging pad aims to change that. With it, you gain the flexibility to mount it on a desk, shelf or bedside table, effectively turning almost any flat piece of furniture into an invisible charger. Photo: IKEA.com Which makes stealthy charger hacks like the one pictured below so much easier. The IKEA SJÖMÄRKE wireless charging pad looks pretty easy to set up First, decide where you want to mount it. It works best through all materials that are ⅜ – ⅞” thick (8mm – 22mm), except metal. Ironically, due to its range limitation, the SJÖMÄRKE isn’t compatible with a lot of IKEA’s desks . That includes the very popular LINNMON desk and the newer LAGKAPTE...

The world has been upside down for a while now, and we figured it’s about time to start to take control, even if only in the smallest way.  We used to have a family calendar on our fridge, but our new French door refrigerator made the setup obsolete. So it looked like it was time for a command center . The thing is most were either too ‘ college dorm room ’ or far too expensive, at least before deciding to commit to layout and design. Enter this IKEA hack. IKEA item used: IKEA PJÄTTERYD canvas frame (We used one we’ve had since circa 2010 but you can get a new one to fit your home decor style.) SKÅDIS pegboard Other materials: Acrylic top layer from a generic poster frame  White paint pen Seafoam green frosting paint Small screws Tools used: Gridded cutting mat Straight edge for cutting and inking Blade knife Tape to hold down the sheet Drill with small bit Windex to clean the acrylic Q-tips to touch up the lines How we made our Family Calendar an...