THROUGHOUT the pandemic, many of us have taken to doing a spot of DIY around the home.
While some people are transforming their homes completely, others are more focused upon making the most of their space by organizing and using storage solutions.
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The Swedish furniture store, IKEA, is already well known for its versatile and easy-to-put-together flat-pack furniture and other home goods.
Some people use flat-pack furniture to build their beds, while others use kitchen cabinets to make them.
Here’s a list of IKEA bed hacks to maximize storage, even in small bedrooms.
Platform kitchen unit bed
One clever IKEA bed hack comes from Chris, who posted the hack he made for his daughter, on his YouTube account, HandydadTV.
This is a great hack that offers lots of storage, especially if your bedroom is smaller than the rest.
To complete the hack for a doubled bed you need seven standard Ikea kitchen units, he also uses two units in smaller sizes to make steps to access the elevated bed.
To make the bed frame, he screws the units together and secures them. Then he builds the base.
Chris makes the base of his bed by using several planks made of plywood. He screws one to the wall of his bedroom and the other to the side of the cabinets.
To make the bed slats, Chris places the plywood vertically across the beams and drills in the holes to secure them.
Chris leaves one of the larger cabinets in the back open to allow for more storage space and also installs a light.
To decorate the bed, he used inexpensive panels and stuck them with carpet tape.
They are incredible and can be used to store large amounts of stuff in even the most cramped rooms.
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IKEA’s METOD cabinet bed
IKEA themselves have cottoned on to people using their furniture in unconventional ways to make beds and have also come up with a genius hack you can use.
The hack can also be used to make a platform bed using kitchen units, but it has a more traditional appearance.
The main pieces you will need to create the base are; three 80 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm METOD cabinets, three 60cm x 60 x 60cm METOD cabinets, two 148 cm x 199 cm MDF boards and one 62 cm x 220 cm FÖRBÄTTRA cover panel.
You can visit the IKEA website’s how-to-guide for a full list of the items and additional items you can add on to the bed frame.
First, place the MDF piece on the ground. Next, paint the sides of the MDF with white paint to match the rest.
Next, assemble the METOD cabinets following the instructions. The drawers, front and door can be left off.
The cabinets should be placed on the MDF board with their faces outwards. There were three for the front, two for the right and one each for the other sides.
Use L brackets to attach your cabinets to the base.
Once your cabinets are securely attached to the base, you will be able to add your second piece of MDF over the cabinets and drill it into them.
Finally, you want to make your mattress bumper by using the FÖRBÄTTRA cover panel, and cut it so you end up with two 147 cm x 10 cm pieces for the width and two 201 cm x 10 cm.
Secure the wood pieces to the top MDF panel using L brackets.
Now you can add doors, shelves, or any other accessory to the bed.
IKEA included a shoe rack on one side of this hack.
On their site, IKEA wrote: “We love to see our customers get creative with our products. Go for it! But please note that altering or modifying IKEA products so they can no longer be re-sold or used for their original purpose, means the IKEA commercial guarantees and your right to return the products will be lost.“
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KALLAX platform bed
If you or your kids are avid readers this is the bed hack for you.
This article will demonstrate how to build a child’s bed with the KALLAX collection of book cases.
Two KALLAX book shelves 42x147cm will be needed to make the hack. You’ll also need plywood for the frame and 2 4x4s and 2 2x4s wooden post, T brackets, screws, and nails.
First, use the wooden posts to make the base for the bed. Next, attach the T brackets to hold them together.
The plywood should be placed on top of the base. Secure it with nails. Finally, cover the mattress in fabric.
To ensure that the plywood is not damaged, assemble the KALLAX bookshelves and place them on top of the bed.
The book shelves and base of the bed make the bed very sturdy and offer plenty of space for a child’s bed.
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IKEA’s drawer and closet bed
One woman maximised the space in her studio apartment by creating a bed, that also acts as a closet – as it is mad from one.
Coach and personal trainer Whitley Spinnler, her IKEA wardrobe transformation to her Instagram account,wspinn, where it has a whopping three million views.
Aiming to make the most out of her small living pace, Whitley posted the video of her building her new bed under the caption “How I created a lot of storage by building a bed out of IKEA closets. Small studio apartment ideas.”
Starting with the length of the bed, Whitley builds theKALLAX Shelving unit, 77x147cm, in white,placing the longest side on the floor .
To create the end of her bed she uses the MALM chest of drawers160x78cm, in white, and an identical MALM unit to create the side of the bed.
With all drawers facing outward, so she can access them , she uses a smallKALLAX unit, 77x77cm, to create the head of the bed.
She attaches the slated bed base, which is available from Amazon.
The entire build cost £350 to make.
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If you like hacks that help organise your household you will love this piece on how to help kids hold on to their pen lids.
Also for parent hacks, see how one Mum shares easy oven tray hack which keeps kids entertained for hours.
For cleaning your home see this simple five-ingredient recipe for a DIY cleaning spray you can use on EVERYTHING.
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