My Recent Obsession: IKEA

Or more specifically, making IKEA products look even more awesome than they do in the store. And wouldn't you know it, there is an entire website dedicated to such an obsession: http://www.ikeahackers.net/. OH YES THEY DID. Unless you're planning to spend your next few weekends attempting to complete ridiculously complicated projects, I suggest you resist the urge to click on the aforementioned link. But when it's cold outside, sometimes you just need a nice, solid, time-consuming projects to sink your time (& money) into. All in the name of HOME IMPROVEMENT. Such were the circumstances that led to my recent projects.

PROJECT #1 - Modern/Organic Curtains for less than $30 
 DIGNITET Curtain Wire & Clips from IKEA +  6' X 9' Canvas Dropcloth from Lowes, for a total cost of 12.99 (wire system) + 4.99 (clips)  + $10.98 (drop cloth) = $28.96; hard to beat for a complete window treatment.

I wanted a clean, simple window covering that was both modern (clean lines) and organic (good texture, natural pallet). I had been admiring various components of this window treatment since spotting them on Pinterest a few weeks back:

• Clip drapery rings that can turn any piece of fabric into "curtains" (available at Target)
• Using a painter's drop cloth as a curtain:  Shabby Love, one of the many DIY blogs I attempt to emulate, has a great  Drop Cloth Shower Curtain Tutorial. 
• Not implemented here, but my original plan was to paint on a yellow chevron pattern, as shown by Kristen F. Davis Designs in her Chevron Curtain DIY post. Although I still love the idea (and already purchased the paint!), I determined that it just didn't fit with the existing design elements in this space.

PROJECT #2 - Sleek, Modern, All-wood bed frame for less than $100
Full/Double FJELLSE Bed Frame ($49.99) & SULTAN LADE wood slats ($30.00) from IKEA + Minwax Walnut Stain from Lowes ($15.77) = $95.76.

I wanted to upgrade my simple metal bed frame to something a little less squeaky (the dang thing squeaked every time I sat down or turned over). My first thought was, "I'll just build a bed!" (how much harder could it be than building a dog bed?). So after a few hours of furious Google searching, the best thing I found was Ana White's step-by-step plan for a "Much More than a Chunky Leg Bed Frame", which really does look fabulous. But one wonders:( 1) how long will it actually take; (2) what is the likelihood that I will screw this up and;  (3) will I actually save money? For me, the answers were: (1) probably much longer than I think; (2) "high"and; (3) probably not much. 

So, I turned to IKEA, which happily offers this cheap, unfinished, all-wood option for the eager do-it-yourselfer (yay, me!). Further inspired by brilliant do-it-yourselfers such as Manhattan Nest's glorious FJELLSE hack: A Whole Mess of Staples, I was ready to turn this simple bed into the bed frame of my dreams. All I needed was a little wood stain....

So after sifting through lots of wood & screws...

And spending an entire weekend attempting to successfully stain a bunch of pine wood (mind you, I live in an apartment, don't have any power tools (e.g., a sander would have been nice!), and it was the middle of February when I attempted this project (i.e., stain does not dry quickly when it is below freezing outside), the finished project finally emerged about four days later than my original estimates:

A few disclaimers:

• Shipping cost to have the frame/slats sent to my house =$20. Less than the gas I would've spent to get  to the store + reduced stress from worrying whether or not it would fit in my car + 4-5 day 'instant' gratification arriving at my door step = worth it, for me.
• Staining a piece of furniture is NOT - *definitively not* - a piece of cake. Actually it is pretty difficult, time consuming and easy to screw up. If you ever hear me talk about doing such a thing in the future, please remind me that it is a BAD IDEA. Alternatively, I suggest getting yourself a nice can of spray paint (in whatever color suits your fancy) and you will save yourself a pile of trouble & time. Slap a layer of polyurethane on top, and you won't even be able to tell it's spray paint! 
• Resist the temptation to put together the various wood pieces until AFTER the staining/painting/spraying phase has been completed. Otherwise, you will inevitably be faced with a bunch of hard to fill-in nooks and crannies (I speak from experiences, as someone who put together both the headboard and footboard before being forced to undo my steps) 
• Consider your choice of slats carefully. I simply bought the cheapest option on offer, which I probably wouldn't have done if I had it to do over. Don't get me wrong, the SULTAN LADE slats are perfectly adequate. A lot of people talk about having issues with the slats falling through, but this hasn't been an issue for me at all (side note: this related video is hilarious!). My issue had to do with the level of firmness afforded by solid wood bed slats, which was a little too firm for my taste. After sleeping on the slats for a week, it isn't soo bad (with the help of a memory foam mattress cover), but I would suggest paying a little more to get the more flexible  SULTAN LURÖY ($50 for Full/Double) or the even more luxurious SULTAN LAXEBY ($120 for Full/Double).