Made it Monday: THE Ikea Rast Hack

If you are a design blog reader you have probably seen this project already.  If you haven't seen it I have two confessions right away.  I copied this project almost exactly from a few blogs (this hack is everywhere...I don't even know where it began) and I made Sean do all the heavy lifting.  My only contributions were discovery of the project, dresser assembly, and hardware ordering and installation.

The dresser is by Ikea and called Rast.  It comes in raw wood with wood knobs.  I copied this project exactly because I was so blown away with how different it looked in the end and how polished looking it is.  Also, I don't trust myself to come up with something better and I have learned that I learn a lot from just doing.  Build a little confidence...then take a risk.  

With a little stain on the frame (walnut..thanks to Sean), painting of the drawer fronts (thanks to Sean) and new hardware we now have two of these:

Oops..that bottom left ring is up.  You can see B's little hand putting some candles up.

I have two thoughts now that they are done and in use.  I might be interested in a different color than white....but I am enjoying it in white right now.  Makes me feel like a grown up.  Why is white scarier than any other color to me?  Second thought...if I had really thought it through I would have filled the original drawer pull holes and made new ones so the ring pull could be centered vertically.  Maybe if I ever paint it again I will do that...good enough for now.

We hung up the TV!  We ended up putting it on a wall that makes it CLEAR that it's a TV.  There is a doorway on the left and a window on the right.  No disguising it.  But if we watch TV we have a view of B's playroom (off to the left) which we agreed would be nice.  Also, it allowed for the best arrangement of the furniture.  The room feels bigger and there is a lot of floor space in front the TV for B and kid2 to play.  I haven't given up on trying to make it less "TV!!!!" and more "Oh, there is a TV there."  I have some fabric panels I am going to frame and hang above the TV.

I have to admit that when we bought these I had no clue where they would go.  I loved the look so much it didn't matter.  We had something else under the TV and just tried these and they work a lot better.  They are a few inches shorter and just feel more natural than what was there before.

Happy Monday.