Lillangen + flower pot = bike rack

Materials: Lillangen wall bracket

Description: Over the last few months I have been thinking about building a homemade bike rack for our bicycles. The main goal was to save us some annoying manipulations when bringing the bikes in and out of our backyards. We were also tired of seeing our bikes sitting on our deck. Now they are sitting just outside our property in a dead end street that we have tried to turn green with the help of our neighbor.

This hack is really easy and I am pretty confident it will give ideas to some of you!

Step One : Build a flower pot!

The first step is to build a solid element to which the Lillangen brackets will be attached to. I decided to transform an old bed frame into a huge flower pot. Free your imagination to find the best solution for you. The only requirement is to build something "unmovable" if you don't want your bicycle to be stolen!

Step Two : Get a few pairs of Lillangen brackets!

Decide how many spots you will need for your bikes and run to the nearest Ikea store to get those Lillangen brackets. In Montréal they are sold for 10$ a pair. I have decided to repaint them in black to match my homemade flowerpot. However the spray paint I have used isn't really resistant and it has already started to peel off from the brackets but it doesn't really matter.

Step Three : Attached them to the flowerpot.

I have used a set of nuts and bolds purchased at my hardware store to attached the brackets to the flowerpot. I have also decided to add some washers. When installing the Lillangen brackets make sure to leave enough room (a couple of inches) in between the brackets so you can squeeze in the wheel of your bike.

Step four : Enjoy your new and convenient bike rack!

~ Tanguy, Montréal

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Funky Kids Chairs

Materials: Bolmen Stool & Lillangen Chair seat

Description: I wanted some really funky cool kids chairs to match my boys homemade LEGO table, so I set off to Ikea & came up with this idea: I bought 2 Bolmen bathroom stools & 2 Lillangen chair seats (one blue & one green), then set off to make them up.

You'll need: A drill, A screw driver, All purpose glue (for wood & plastic) 4 blocks of wood approx 8cm L x 3 cm w x 1.5 cm Thick(for stabilizing the chair seat to the stool), 8 screws with flat heads (because they'll be uncomfy to sit on with rounded head screws).

Step 1: Measure where you want the holes on the seat - I did mine 8cm's apart & in a square so it looked neat. I also worked out where I wanted the seat to be placed on the stool & I found the centre of the stool & the centre of the seat & made a small mark so I could line them up later when it comes time to fix it together.

Step 2: I then sat the seat onto two of the blocks of wood (place length ways under each set of holes) & then I carefully drilled my holes in the seat & made sure the wood was lined up correctly. You don't need to drill all the way through the wood as well, just enough to make a mark so you can use that as a guide to fix the wood to the stool. You'll also need to take note of how far apart the blocks of wood will be placed so you will know for later on when you glue them to the stool top.

Step 3: You now need to glue the wood to the top of the stool, being careful to just put the glue around the edges & a dob in the middle, & make sure you steer clear of where the holes will be going through. Let it dry for 30 minutes.

Step 4: You now need to drill the hole right through the wood & through the stool top.

Step 5: Line the seat up with the holes & markings & attach it to the stool top with the screws, & BAM you're done.

They turned out fantastic & my boys use them everyday & I even sit on them & play LEGO with the boys too. :)

~ Peita

Bathroom Sink Base to Trash/Recycling Center

Materials: Ikea Lillangen Sink Base Cabinet with legs, Ikeal Filur Trash Bins, Ikea Cabinet Door Panel (Unknown series), Ikea Hinges, Saw, Drill, Forstner Bit, Belt Sander

Description: I was in Ikea looking for those 'in cabinet trash receptacles'?�. Unfortunately, they were smaller than I wanted. As I was walking out, I saw the Lillangen Sink Base Cabinet on clearance and thought it was about the right size. I grabbed 2 Filur trash bins - and they fit PERFECTLY. On the way out, stopped in the '??As-Is' department and grabbed a flat cabinet door panel (unknown series) and a couple of the hinges.

I moved the back supports on the cabinet to the top, giving me a support for the hinges and a hanging area for the trash bins. I had to cut the door panel down to size (length and width), fitting it with hinges and it became a top lid. I also had to flip the cabinet floor as it had a support in front that I moved to the back. BTW, I used the stock hidden hardware, drilling new holes inside so I wouldn't have to drill screws through from the outside.

The Lillangen has white laminate sides - and the door panel I had was the black wood color. I used a very coarse (60 grit) belt sander, leaving deep groves into the laminate, slightly swirled. When I painted it black to match the lid, it looks EXACTLY like the wood grain (or at least it looks close enough to me). In fact, the lid itself is NOT painted - it'??s the stock Ikea Black Wood color.

This cabinet works great for me. It's at the end of my counter top, giving me extra space to store things on top if I need (I don't). I can open the top lid to put in the trash and separate the recycling. I can also use the front doors if I want to remove the trash cans (although I find I almost always just lift the lid).

And here'??s the best part: I mentioned the base cabinet was on clearance. I didn't mention it was out of stock! They actually gave me the display one already assembled off the floor, including the legs, for even LESS than the clearance price. Seriously, the most expensive part of this was the Filur trash bins themselves!!

~ Chris H., Round Rock, TX

Lillangen end unit as coffee table with storage

Materials: Lillangen end unit

Description: 4 Lillangen unit combined together

~ Pasquier Nicholas, Nantes - France

Lillangen corner vanity hack

Materials: Lillangen cabinet and sink, Marginal shelf

Description: I had enough room for the 31" Lillangen vanity, but wanted more shelf/counter space instead of such a wide sink. I also wanted to put it right up against the wall in the corner of the bathroom. I had the idea of combining a 31" base (24" cabinet plus 2 end units) with the 24" sink to leave room for a little countertop next to the sink in the corner against the wall.

The first part of the hack was that I stacked two of the Lillangen end units front-to-back instead of kitty-corner, to give deep storage cubbies on the "wall" side of the base cabinet. This involved leaving out the one of the vertical panels of the front unit -- after a little experimentation, I found that it worked just right to discard the side panel and use the back panel on the side instead. By drilling some new holes in edges of the back unit, you can use the cam locks to attach the front unit to the back one instead of to the discarded panel.


The interior shelves in the front unit would ordinarily be attached at one side and the back; to make up for the missing panel, I drilled more holes and put two screws into each shelf from the cabinet side, so that they are supported by both sides rather than side and back. While I was at it, I also drilled a couple more holes through the cabinet side and put a screw in the top of each end unit as well, to make it all a little more secure. As you can see from the first photo, there are exposed screws on the outside of the end unit now so you probably only want to do this if you are going to put that side up against a wall, like I did, so they are not visible.

I also wanted to hide the top of the two end units under a countertop-like surface. I was considering various materials to put there (granite tile? butcher block?) before I realized that the cut-off end of the Marginal shelf I was planning to install over the toilet was exactly the right size if I put it sideways. One thing about the Marginal I didn't realize before I bought it home.... the back edge of the shelf is unfinished particle board, and it's also indented a bit behind the upper surface of the shelf for the recessed brackets. I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to seal this with a coat of oil-based primer. To fill in the indentation on the "countertop" piece I attached a thin strip of wood moulding, also primed both sides. After installing the sink and getting it caulked all around, I attached the shelf to the cabinet base with silicone adhesive, with the "back" edge of the shelf against the sink and the cut end hidden a gainst the back wall, then finished it off with a bead of caulk to hide/seal the raw edges.

I'm quite pleased with how it turned out -- there is plenty of space to set things down near the sink, and the shelf cubbies are deep enough to hold extra towels or storage boxes for toiletries. BTW, for a backsplash I'm using a $3 bamboo placemat, trimmed to fit around the bump in the rear of the sink, an idea I borrowed from another hack on this site showing Ikea placemats used for a kitchen backsplash.

~ pondscum

Small-room bath vanity/sink (16 inches)

Materials: Lillangen sink, Grundtal faucet, Besta base units

Description: The vanity is comprised of Besta units which come in different widths and heights. Their depths match the depth of the sink (16 inches) so you can configure to your own needs. I added one draw and three doors with shelves. Use any single hole faucet and use any handles or none at all. Legs are also Ikea. Use your own preference. You adjust your interior to fit plumbing and you are good to go!

~ Helen

Lillangen Office Storage

Materials: 3 Lillangen bathroom cabinets, 1 Lilliangen base, mending platesDescription: The Ikea had Lilliangen on clearance, so each cabinet was $50 and the base was $25. This was the perfect size and height for many applications around my house. I used it for a tall cabinet in my office area, I thought it would be perfect for the dining room as a bar or china cabinet too. Using 3 cabinets stacked vertically with mending plates on the inside, I was able to make a light and airy cabinet. The top is a piece of shelf from the discontinued Ikea kitchen series, these were $1 apiece.

The shelves are adjustable. I was thinking of making a pull-out drawer in the middle section because it's perfect for a desk.

There is no backside to the shelf, so light gets in from the wall reflection. I was thinking about using this as a plant cabinet so the cats wouldn't attack my plants, and they could have light. I was also thinking of using this cabinet in my vintage Silver Streak trailer, it's aluminum and the trim matches. The cabinet is very light weight, each might be only 30lbs, so unlike all the other Ikea cabinets, I can carry this by myself. It also is a very small box and can fit into a VW Golf trunk. Here is the cabinet in its normal bathroom application.

~ Ninjarita, Minneapolis

Lillangen bathroom remodel

Materials: Lillangen, Bjorken,

Description:

before

In my bathroom remodel, I used the Lillangen sink base and cut a sink top from birch plywood. I also used a Lillangen wall cabinet and turned it vertically and attached it below my countertop next to my sink base.

Both cabinets got ring pulls and a coat of turquoise paint on their fronts. I also used the Bjorken medicine cabinet, hanging it horizontally,and creating a solid front for it and painting and adding pulls to match the sink base.

You can see more about my hacks and bathroom renovation here on my blog.

~ christie