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| DIY | IKEA Hacks Inspiration

I took a trip to IKEA on Saturday (which involved my first time on the motorway...long overdue since I passed my test last May!) I wish I had an IKEA closer to home, but such is life! 

I just love the affordability of furniture and homeware in IKEA, and everything seems to be built to last- especially the furniture. The main reason I went was to pick up a new chair for the desk in our bedroom. I really loathe the standard office chair, I think they look so ugly! So I decided I would go for just a dining chair in white to go with the white (and hopefully soon to be) grey theme in the room. I've seen a lot of country interiors featuring the INGOLF chair, and I loved the traditional look of it- perfect for my home. 

It wasn't the easiest to put together as my other half discovered, but this was mainly due to us not having invested in power tools yet! After a visit to the DIY expert (aka my Dad) the chair was assembled in no time.



Anyway, whilst I was researching the chair before visiting, I came across "IKEA hacks" online. A ton of clever people from all over the world have turned ordinary items and furniture into more convenient storage solutions, or things that are just plain fun! I'm a little bit obsessed with going on Pinterest and searching for hacks. There are some fantastic ideas on there. There's also a website called IKEA Hackers which is basically a forum for people to share their own creations. 

This got me thinking about a "hack" of my own that I could do. On the IKEA website, I saw this really plain but undeniably cheap chest of drawers for £85.00. My current chest of drawers is in a dark, almost black MDF finish and really not to my taste anymore. As it is covered in a strange faux wood finish, it is pretty difficult to repaint (I know this from experience as I tackled our bedside tables made of the same material and they didn't turn out so well). These drawers however don't seem to be treated with anything, and look to be ready for painting/varnishing. I would love to buy these drawers and use some Farrow and Ball or Annie Sloan chalk paint on them. To get the desired smooth finish, I would use a small sponge roller. I'm really debating on whether to use grey or white paint. A darker grey than the walls could look quite striking, and I intend to buy some victorian-looking ceramic drawer knobs for added interest - maybe from Anthropologie or Zara Home. 
   
                       
Here's a really effective yet stupidly easy IKEA "hack" which I totally love! Just by changing the colour of the chair legs, it looks like a different piece of furniture. 

BEFORE

AFTER
 

Do you have any other IKEA hacks to tell me about? I'd love to know! 






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