Materials: Krister Desk, Hack saw, Allen wrench, drill bit (or something to puncture the metal), Nuts and washers to fit the screws

Description: I needed a much smaller TV stand for my new room which is only 9′X 9′ and after finding this site, I was incredibly motivated to tear apart the REALLY old Krister desk (pix, right) that had been sitting in the corner of my parents garage for years. It’s a fairly simple adjustment, and I still have a few left over parts which I may incorporate by way of shelves if I have the time.

1. remove both top and side pieces of metal from the desk, which includes the angled back, meant for the old CRT monitors, the mouse pad, the keyboard panel, the PC holster and it’s side support, and the monitor support beam.

2. use the hack saw to cut 12″ off of the bars hanging out off of the frame.

3. Remove the caps from the end of the cut bars and place them on the cut ends to avoid cutting up anything or anyone.

4. Grab the angled panel and line it up with the holes about 4″ down from the frame on each side.

5. Mark the sides of the angled panel that don’t line up with threaded holes.

6. Remove the panel and drill the holes to fit the screw.

7. Place the panel and screw the front end into place, set the screws in the back end and place the washers and nuts on the backside of the angled panel.

~ Martin Pittis, Washington

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Materials: GRUNDTAL Towel rail, and S hooks, BINDER CLIPS

Description: I needed a way to store Scarves. If you have a basket or some sort of closet thing, you will know that it SUCKS. Because scarves need to be seen, and not folded. They also need to be organized in a way that does not leave them in a massive pile on the floor every morning. NO SUCH INVENTION EXISTS. Until now.

Install the GRUNDTAL two pole towel rack into the wall at about 6 feet from the ground. Hang the S hooks from it and then attach about 2 Binder clips per hook. You can not just hang the scarves on the S hooks directly - you will get tears and bumps and they will fall off constantly. Now clip all of your scarves to the binder clips. You may peruse through your scarves with a simple click click click.

See more of the scarf organizer.

~ Mae Callen, Ottawa, Ontario

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Materials: Effektiv: base with legs, add-on unit (high), door; Metrik door handles

Description: Cat box hacks are becoming so common on Ikeahacker that this hardly counts as a hack. I thought I’d send it anyway, since I haven’t seen the Effektiv used this way before.

It’s the classic story (unsightly litterbox, small apartment) with a twist: my cat is messier than average, so she uses a CleverCat top-entry litterbox… which is great, but bulky.

It turns out the Effektiv office cabinet is the perfect size for this behemoth cat box, with enough space left over for storing spare litter, and even an electric air cleaner on a shelf! It was also relatively simple to make, just needing two holes, one of the shelves cut in two, and some angle brackets to keep the shelf steady. I can even add another unit on top if I need more enclosed storage later.

I have new respect for your apartment hackers and their hacks. I had to call in favours from three separate friends to borrow the tools and workspace to make this happen.

~ David Perry, Ottawa, Ontario

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Materials: Faktum (Akurum) 5 drawer base cabinet, Faktum pull-out larder cabinet, Applad drawer fronts, Numerar white/aluminium effect worktop, Grip handles

Description: I work from home on my invitation design business Akimbo. Since the office is small we had to make all of the space work hard, which meant a traditional desk didn’t fit the bill. Instead, we hit up the Ikea kitchen department for the perfect combo.

The cabinets are designed to be put on feet, making it too high for a desk. However you can’t just plonk them straight on the floor (as we were initially intending to do) because the drawers won’t open properly. We glued on some timber blocks in each corner of the cabinets to elevate them off the carpet.

Using a benchtop that could be cut to length maximised desk space and ensured a perfect fit. Plus, when we move somewhere larger we only need to replace the top. To prevent the desktop sliding around (but without permanently attaching it) we screwed on a couple of tiny L-shaped brackets.

The drawers on the right contain stationery and my vast array of art supplies. To free up desk space, the pull-out cabinet on the left houses my monster A3 printer, scanner and paper. We attached a magnet so that the drawer can attach to it, otherwise the drawer would just slide in and out when the printer was doing its thing! We drilled holes in the back for cords (making sure they were long enough when the drawer was pulled all the way out), plus holes for ventilation.

I love it and can happily work here all day.

See more of Alicia’s desk.

~ Alicia Murphy, Adelaide, Australia

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Materials: Effektiv, Hopen, Micke, Vika

Description: Once I figured out what I wanted to do this hack was pretty simple, knowing is half the battle. I used the Hopen 5 drawer units for the base Then I set the Micke drawers on top. On top of Micke I put an Effektiv cabinet with frosted glass doors. I mounted the Effektiv unit to the wall and screwed in two Vika legs under for extra support. Considering that I am going to be sleeping right next to this Ikea tower.

To add my classy details I used 2 rolls of damask printed wrapping paper from Target. On the glass drawers and doors I simply taped it on the inside. On the Micke drawers and on my wall I used Mod Podge (one of my favorite mediums) it can be found at any craft store.

~ Liz, CA

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