12 Ways to IKEA Hack Summer By: Jules IKEAHacker

With sunshine streaming in through the windows and our warm weather gear finally getting a chance to be worn, now is definitely the time to start living life outdoors! Whether you’re spending your summer at home by the pool and are looking for the perfect excuse to dig out your meat tongs, we’ve gotten brilliant ways to get you IKEA hacking your summer.

1. Light up with colors

IKEA hacking doesn’t get much simpler than this! Cut up leaf shaped parts out of the foil and slide at least 5 multi-colored leaves onto a wire. Loop the wire around the SOLVINDEN lightchain and watch your summer nights bloom. Even by day, the flower lights are really pretty. Click here for more. Also try these patio lights or these party lights.

2. Have a cookout outdoors

BBQ here we come! Granted. It’s not a traditional barbecue pit but you can still grill (and stew and boil!) on this one. This easy IKEA hack (formerly a VARDE sink counter) even has a nifty space to store the gas tank. Click here for the lowdown. And when you are done cooking, you’re gonna need this.

3. Fill the air with music

Companion to the stove! Here’s an idea to make things even more interesting. Add an outdoor amp and an Apple AirPort Express to a BEKVAM kitchen cart, so that you can listen to Happy while the barbecue sizzles.  Click here for the details.

4. Stay cool like the Fonz

All that grilling is bound to make you hot and sweaty. You will need plenty of fluids to cool down. Here’s how to always have icy cold beer ready to serve. And what’s cooler than this handsome TARVA ice chest? See the tutorial here.

5. Try something different

If beer is not your thing, why not try some thing Swede? Some swear by this Lingonberry Coke concoction. Recipe here.

6. Turn up the heat

Style up! Okay, plastic is probably not the best choice for summer but what can I say, the cut is perfect for summer! Make one in an IKEA fabric? Click here for more.

7. Cozy up and soak in the sun

Put up your feet in this cozy lounger, shielded with the APPLARO screen. Bask in the sun and enjoy the hot summer days and get your fill of Vitamin D. Click here for more. Or hack your old POANG for a new summer look.

8. Let them play with abandon

There’s fun under the sun for the little ones too. A mud kitchen + play kitchen in one equals hours of playtime. And it takes no time to put this set up together. See how you can make one today.

9. Grow your wild side

Summer’s a great time to get your green thumb going. This window herb garden hack lets you get started in an afternoon. All you need is a shower curtain rod, FINTORP Cutlery Caddy, BYGEL S-Hook, soil and herbs of your choice. See how it’s done here.

10. Don’t forget protection

It’s too hot out, we get it! You need a little shade, but you’ve got no umbrella stand. No problem! Enter the MELODI lamp, the perfect mould for a homemade umbrella stand. Click here for the full tutorial and product list.

11. Make new friends

Using the mini SOCKER greenhouse and turning it into a window birdfeeder/birdhouse is a brilliant way to connect with the great outdoors, even if the weather isn’t quite as cheery as you’d have hoped. Click here for the full tutorial.

12. Get moving

The weather’s perfect for roaming the streets. DIY a carrier rack from a trivet, and haul those groceries home on your bike instead. Click here to see more.

Whatever your plans this summer, make it a creative one with some of these IKEA hacks!

And now, over to you. What IKEA Hacking projects are you working on this summer?

 

The post 12 Ways to IKEA Hack Summer appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/1fwVzch From Jules IKEAHacker

D*S Book Peek + Best Of By: Grace Bonney

This week we’re booking what feels like a few hundred plane and train tickets to travel across the country for photoshoots for our upcoming book. I’m both excited and terrified (I’m not good with planes) but mostly excited for the chance to meet some of my biggest idols. Our big travel starts next week and I can’t wait to hit the road and see how this dream of a project turns out. Until then, I’m sharing some of our favorite links from around the web this week, and a few sneak peeks behind the scenes of workspaces of some of the people we’ve photographed for the book so far. The photo above is from Linda Rodin‘s home (photographed by Sasha Israel) and the photo below is from Carla Fernandez‘s photoshoot in Mexico City with Ana Hop. xo, grace

• I have a big old crush on these kilim pillows from Christian Rathbone.
• Dream home + store + dog + sofa? Well done, Calliope.
• This paper flower class looks amazing!
• I love this video about Design Files founder Lucy Feagins’ mornings in Melbourne.
• This modern Victorian makeover on SFGirlbyBay is so sophisticated.
• Hello, dream bath tub situation.

• Must-Reads: D*S Writer Lauren Chorpening’s Iowa Home Tour, The amazing story of Eleanor Ambos Interiors, 10 Handmade Mugs for Summer
• Sneak Peeks: A creative family home in Sydney, An Eclectic Home in Bristol, A Modern Australian Home, A renovated Brooklyn brownstone, an incredible stylist’s home in the Stockholm archipelago
• DIY: Punched Copper Votives
• Before & After: Calumet Artist Residency Makeover
• City Guide: 24 Hours in Miami, Florida
• Life & Business: How to Scale Your Business with Phin & Phebes, Profile: Melissa Sonico,

via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/1D5PkkB From Grace Bonney

Studio Tour: Helen Levi Ceramics By: Annie Werbler

The studio of Brooklyn-based ceramicist Helen Levi is perched above, of all things, a mouse trap factory. When a certain machine in the Sunset Park warehouse is switched on downstairs, a consistent melodic thumping sound can be heard throughout the building. Visitors joke about her neighbors playing house music, “when, really, it’s the glue traps,” she quips. With the help of designers Chen and Kai (and her dog Billy), Levi set up this 250-square-foot workspace a year and a half ago in a carved-out corner of the markers’ larger studio. Levi worked in a communal space before arriving at this location, and she desperately needed to spread out. She aimed to create as much storage as possible without feeling cluttered, and she lines the vertical height of the room with tall shelving units to get the most out of each wall. The huge industrial windows maintain a bright, open quality even as the metal racks reach capacity.

Despite its small square-footage relative to the amount of production it puts out, Levi is happy with her studio as it is today, though she anticipates a time when continuing to grow her business will require more. Until that day comes, Levi loves having a workroom that belongs only to her, where she can leave a mess if she doesn’t feel like cleaning up (which she admits is often). She also appreciates the ample sunlight, even if a mostly-glass facade offers minimal insulation from extreme hot or cold temperatures. Not even the mouse trap soundtrack below can harsh this vibe. —Annie

Photography by Helen Levi, except where noted

via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/1Hiv4ya From Annie Werbler

JARA Pink Patterned Lampshade By: 64ColorBox

My inspiration for this lamp shade hack came from the Esty shop, Patturn. I like how she uses old maps and pattern paper to cover lampshades. As I had a lampshade to cover, I decided it would fit right into my room.

To incorporate pink, I first painted the lampshade a lovely light pink. I used the very inexpensive brand Apple Barrel acrylic paint called Cameo Pink. I thought that since the pattern paper is thin, the pink would bleed through. I also hoped it would give a faint pink glow.

After allowing the paint to dry for a bit, I pulled out an old pattern I found at a rummage sale and my bottle of Mod Podge. I painted a layer of Mod Podge on the shade, then spread the pattern paper over the glue. Since the paper is fairly thin, it rips easily, so I didn’t smooth the paper out smoothly. I used larger pieces to cover the entire shade. I then added a couple smaller pieces to provide a distinct pattern piece look.

As I said, I had hoped the pink paint would show through the paper, but apparently patterns from the 70′s used thicker paper than now because it didn’t show through much at all. If I hold the shade in direct sunlight, I can see the pink, but that defeats the purpose of having a lamp. In order to add a little more pink, I grabbed a roll of Washi tape and added a “ribbon” detail to the top and bottom of the shade.

To finish up, I re-glued the pattern paper around the edges and trimmed the paper close to the seams. Finally, I used my Mod Podge to seal the outside of the lampshade.

To try this project on your own, you will need the following supplies:

• white fabric lampshade (mine is the JARA from IKEA )
• small bottle of acrylic paint – in your favourite colour
• Mod Podge
• foam brushes (I used a 1 inch brush
• unwanted pattern pieces

This post was also published on my personal blog here.

The post JARA Pink Patterned Lampshade appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/1HkhUmw From 64ColorBox