J.N. Taylor and Co.: DIY IKEA Softbox By: Jonathan Lahue

Thursday, May 15, 2014

DIY IKEA Softbox By: Jonathan Lahue

Making a Softbox out of stuff from IKEA is really easy (here’s a step by step video I made to walk you through it:

First you’ll need:

-A box (I used DRÖNA)

-A light fixture that can support IKEA lampshades (I used SEKOND)

-A lightbulb,

-Aluminium foil

-Glue (hot glue and/or white glue)

-A ruler

-Electrical tape (optional)

-An Exacto knife

-A needle and thread (if you don’t have hot glue)

-Velcro

-something to diffuse light with (I used the SCHOTTIS blinds)

1. Trace a hole on your box where you want to put your fixture through and cut it out with your exacto knife. Then, make sure that the fixture can fit snugly in the hole, and take it out. If the hole is the right size, the socket should not be able to be pushed through completely, but it should also be easy to secure it into place.

2. Cut several pieces of aluminium foil the same size of each of the inside sides of your box (plus 2 inches on each side) With the shiny side facing down, fold 1 inch of foil towards the center on all sides. Keep in mind that you want a 1-2 inch space at the edge of your box to put the diffuser, so measure accordingly.

3. apply glue generously to the dull side of the aluminium foil and stick it to the inside of your box. Once it has tried, make the socket hole again. depending on what materials your socket is made of, you may want to add electrical tape around the edges of the hole. At this point you can put the socket back in, secure it into place, and put in a lightbulb.

4. Using the SCHOTIS blinds I simply cut them to the size of the inside of the box, and pressed the adhesive side down until one side was secure. For the other side, I used velcro dots (also self-adhesive) and put them on the blinds and the opposite side of the box. Just to make sure they don’t come off, I sewed them into place, but you can also use hot glue for that.

5. Attach the velcro, plug it in, and you’re done! This same method can be used with many other IKEA products as well!