Yet Another DIY Ikea Built In
The VERY first thing we purchased and installed when we moved into our house was our media storage/shelves from Ikea. And when I say we, I mean my in-laws, because it was our housewarming gift (thanks guys!) and because my father-in-law installed it (merci Poppa Terr!).
I work for a home builder and so I know how much these things cost when done by a profesional millworker. Something like this would be around $5000. Ay chihuahua! Our version cost just over $500.
I've had lots of questions about it from friends and readers so thought I'd give a bit of a run down.
Firstly, there are loads of media units at Ikea that are already put together (no, not assembled because what would Ikea be without the annoying little bubble man on the one page instructional showing you how to put together your newly acquired furniture?).
But, there are sets that are essentially "pre-bundled", and then there are just random separate pieces that you can buy and use to make your own wall unit.
Luckily, Ikea has a fantastic Besta planner that allows you to build your wall unit online and add doors, frames etc and prices it all for you. This was really helpful for us when trying to decide between buying a bundle or buying all the pieces separately. At the end of the day, I was so happy we went with the Besta pieces and were able to make it work with our space.
My father-in-law (with help from hubby's bff) built a platform for the 2 base pieces to sit on, and then the shallower bookcases of the same product line were used to frame the TV. Everything is secured to the wall for extra stability!
I wanted to de-Ikea-fy it, so I grabbed my tub o'spackle and filled the little holes on the inside of the cabinet once I had placed the shelves where I wanted them. I didn't sand or paint, I just made sure to fill the holes very flush and then waited to see what they looked like when dry. And amen, it worked! Hubby had no faith in me at all, but I'm glad I did it.
It is FAR from finished (which is sad because we've had it for 2 1/2 years) but I do have some great plans to make it look even more custom. I plan to use some crown moulding along the top so that there is no gap (gap is shown with phtoshopped trim in first pic), and perhaps some trim on the side to help it look more "built in".
I am DYING for some intricate hardware a la chinese chests/dressers but haven't found any I like for little moolah. Any resources you can recommend?
Lastly, I have some FABULOUS stacked quartz tile that I would love to install to the back of the cabinets and behind the TV. I have been waiting to pull the trigger because a part of me doesn't want to waste my beautiful tile in this home because a) it would be great to have it for our eventual future fixer upper, whenever that may come (hoarder?) and b) it will certainly be a bit tricky if we DIY, or costly if we hire a pro, and I'm worried that doing it won't bring much if anything to our property value since we're in a townhouse.
What do you think? Should I just bite the bullet and do it? Or do something less permanent and costly and line the back with fabric or wallpaper and/or paint? Let me know your thoughts!
xo
J
Could you adhere the tile to a piece of MDF or some other backer board that is cut to the size of the space behind your TV? You could use a few screws to hold it in place if you knew where the studs were and just hot glue that piece of tile once the board is secured? That way you could at least take the tiles with you when you leave, and you could probably use it as an art piece, above a fireplace, in an entryway, hallway, etc. I'm sure it would be heavy, but with the right mounting hardware, it might just work. Just a thought :)
ReplyDeleteThis looks amazing! Can you share the product list? I would love to build the exact same thing! Hopefully my ceilings are the same height as yours. ;)
ReplyDeleteI will get to it shortly and will post the products! My ceilings are 9 ft FYI
DeleteI love it!! I think the tile would look sooo good... Give it a kind of fireplace look. Or you could just paint a contrasting colour behind them if you really want to save the tile :) I think it's hilarious that you are stockpiling materials for your future home!! Such a forward thinker ;)
ReplyDeleteI am so guilty of this. I have beautiful pieces that I should be displaying in my home but am waiting for the 'perfect' spot to put them. ("I won't display that gorgeous antique candle holder until I get a new dining room table.." "I really should put those old whiskey decanters up when I have new shelves..") I understand where you're coming from about want to 'save' the special stuff. I decided a little while back that life is too short to save everything for the perfect moment, room, furniture, house etc., so I'm putting all my pretty stuff out even if it could be better elsewhere. If you are really hesitant to put up all the tile then just put it behind the TV and do something else in the other spaces. Besides, there will always be great tile out there and who knows, maybe when you do finally have a fixer-upper, you may not even like that tile anymore and it will have been wasted. Live in the moment! =)
ReplyDeleteAmen! Thanks again for the reminder :)
DeleteHi Jen :) I've been reading your blog for a little while, I love all of your creative ideas! I was just reading this post about using your nice tile on your wall. If you want to save it for your "forever home" you could do something like this with MDF: http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/newhouse/page/2/
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't look quite the same, but it would give a similar effect without using up your nice tile.
Great idea! Might have to use that technique somewhere else in the house! Thanks for reading my blog! :)
DeleteI wouldn't do the tile behind all cabinet shelves & the TV. That's a lot of a small pattern in a big space that you spend time looking at. I just think it will be too busy and fairly distracting.
ReplyDeleteHi Gigi! The stacked quartz is actually quite large scaled although it's hard to capture via the sample image. I might have to take a photo to show what I mean!
DeleteWhat about wallpaper-ing it?
ReplyDeleteLove Ikea...XoXo
ReplyDeleteWow! It looks amazing and I love that it's totally custom. :)
DeleteI haven't looked there recently but they usually have a great selection of interesting hardware, check Lee Valley for some cool hardware? Not sure if they will have anything Asian enough to suit your needs but worth a try.
ReplyDeleteLove to know what you used for the base cabinets...
ReplyDeleteI just found your site while searching for Ikea hacks, I love what you did! In one of your posts above you said that you were going to list the pieces you put together but I can't find it anywhere!! I've stared at the Ikea site for an hour trying to match them up but no luck.....
ReplyDeleteDawn
Hi Dawn! I tried to figure out the names of the exact pieces but couldn't. I know they are BESTA and the tops are half as deep as the bottoms. Doors were purchased separate from the actual cabinets. They do have a BESTA builder on the Ikea site so that you can design your own!
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