Materials: Ãnga two compartment cabinet, Capita legs, Rubrik cabinet door

Description: My roommate and I were looking for something to use as a sideboard in a space in our dining room, and obviously wanted to go the Ikea route to flow with the rest of our apartment, but were having some troubles. We wanted something that would provide lots of storage but wouldn’t be too big depth-wise.

While perusing the As-Is section, we happened upon two identical, brand new condition Ãnga pieces. They were already assembled, but we determined they were brand new because they still had the protective film on the surfaces. Originally these cabinets are $120 each, but we found them for $40 each.

Since our apartment building is an older building, we didn’t think that the walls would be capable of supporting the rails necessary for the actual Ãnga system, so we opted to make a free-standing unit, and bought a set of the 8″ Capita legs… seemingly the simplest go-to pieces for hacking something that you want elevated a bit.

We weren’t really interested in the standard look of 4 straight doors, which would look like a dresser so we purchased a set of the 4″ Capita legs in the As-Is department for a couple of dollars as well. I had a grey-blue Rubrik cabinet door from an old hack I did, which fit perfectly on top of one of the cabinets, upon which we put the other cabinet. Having the Rubrik door in between the two pieces gives it a little differentiation, a subtle addition of colour and with the metal edge, ends up tying them together as well.

Even though this is just a simple “add Capita legs to something” hack, we took pieces that are meant to be mounted in a different fashion, and used them for a different purpose as a dining room sideboard cabinet, rather than an entertainment centre on the rails they were intended for.

~ Steve L., Providence, RI

Materials: 1 $1.99 Ikea wood cutting board, 8 galvanized 1 1/2″ Grabber screws, table saw, drill and countersink, drill/driver, wood putty, Workmate 400 workbench, carpenter’s wood glue

Description: I’ve been using our bread machine a lot recently, and wanted a miter box to help me cut thinner, more consistent slices. The $1.99 Ikea cutting board I’d been using for a couple of years was warping, so was fair game for cutting up to make such a device.

Using the remnant of the last loaf I had baked as a template, I took measurements and laid out cut lines on the soon-to-be-ex-cutting board. I designed it so the front panel extends down a half inch below the front lip of the countertop – the so-called bench hook effect, so the whole contraption doesn’t slip around while you are sawing your rustic loaf.

A miter box could hardly be simpler, consisting as it does of only three pieces – front, back, and bottom. This box, designed around the loaf that comes out of a Breadman bread machine, wastes only a 3/4 -inch crosswise strip from the Ikea cutting board.

I held the bottom panel vertically in the Workmate vise, and aligned the front panel horizontally on top of it, countersinking one hole at a time, then fastening them temporarily with a screw.

The reason to drill and fasten one screw at a time is because the bottom panel had a curve in it, due to the previous warping of the cutting board, and I was able to straighten it out by bending it straight with my hands until the screws could take the tension. When all the screws were fitted, I disassembled it, applied glue to the two joints, and reassembled it.

I marked vertical cut lines on the front and back panels and cut the slots with a large hand saw. In retrospect, this is not really accurate enough, and next time I’ll do this job on the table saw while the parts are disassembled. Since I’m right-handed, the cut slot is near the right side of the box.

I filled the screw holes with wood putty, waited for it to dry, and sanded the plugs flush. Then I sanded off all the various pencil marks and knocked down the fresh cut edges a little to avoid sliver hazards. Finally, I applied Ikea Skydd, food-grade mineral oil for conditioning cutting boards.

~ Mark Ungar, Richmond, CA

Materials: Fastbo Panels, Ikea Stainless Doors, Numerar Countertop

Description: We repurposed an existing vanity (builders beige) by removing the doors, then affixing the Fastbo panels to suit the Ikea standard kitchen cabinet stainless doors (not alot of work) – (sorry don’t have the Ikea name of the stainless doors- they have a copper now but I havent seen the stainless in doors in a while.)

We then used Ikea butchers block NUMERAR countertop, stained it in ebony minwax stain and varnished with 5 coats polyurethane in high gloss.

Then added square sinks from Rona and faucets as well.

~ Colette Lepine-www.homedesignworx.com, Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Materials: Besta Shelf Unit, Besta Suspension Rail, Inreda Ladder, self-drilling heavy-duty Nylon wall anchors, multi-position extension ladder

Description:
Problem
For the longest time I’ve been meaning to make use of the over head space in the stairwell of our home. With 1100 square foot of living area, space is at a premium. We keep all our books in the home office, but we don’t have enough shelf space on our bookshelves.

Solution
I decided to suspend a bookshelf in the over head space in the stairwell. The stairwell is high enough to fit a full height bookshelf without encroaching on the head space in the stair well.

We decided on a full height Besta Shelf Unit to accommodate some of our books, paperwork and other things.

Next on the shopping list was the Besta Suspension Rail. It is made of aluminum and features 20 drill holes for securing it to a wall.

To get to the top part of the shelf unit we need a ladder. Ikea sells the Inreda Ladder which fits the Besta Shelf Unit.

Preparation
The instructions for the Besta Suspension Rail only depict a height extension unit. There were no load numbers in the instructions or on the website so I estimated load bearing based on prior experience. Normally, the rail is fastened to the wall with a couple of screws. Since it is supposed to suspend a full height shelf unit I doubled that and used self-drilling heavy-duty Nylon drywall anchors to hold the rail in place.

Installation
To get to the top of the over head space I used a multi-position ladder (like the Little Giant brand) fully extended. First I took measurements according to the instructions that came with the suspension rail.
Then I fastened the rail to the wall with the self-drilling drywall anchors. Next I hung the assembled Besta Shelf Unit onto the Besta Suspension Rail. This required getting on the multi-position ladder half-extended on one side to sit on a higher step and fully extended on the other to sit on a lower step in the stairwell.

Getting the shelf unit up to the suspension rail required some heavy lifting for which I recommend at least two people. Once suspended from the suspension rail I fastened the shelf unit to the suspension rail per the instructions using the supplied screws.

Since the shelf unit is quite tall, its bottom part can still be lifted away from the wall. I used the additional plastic distancers that came with the suspension rail to fasten the bottom left and right corners to the wall using the supplied additional screws.

After a quick load test I used the Inreda ladder to get up high enough to replace the shelves inside the bookshelf and made sure I could reach all shelves all the way to the top.

Final Result
We now have an additional full height bookshelf for items we don’t need to access on a daily basis in a space in our home that wasn’t used before.

I plan on securing the Inreda ladder with a couple of simple wall hooks to the left of the bookshelf so it is out of the way yet easily accessible when needed.

~ Dierk Seeburg, Arizona

The Zahira Chair by Stefano Sandona for Alma Design is a modern, multipurpose chair that you can enjoy in a variety of settings. From a professional office chair on casters to lovely garden seating, and available in 6 colors 4 leg options and with and without arms, it’s quite versatile. © 2010 Design Milk | Posted by Jaime in Home Furnishings | Permalink | No comments | Tweet This | Share on Facebook

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Zahira Chair from Alma Design

Imagine a chair made from mother of pearl. Korean designer Samwoong Lee did, and the beautifully unique Octopus Chair is the result. Named Octopus because its shape looks different depending on your angle of sight, this chair is sure to keep you captivated.

Mother of pearl is really an interesting choice, both in that it’s an unusual choice for a chair and because of its reflective quality. Natural mother of pearl never has the same color and pattern, and its reflexivity is changed by the angle. It gives this chair a natural, yet at the same time futuristic feel doesn’t it? More from Samwoong Lee here.

Follow this link: sixdifferentways.com

German designer Siren Elise Wilhelmsen exhibited her 365 knitting clock at DMY International Design Festival Berlin. The clock includes a circular knitting machine with 48 needles, a thread spool, a thread holder, and roll of yarn.

See original here:
365 Clock by Siren Elise Wilhelmsen

Warm Cappuccino Contemporary Bedroom

Inspired by the urban studio lofts of Europe, this low profiled platform bed offering is accentuated by brushed nickel hardware and the clean lines associated with this style. Removable modular nightstands add function and flexability to this contemporary bedroom. Available in natural light finish and warm espresso finish with wood veneers and solid hardwoods.

Features:

• Modern Bedroom Collection
• Warm espresso finish
• Durable construction
• Wood veneers and solid hardwoods
• Brushed nickel hardware
• Also available in natural light finish

Dimensions:

• 899C-1 Queen Platform Bed: HB: 38H FB: 11H
• 899KC-1CK California King Bed
• 899KC-1EK Eastern King Bed
• 899C-4 Night Stand :15.75″W x 15.5″D x 20″H
• 899C-5 Dresser: 58.25″W x 19″D x 32″H
• 899C-6 Mirror: 35.5″W x 1″D x 41.5″H
• 899C-9 Chest : 35.5″W x 19″D x 51″H
• 899C-7 Armoire: 39.75″W x 20″D x 60″H

See the rest here:
Warm Cappuccino Modern Platform Bed w/Optional Case Pieces

Contemporary Warm Espresso Finish Bedroom

The clean look of metropolitan sytling is highlighted in this bedroom set by the warm espresso finish. This modern Bedroom collection features leather headboard, bow-fronted case piecs with full extension ball-bearing glide system, and elongated brushed nickel hardware.

Features:

• Modern Bedroom Collection
• Espresso Finish
• Solid wood construction
• Padded leather headboard
• Bow-fronted case pieces
• Full extension ball-bearing glide system
• Brushed nickel hardware

Dimensions:

• Headboard: 51.25″H
• Footboard: 20″H
• 890-4 Night Stand: 25.5″W x 18.5″D x 27″H
• 890-5 Dresser: 64″W x 20.5″D x 35.5″H
• 890-6 Mirror: 39.5″W x 2″D x 41.5″H
• 890-9 Chest: 39.5″W x 19.5″D x 49.25″H
• 890-7 Armoire: 47.5″W x 23″D x 77″H

Read the original here:
Warm Espresso Finish Contemporary Leather Headboard Bed

Talk about cool lighting! The VorteXX from Zumbotel has got to be the coolest lighting I’ve seen in a while. Today’s innovative lighting is due largely in part to the small and versatile nature of LED lighting, and the VorteXX is just another great example.

VorteXX is the work of Zaha Hadid and Patrik Schumacher for the Zumbotel Masterpiece Collection. Each piece is made from reinforced fiberglass and translucent acrylic, and houses 190 LEDs. Special technology allows for the color mixing of red, blue, and green with a separate touch panel. More from Zumbotel here.

Go here to read the rest: sixdifferentways.com