Magnetic hacks

Hanging stuff up with magnets is a great way to declutter and get more work space. These 3 hacks show how you can add a little attraction to your space.

Craft magnet
Linda makes good use of the Grundtal magnetic knife rack in her craft room.

What she did was attach the knife rack onto her wired craft basket drawers and just "stick" her crafty tools onto the strip.

See more of Linda's crafty storage here.

Refrigerator knife holder
Adam and Melissa didn't have an obvious place in their kitchen to put a magnetic knife strip. They say, "The best location was the side of our refrigerator but we didn't want to drill into it. So we took 2 Grundtal knife magnets and glued the 'non-magnet' faces together. You can discard the 2 cylindrical spacers that come with each magnet. We added glue and clamped it overnight to allow the glue to cure. One face sticks to the fridge while the other face is for our knives. The magnet sticks very well to the fridge -- it takes two hands to pull it off."

 

 

Mini magnetic knife holder

For Clara, a full magnetic strip wasn't necessary. So she just added her 3/8? rare earth and ceramic magnets to set up a mini panel for her knives.

 

 

See more of Clara's mini-magnetic knife holder here.

Susannah's Atlas-inspired shelves

Here's another one from designspongeonline's diy contest. Susannah, inspired by the Altas Shelves, hacked her version using the Ikea Broder post and brace as the base. What goes on top are handmade shelves from unfinished 1�10 pine board cut to size and stained with Minwax �English Chestnut� wood stain.

See instructions to Susannah's Atlas-inspired shelves here (via designspongeonline.com).

Related post:
- Angie's George Nelson-inspired jewelry cabinet

Cats' scratch and snooze

Kelly makes a comfy scratching bed for her cats to claw and curl up.

She says, "I don't think of them as hacks so much as unintended uses. I took two of the Bastant baskets in the smaller size (roughly 22" x 12" x 9) and put cardboard scratching post refills in the bottom. These are sold to fit in cardboard holders which don't look so nice and don't provide any snuggle space for the cat. They're sold in multiple sizes, so you just have to take measurements to make sure they fit, or be willing to cut the cardboard. I already had the inserts, so I used one that's a large size and fit two that are long and narrow side by side in the other.

 

 

Ikea also has the Bastis Scratching Board, though the dimensions don't fit the basket perfectly. You could fit two of the scratching boards in the Bastant basket, and there would be just a bit of room left at the end, which isn't really a problem.  To use the Bastis scratching board, you'd just take the inner insert of cardboard out of its cardboard holder.

My cats adore these baskets and snooze in them all day. They scratch away on the cardboard insert and then curl up. The basket with the insert seems to be just the right size for them to lie down and still be able to see out. I've kept the baskets next to the windows for about a year so they have faded quite a bit, but they still look perfectly nice and are much better than the stuff they sell at pet stores."

Gadget docking and charging station

Caro made a handy docking and charging station to store her gadgets and charge them at the same time. Keeps things in order too.

Caro says, "My desk was a mess with gizmos and their chargers. Plus, I needed a place to put my closed notebook when I'm at my desk and using a wireless keyboard, mouse and a monitor.

To make myself a combined docking and charging station, I used the Ikea Estetisk storage with compartments desk accessory.

First, I laid the Estetisk flat and I drilled a series of 3/4 inch holes in the back/bottom of the compartments and in the back/bottom panel. In the first photo you can see the holes on the back/bottom panel, but not the others. The wires which attach to a surge protector (e.g. phone charger) go through both holes and down the surge protector on the floor. The wires which attach to the computer only (e.g. headphones) go through only one hole, at the bottom/back of the compartment, then up to the side of the computer.


Second, I attached clear plastic 'gripping pads' from the hardware store, to elevate the computer a bit and to prevent it from slipping. These are visible, if you look carefully, in both photos.

Third, I bought some little pieces of 1/8 plywood and basswood from the hardware store - I think they are intended for crafters. I cut these to fit the cubbies and just glued them, to create more space. I now have space for my camera, ipod and nano, a bluetooth earpiece, headphones, a pda, and room left over for glasses. And all the extra wires are hidden in the back compartment. Someday I'll stain or paint so that everything matches."

Angie�s George Nelson-Inspired Jewelry Cabinet

You may have seen this over at designspongeonline some time back, but I finally got round to posting it. Angie�s George Nelson-Inspired Jewelry Cabinet finished 4th place in ds' DIY Contest.

It's also the best use of the Fira drawers I've seen so far. Love love love it! Nice work, Angie.

Angie says, "I work in fashion, and therefore have a rather large collection of clothing, jewelry, shoes, purses, etc. The problem has always been 'how to store this stuff in a way that protects it, as well as makes it easy to access'.

As a city dweller, I've come to the realization that I'll never have a giant walk in closet, but I thought there must be something small I can do to give myself that luxurious and organized 'walk in closet' feeling.

Previously all my jewelry was stored in my boyfriend's old fishing tackle box. (Luckily he's not exactly an avid fisherman, so I think the box had only been used once or twice, therefore it's not stinky). While flipping through an issue of Domino magazine I came across an amazing walk in closet with an equally amazing jewelry storage cabinet. I quickly flipped to the sources page, and discovered that the jewelry chest of my dreams was designed by George Nelson (pic, right). Sadly it was $1400. Slightly out of my budget, especially for a jewelry chest.

Even though I couldn't get the Nelson chest, at least now I knew what TYPE of thing I wanted, and so began my quest for the DIY version. After mulling it over for about 6 months, I happened to be picking up some frames at our local Ikea, and lo and behold, what did I find but the perfect substitute in these drawers.

Now all I needed was the base. I thought about trying to track down a vintage side table base, but in the end I found what I needed at Ikea as well, by using the base of the Fornbro side table. (can't find the link on Ikea's website)

1) I first stained the pieces (2 coats of stain) and gave them about 8 coats of varnish with some sanding after the second and sixth coats. I did so many coats of spray varnish in order to get a really smooth even finish.

2) I then lined the inside of the drawers in vintage wrapping paper and covered the bottom with cream coloured felt. I needed some way to keep all the earrings and necklaces untangled, so the tiny metal tins with glass lids from Lee Valley Tools were perfect. They come in many different sizes and are surprisingly affordable.

3) I attached the base with simple screws (making sure they are only the depth of the thickness of the wood.

4) Lastly I attached the 3 drawer sections to each other with a zig zag of heavy duty glue in the centers of the sections to be glued together. I used 'No More Nails' but I think a lot of other types of thick glue would work.

I'm so happy with how this project came out, and most importantly I will now be giving ALL my jewelry the love it deserves, simply because now I can actually find it all! The only thing I might have to change is the base. It seems a little less stable than I would like it to be. I may add the round table top (which I did not use) and place it under the entire thing attaching it to the legs, basically using the entire sidetable as it was intended, but upside down. I would then paint the table/base entirely white, since the round table top is black and doesn't really go with the look I'm going for.

It's a pretty easy project, and I'm very happy with how it came out. I think it would look equally good with some other techniques, like painting the wood, or covering it with wallpaper or wrapping paper."

Hack a quick getaway

Going to Ikea can be an adventure in itself. But what if you just need a bag of 100 tealights? How do you do a quick zip in and out? Jenny has it all figured out. Check out her Quikea tips and you may just be able to fit in a trip to Ikea this weekend.

What about you? Do you have any tips for a quick trip to Ikea? Comment away.

Hackeas: Get organised in no time

One specially for the ladies. Not really hacks but some nice repurposing of Ikea items to help you bust clutter and get your stuff in order.

Magnetic make up brush organiser
ParisB stores her make up brushes with the Spontan magnetic board and containers.

See more of ParisB's make up brush holder.

Magnetic jewelry hanger
Here's another one with the Spontan magnetic board. Monica wrapped the board in wrapping paper and stuck the magnets on it. The necklaces are hung round the magnets.

Bathroom organiser
Genevi�ve used the Kroken accessories, made for kitchen storage, in her bathroom:
- rails for towels and to hold other Kroken accessories
- spice rack for perfume, etc
- shelf for makeup
- cutlery stands for toothbrush, hair brushes
- s-hooks for necklaces
- clips for earrings

 

  

  

  

 

She also used a Bj�ron plant pot for her nail polish and stuff, and took the galvanised bottom tray as a make-up tray, and Beta plant pots for pencils, mascara, etc. Her favorite is the Kroken paper towel holder which she uses as a toilet paper holder. It holds 3 rolls and it makes all her guests smile.

Gruntal pot hanger and rack
Rene' made her own pot rack out of the Grundtal shelving, hooks and dish drainer. She says, "We couldn't afford a proper pot rack, nor accommodate one, due to the height of the cathedral ceiling in the kitchen." The shelving is mounted to the wall on boards that were left by the previous owner. "We love it, plus it freed up 2 whole kitchen cabinets."

See related hacks:
- Omar pot rack
- Jewelry storage and display