Give a little chic storage to the Pallbo footstool

Materials: SOLSTA PALLBO footstool, candle holders (4), screws (4), jigsaw, polisher, plywood, upholstery foam, lining, stapler, textile, sewing machine

Description: I took the footstool apart and turned it upside down. I drilled four holes on the bottom and screwed in the candle holders. I sawed the new top from plywood, and I polished the edges a bit.
I covered the sides and the top separately with the foam and the lining fixing them with a stapler.

Then I upholstered these items with textile with the stapler again, and sewed where needed (e.g. at the sides).

Now the new footstool doubles as a storage item for magazines or a soft throw.

See more of the madeover Solsta Pallbo.

~ Judit, Budapest

Minecraft-inspired window seat/stools

Materials: Solsta Pallbo stools, Hampen Rug

Description: I wanted a window seat in my spare room that could double as spare stools for when visitors come around.

With limited space, the Solsta Pallbo stools were small enough to do the trick. I realised their shape and colours (2 dark grey and 3 natural) made them ideal for turning them into Minecraft (computer game) blocks for added interest.

To achieve this I used fabric paint and a cardboard stencil to replicate the pixellated design on one side of each stool. I cut up a green Hampen rug for grass to top the soil blocks.

Now I have a functional and geeky window seat!

~ Nonny Mouse, Australia

P�llbo 022

Materials: Materials: SOLSTA P�LLBO, mdf, scrap wood.

Description: In our small living room, we could use extra storage space. We also needed spare chairs, for the occasional extended family dinner, at our extendable table. Inspired by the Laphoeff 022 design, I hacked our existing three P�llbo�s to add storage and make them adjustable in height.

We now have extra storage and 3 instant extra table chairs, at little cost. I added felt on the bottom of the mdf boxes, so now they are easy to slide around.

Here's how I did it:
1. Cut off the "feet" of the P�llbo. Dissassemble P�llbo, and attach two wooden slats (of equal thickness as the vertical slats) horizontally (screws and glue), between the vertical slats, on two opposing insides of the P�llbo.
2. Make a rectangular box from mdf (or timber board).
3. Reassemble P�llbo.
4. Fill mdf box with stuff.
5. Slide P�llbo over box.

Depending on how you slide the P�llbo over the mdf box, it will slide almost all the way over to its original height, or (when rotated 90 degrees) the horizontal slats will stop it from doing so (and rest on top of the short edges of the mdf box), making it the height of a table chair.

Make sure the distance between the top of P�llbo (not counting the cushion) and the bottom of the horizontal slats is equal to the added height you want for the P�llbo in high position. I made the mdf boxes 30 cm high, so in 'low' position the P�llbo's still have their original height, with the box sticking out just as much as the original feet.

The key is to make the mdf box rectangular, so that it fits the inside of the P�llbo from side to side in one direction, but only from slat tot slat in the other direction. This way, some room is left (the depth of one slat on each side) in one direction between the sides of the P�llbo and the mdf box. One problem is that the distance between the slats in the P�llbo is unequal (29 cm one way, 30 cm the other way).

I went the difficult route, and made the boxes 30x35 cm. This meant I had to remove a strip of 0,5 cm from the vertical slats (as you can see in the photo), which was a lot of work, even with a circular saw. This way I wanted to create some extra support in the high position, since you get a small nook in the vertical slats that also rests on the mdf box. I think sticking to the smallest length (29 cm) would have worked just as well, and saved a lot of work.

For an even easier build, using the Pr�nt box (27x35 cm, 27 cm high) would probably work just as well, even though it is a little lower. Then all it takes is adding the horizontal supports at the right height. Adding two extra horizontal slats of 3 cm would bring this up to the normal height of P�llbo again.

~ G.V.M., The Netherlands

Solsta Pallbo Beach Footstool

Materials: Solsta Pallbo Footstool in white, bambus beach mat, hot glue, scissors, stapler, 4x angle joints, screws, maybe a saw

Description: I've made the EXPEDIT Beach Table you can find here.

After finishing it I thought of making a suitable chair or stool for that.
So I took a Solsta Pallbo Footstool and made it ready for my little Beach.

1. Build up the frame of the stool and leave the top aside for this moment.
2. Get a beach mat made of bamboo. The size needed to cover the whole frame is 158x40 cm (62x15"). I had to take two pieces because they were just 120 cm long and cut off one side with a saw to make them fit.
3. Put the beach mat all around the frame of the stool using hot glue. After that, the frame is already done and we can go on completing the top.
4. Cut off the top of the cover of the cushion at about 14 cm (5.5").
5. Put the cushion with its wooden plate into that top and fix the cover with staples on the wooden plate.
6. Now you cannot reach the holes for the screws to fix the top plate on the frame anymore, so you need to screw the top to the frame using 4 angle joints.

Have fun building it. I hope you like it.

~ MrSkigh

Pallbo fusion: Double Pallbo storage box

Materials: Pallbo footstools, Fredrika fabric

Description: Lisa and I had a couple of Pallbo footstools laying around the house. Pallbo is nice, but is a big waste of space. Surfing the Web I came across this page. I had some scrap wood in the basement, so I decided to merge the two to obtain a bigger upholstered chest to store some blankets.

Bill of materials:
------------
2 Solsta Pallbo footstools
4 small wood boards to join the panels
some plywood for the lid
Fredrika fabric
velcro tape
3 hinges

First I disassembled the footstools. Then I joined the two front panels side-by-side using two small boards. I did the same with the two backs. Then I cut the feet and I re-assembled the box, using the old lids to make the bottom of the box. Then I cut a piece of plywood to make the new lid. Then I fastened the hinges and glued the foam on top of the lid.

Now for the hardest part: upholstery. I took my mother's more than 40 years old sewing machine and I sewed a new lining for the box using a couple of meters of Fredrika fabric. Beware to prewash the fabric before to do anything, as it will shrink about 4%. All the new lining is hold in place with Velcro tape, making the box easily unlineable.

Then, with the left fabric, I made a coordinated pillow.

Now, after about five days, we have a new storage box, and all the blankets are not messing around anymore!

Less confusion => happier wife => better life! 

~ Alberto, Tavagnacco, UD, Italy