EKBY MOSSBY wine rack

Materials: EKBY MOSSBY, EKBY BJARNUM, thunder group 10" chrome wire glass rack

Description: I needed a wine rack, but since I live in an apartment I had no room for a standing bar. All the hacks were of standalone bars or under cabinets and my cabinets were too low to hang wine glasses. And everything online was either too small or very pricey.

So I purchased a Ekby Mossby, held it up with the Ekby Bjarnum brackets and drilled in 10 chrome wine glass wire hangers. As you can see in the picture it fits my wall perfectly. Enjoy.

~ J M

Malm Captain's Bed for tiny NYC Apartment

Materials: MALM 6-Drawer Dresser, EKBY TONY/ EKBY BJARNUM, NISSE Folding Chair, 2x4s, Plywood Scraps, Shelving Board

Description: I have a tiny bedroom (about 6ft by 7ft) in a 3-bedroom apartment in New York City and was looking for a way to make the best use out of the space. As a student, I still wanted a desk space to do my work so that was a must. When I first moved into the space I was using the Tromso loft with the desk attachment underneath and that was about it. Being a tall person however (I'm about 6'1") I quickly found that a twin loft bed was just not going to work in the long term.

When I stumbled upon Ikeahackers and and saw some Malm hacks for storage beds it got me thinking about how I could make my own custom built for the space, and with the help of my father and uncle here is the result! I could not be more happy with the way it turned out!

The basic structure of the bed is an L-shaped table that was built to surround the dresser, which is free-standing. Since the dresser is only 63" wide by about 19" deep, the supporting structure needed to compensate for the rest of the bed, which overall is 74" wide by 54" deep. It is made of the 2x4's which were doubled up to make about 8 4x8 legs upon which the plywood top was attached. These legs were then connected and reinforced by cladding the inside with additional 2x4's that go around the perimeter. The unfinished end of the bed that was added beyond the dresser and the desk that was made to come off the end was made out of the finished shelving board which matches the finish on the Malm dresser almost perfectly!

The shelves above the desk are the EKBY TONY/ EKBY BJARNUM which were actually too big for the space. So my dad just measured them and cut them down to the right size before attaching them to the wall. The computer was put into place prior to attaching them to the wall to get the perfect height of the lowest shelf and then the books were put into place to figure out the placement of the upper shelf. The chair at the desk is the NISSE folding chair, which I am thinking about putting on the wall with hooks when not in use, but I am thinking that is not necessary as I have more room than I thought I would!

Overall the construction took about 6 hours and turned out pretty great if I do say so myself!! Would love to know what you all think as I love this site!

~ Peter M, New York, NY

A long one for cat lovers

I know not everyone likes cat hacks, so if you fall into that category, please feel free to sit this one out. This post lists 4 hacks 
- DIY cat shelves from Bjarnum shelves
- A cat tree from Expedit shelves
- A kitty litter from a Corras bedside table 
- A hallway cat litter & food hideaway
- A Birkeland cat litter 
~ Hiding a litter box in the hallway

Meow!
~ Jules

DIY Cat Shelves

Materials: Ekby Jarpen shelves and Ekby Bjarnum brackets, Flor carpeting and glue

Description: We were pretty much either unimpressed with a lot of the cat trees out there or AMAZED at the cost of the ones we were impressed with. So we decided to make our own. Here are the steps:

1. Mapped out a practical layout deciding which shelves would be loungers and which would just be steps.

2. Cut the Ekby shelves to size.

3. Cut Flor carpeting to size and glue to shelves.

4. Attach shelves to the wall.

Easy peasy. And our cats LOVE IT!

See more of the Cat shelves.

~ Lizzie, Santa Monica, CA

Expedit cat tree

Materials: Expedit shelves , L-brackets, area rug, padding, staple gun, screws, wall anchors , and power drill

Description: We had hacked a 4x4 Expedit bookcase to make an entertainment center. With the left over parts I made a kitty tree to replace a store bought one that took up too much floor space.

I used a long cross shelf and 3 small divider shelves. I pre-drilled holes in the long back and attached the smaller platforms with two screws a piece. I staggered two of the platforms so my kitty could easily jump to the top.

On the top again using a pilot hole I screwed a platform that was square with the edge of the back. I added L-brackets for support

I wanted my kitty to not just be laying on a hard surface covered with carpet so I bought some foam padding used in packing plates and stapled it to the platforms. I then covered the padded platforms with carpet cut from two 2'x4' cheap area rugs. I had enough carpet left to make a vertical scratching area on the floor level.

I then hung it on the wall with drywall anchoring screws. I didn't have to pre-drill any holes because there was holes left from the wooden pegs.

I covered the screws with small pieces of electrical tape because the screws were silver colored.

~ Kristyn, Pennsylvania

KITTY LITTER FROM BEDSIDE TABLE

Materials: Ikea "Corras" side table

Description: Over the weekend, I picked up an awesome Craigslist find - a discontinued Ikea side table slash soon-to-be incognito kitty litter.

The entire construction time came in just under 30 minutes and cost less than $20. This is how I made it.

SUPPLIES:

-Ikea Corras� side table ($15 from Craigslist)
-2 hinges
-8 screws (for hinges)
Drill

I removed the four casters by removing the screws fastening the casters to the underside of the table. Then I made the shelf into a door by attaching two hinges to the front of the table.

Since the shelf came with the table, it was a perfect fit- no need to trim or resize. I didn't mind the visible hinges, but you could buy hidden cabinet hinges from the hardware store.

Then I placed the litter box inside as so:

The cat accesses the litter box from the back of the side table, which rests a about eighteen inches from the wall. To clean the litter box, I can access it from the front by opening the newly installed door. So far the kitty seems to like his new digs!

See more of the kitty litter.

~ Fran Laks, Brooklyn, NY

Cat Litter & Food hideaway

Materials: 2 Faktum fan cabinet, 2 Applad doors

Description: I wanted to hide the cat litter positioned in the corridor, and I thought that it would have been great to find a way to make also the cat's food bowl inaccessible to our greedy Jack Russell Terrier!

I dug into the Ikea website looking for a cabinet that could fit the place where the litter initially was and found the Faktum kitchen fan cabinet: I bought 2, in order to use them vertically one on the other.

We mounted the cabinets and first thing, with the help of a friend and the right tool, we cut out the entrance on the side, cat head shaped. Then we cut the inner passage between the two cabinets.

We mounted the 2 Applad doors; then we applied 2 layers of felt pads under the cabinet that stays on the ground so that the door could open without scratching the floor; lastly we put some double-sided tape between the two cabinets, so that they could be stable together.

I'm planning to add a shelf inside the upper cabinet to store food and bowls.

~ Laura, Italy

BIRKELAND for Cats

Materials: Birkeland nightstand, hammer, wide chisel (or something with a blunt edge), glue

Description: Inspired by other Ikea hacks I've seen for hiding litter boxes I decided to make my own. I chose the Birkeland nightstand because the inside was the exact size of my cats litter box, and the height was perfect for beside the daybed in my spare bedroom/den. I started by building the nightstand as instructed. The hack comes when you get to the door. Lay the door on the floor, backside up. With a blunt edge chisel bang apart the frame of the door, removing each side one by one.

Be careful not to break the dowels that interlock the frame together. Once the frame is apart just take away the middle panel and put the frame back together. Use a little bit of glue in the dowel holes to ensure it's strong enough without that middle panel. For added privacy attach a sheer piece of fabric to the inside of the door (I just taped it). Now just hang the door as instructed and voila! A super simple nightstand/litter box home.

~ Nicole R, toronto, canada

Hiding a litter box in the hallway

Materials: Besta, TOFTA doors, cat flap

Description: Since I had my cat's litter box in the living room, right in front of the entrance, and there is no other place to put it, since the cat sleeps in there, I decided I had to find a way to hide it.

The perfect cabinet fitting the rest of the furniture (and containing the litter box) was Besta.

The hack consisted in making two holes: a hole in one side of the cabinet, to install a cat flap (bought in a pet shop), and another in the back for a ventilation grate.

Then we put the litter box in one half of the cabinet, while the other half is used to store cat food, brushes, and the like.

Ginger did not mind at all the change, and now if you don't notice the small window in one side, you really cannot tell the litter box is there.

~ Vale, Roma

Finally Drawers

Materials: 2 AKURUM Base cabinet with 3 drawers, white, Ädel white; 4 11" EKBY BJARNUM Brackets; 1- 3' Long square dowling; 1 Ekby Mossby 14" stainless steel shelf (no longer available)

Description: For years I have had a frustration with my kitchen (or lack of) drawers. Well I finally did something about it. I purchased 2 IKEA Akurum 12" drawer cabinets with Adel fronts.

I installed them per directions, except instead of Capita legs, I used 11" Ekby Bjarnum shelf supports (I needed to clear a baseboard heater). For the countertop I reused an EKBY MOSSBY 14" stainless steel shelf (No longer available) I was using in the same place for wall storage, minus the Bjarnum supports. Since the shelf was about and 1 1/2" too short I made it longer with a piece of 1" Square dowling I found at Lowes and cut down into two 14" pieces and screwed onto the the sides- which I actually like the looks of. I attached the old shelf to the top and I have a stainless steel countertop on my new drawer unit!

~ Rob, Seattle

Coffee table with Bjarnum legs

Materials: Bjarnum

Description: Coffee table with Bjarnum shelf brackets for legs.

~ Clay Nunnally

Coat hanger shelf

Materials: EKBY BJ�RNUM brackets (28 cm), EKBY TONY shelf, ATTEST handle (hole spacing 224 mm), 2 new screws - must be a bit longer than the ones included with the handle

Description: This one is pretty easy. The hacky part is using a door handle as the coat hanger rack.

Buy two new screws from your local hardware store (bring the screws included with the handle so you know what to look for). The new screws must be a little bit longer, try measuring the included screws up against the shelfs thickness.

Cut the shelf to the desired length.

Use a tape measure find the center of the shelf and mark two spots (224 mm apart) where you should drill. Ikea also sells templates to help you mark the two spots with the correct distance, if you are at not completely comfortable with this part.

Double check your measurements, you only get one chance so get it right.

Drill!

Simply follow the included instructions to mount one of the door handles on the shelf, like you would on a wardrobe door.

~ Carsten Elton S�rensen, Copenhagen, Denmark

Suspension Bridge Shelf

Materials: MARKOR series home entertainment combo plus EKBY BJ�RNUM wall shelf bracket; Extra shelves from the "as is" section; castors on the coffee table so the footstool can live underneath

Description: Mounting the bridge shelf to the wall above the TV was proving more difficult than we thought... We came up with an elegant solution without having to drill holes in the wall! Using the EKBY wall shelf brackets mounted to the sides of the MARKOR bookcases as the "towers" the bridge shelf just sits on top. Simple!

We also added extra shelves to the bookcases from the "As Is" section to hold more DVD's and castors to the MARKOR Coffee Table so the KARLANDA footstool can live underneath.

~ Michael and Tim Granados, Edinburgh, Scotland

Undersink Rubbish bin-like hanger thingy

Materials: EKBY BJ�RNUM shelf brackets, V�RDE knobs x4

Description: This is a pretty simple hack that I did so I could hang shopping bags to use for rubbish under my kitchen sink. The brackets were mounted onto the inside of the cabinet door upside down. This is important because there are two threaded holes on each bracket that are designed to hold the shelf tight. These holes are used for the four knobs that stick out of the top and hold the bag in place. When the knobs are in place (they should fit the threads) place a shopping bag on it and voil�! a place for your rubbish without taking up space or getting lost inside the cabinet.

(As you can see from the extra holes in the cabinet door, I had to experiment to get the distance correct.) Of course on the opposite cabinet door I have the RATIONELL VARIERA Plastic bag dispenser. So easy.

~ Xan Cassiel, Minneapolis, MN

Wall mount computer workstation, pc desk

Materials: Ikea: VIKA AMON tabletop (150 x 75cm), EKBY BJ�RNUM bracket, EKBY J�RPEN shelf (119 x 28cm), MALM nightstand (white), 2 x DIODER multicolor LED-strips. Non-Ikea: HP Touchsmart600 (computer), Vogel's Wallmount, 2 x Aluminium decorative strips (100cm), One ordinary shelf bracket, 2 hinges, Enermax Crystal aluminium keyboard

Description: First I made a frame with 4 slats on the back of the tabletop to move it about an inch from the wall. Then I made a hole in the tabletop for the flatscreen-wallmount. (The tabletop isn't strong enough to hold the screen, so I put the Vogel's wallmount straight on the concrete wall.) After that I put the DIODER LED-strips on the frame behind the tabletop and hung the tabletop on the wall with wooden slats, a bit like this.

I took the EKBY J�RPEN shelf and sawed a piece out of it to fit over the tabletop. Then I made a little cupboard for the cables from an old MALM nightstand and screwed it to the EKBY shelf. I made a door in the cupboard with 2 hinges and a little shelf inside.

Then I put the shelf on the wall with one EKBY BJARNUM bracket and one ordinary bracket inside the cupboard.

And as a finishing touch I put the aluminium decorative strips between the EKBY shelf and the tabletop.

I hope you'll like the result!

~ FritZz81, Netherlands