Customizing IKEA

Ok, you know how Amy and I love IKEA–practical, affordable, simple in styling. Yes, it might not last forever, but you go into the relationship knowing that so it’s easier when you have to break up. My only real criticism is that when you walk into someone’s house and they have a lot of IKEA furniture, you can kind of tell…it doesn’t exactly look custom one might say.

BUT, there are lots of new solutions out there to customize that couch or bookcase. In fact, a whole industry has popped up just to support that very mission. Ever been to the site IKEA Hackers? Loads of ideas for every product in the store.

Pretty Pegs offers new legs for IKEA couches and beds. So, you can replace the simple wood or metal legs with shapely, colorful ones. My favorite are the Siri legs–love the curves. They’re about $130 for a four pack with a flat shipping fee (so ask your friends if they want in on the shipment before you order!)

Another great company is Parts of Sweden (PoS) which offers a slew of products to customize your IKEA furniture. Remember Amy’s post on Expedit last week? Well, PoS, offers doors and dividers for Expedit (and of course other bookcases like Billy) that can turn a simple bookcase into a piece of furniture personalized for your home. Once her kids are done with that playroom shelving she can turn it into a wine rack!

These doors (it’s a sticker the adheres to the Expedit doors) would look so pretty on the white Expedit

The sticker is also available for other pieces of furniture including the Lack tables. Or, you could always go for a bold color…

Since color and pattern are such a great way to customize furniture, a company by the name of Panyl creates flexible, self-adhesive vinyl film that is pre-cut to the dimensions of different IKEA furniture pieces. The colors are amazing–from wood grains to bright oranges and blues and brushed aluminum. They’re apparently easy to install and easy to remove and can be cut to size for patterns.

NEVER settle for boring.  🙂