We all love Ikea, don’t we? It’s pretty cool, modern and most of the things are practical and durable. But the planetary success of this furniture maker means that homes all over the world are filled with the same pieces. I don’t mind so much if everyone else has the ivar bookcase, or the benno cd storage unit or the expedit storage system. But you might, and so do other people. That is why a new branch of DIY was invented, and it’s called ‘Ikea hacking’.

I discovered Ikea Hacker a few months ago while browsing the internet and I have been following its updates regularly. The site collects the ideas and projects of people who have found new ways of using Ikea pieces. Some are simple, just different ways of using a product, while some are serious DIY projects.  But they’re all interesting to look at — it’s amazing what people can come up with for a benno cd tower, or an expedit or the ivar!

The fact that Ikea is everywhere and that the prices are so good means you can easily attempt some of these. But if you are like me, and unable to deviate from ikea instructions, then you might like the idea behind Grippiks Surface Accents, an Australian company that specializes in decorative accents for Ikea furniture. They sell a range of pre-measured, pre-cut graphic prints that stick to Ikea’s most popular pieces of furniture. They discovered a remarkable new type of material that grips to surfaces using suction, not glue, so it is incredibly easy to handle, even in large sizes.

And it reproduces colours brilliantly! I really think I will use some of these accents to decorate our expedit bookcase once we move, so it will feel like new… and if we get bored and want it white again, easy peasy…you peel the accent off!

-Michela