A bright, artful IKEA home

The folks at IKEA Family Live have done a beautiful job of rounding up homes from around the world with eclectic looks that all have one thing in common...IKEA items. This country home in Portugal uses lovely bold colors and natural elements like salvaged wood pieces to really warm up the concrete space.

Even the kitchen utensils look like an art display

I love how the artist homeowner painted only half the walls to add color while creating continuity from room to room. She also applied these butterfly wall decals for just that extra splash of interest that can easily be removed when she's no longer in a butterfly mood.

 from IKEAFamilyLive

IKEA Henriksdal bar stool covers added

Slipcovers for the discontinued IKEA Henriksdal bar stool are now available! Thanks to our larger than average derriers here in the USA, IKEA had to supersize the Henriksdal line of chairs for the North American market...sorry Canada. In the summer of 2009, IKEA widened the Henriksdal dining chair by about an inch, which doesn't seem like much unless you are making well fitting slipcovers and have to change your patterns. Oddly enough, the Henriksdal bar stool grew almost 3 inches which makes me question how much we really drink here in the good ole' US of A? So take that infamously famous European drinkers...either we drink more or we just require more comfort when we drink.


If you aren't sure which version of the chair or bar stool you have, measure the width of the seat at the widest point.

Here's a look at the bar stool slipcover in the new Sunshine Chevron fabric we will be making available very soon.

Until we get the chevron prints available on Knesting.com (there will be 4 colors), you can check out the chevron slipcover for an IKEA Henriksdal bar stool in our Etsy shop - FreshKnesting.

Prant boxes with panache

IKEA makes many wonderful storage solutions and most of the creative ideas I've seen incorporate the Expedit bookcases. But the Swedish IKEA site, Livet Hemma, has come up with a fun way to transform unfinished Prant boxes like these...

 

from IKEA-US

into a colorful, interesting, and useful storage option like this...

Livet Hemma

All it takes is a little planning, a small amount of paint and a box of binder clips. What a great use for those paint testers available in your local hardware or home improvement store.

Overlays for added interest

I recently stumbled upon another great product that sprung from the idea of jazzing up plain ole' IKEA furniture. O'verlays are fabulous decorative panels that fit many IKEA models and instantly turn your blah Malm dresser into a unique custom piece of furniture to be the envy of all your friends and family. Basically they are thin decorative pieces that can be painted and applied to create an absolutely endless array of looks. O'verlays come in many sizes that fit the IKEA Lack, Malm, Pax, and Expedit models. Check out their site http://www.myoverlays.com for more designs ideas!

Gallery Wall how-to

Do you see images of fabulous framed gallery walls and think, "I would love to do that!" Gallery displays can definitely add a lot of interest to a big boring wall and they also are a great way to add your personality to a space. It can be intimidating thinking about hanging all of those frames. And if you are like me, the thought of putting a bunch of holes in your walls doesn't help. But with a good design plan and some handy Command strips, gallery displays can be a fun project that is well worth the effort.

The first step in planning your gallery is to decide on a style. IKEA has created a really nice slideshow that helps provide ideas on how to orient or situate your display.

You can group within a framework, kind of boxes within a larger box...

Use ledges to create a flexible gallery that is easy to change out when the mood strikes...

Another idea is to create a collection of objects based on a common theme...









Once you settle on a design, it's time to get to work. I love to use IKEA frames because they are inexpensive and keep the project looking consistent without breaking the bank. You can also round up a variety of frames from a local thrift store and spray paint them for a uniform look.  If you have the time, you can cut newspaper pieces in the size of your frames and use masking tape to lay out your design on wall. I prefer to use the floor for laying out my designs. Once I settle on a plan, I snap a photo to refer back to while I'm working. And my single favorite item for hanging frames....Command hooks! They have a wonderful new product that is kind of like velcro and it lets you make those inevitable adjustments. 

Chevron Love!

So I've definitely been in a chevron lovin' mood lately. I honestly thought my interest might wane but as months have passed, I have to say my fondness of the crazy zig zag pattern has only grown. And now as a result I've decided to offer our Knesting slipcovers in a few fun colors of the chevron print. You will soon be able to purchase slipcovers for your IKEA furniture in the the following fabrics...candy pink, sunshine yellow, dark chocolate, and ash gray

  

   

Here's a picture of a the first chevron slipcover we've just completed. Since we are still working out the details of which models we'll be covering the chevron fabrics in, I've gone ahead and listed this yellow slipcover for the Henriksdal bar stool on our Etsy shop - http://www.etsy.com/listing/80307460/chevron-slipcover-for-ikea-henriksdal.

And for a little inspiration, here are a few other designs featuring the chevron pattern.

via madebygirl.blogspot.com

via http://www.housebeautiful.com/

via http://www.housebeautiful.com/

Bright IKEA apartment makeover

Designers at Better Homes and Gardens were tasked with making over this small apartment with three goals in mind. First, they had to focus on creating both live and work space. Second, they had to use mostly items found in their local IKEA store. And last...they had a $1000 budget. I love how the new space looks both bright and tranquil at the same time.

 

http://www.bhg.com/decorating/small-spaces/apartments/small-space-apartment-makeover/?rb=Y#page=1