Since i am scaling back my window shopping wish lists in fear of overspending, i am taking a much closer look at ikea items that i can live with comfortably. So, essentially all my research just brought me back to the original idea i explored months ago, where some assembly required will become my mantra, in fact i think i will put that on a sign over the front door.
Being a big fan of Ikea Hackers blog I had a good idea that nearly everything Ikea sells can be converted into something else. So you aren't just buying the thing you are buying, you are buying the furniture version of bread dough. Take the three draw RAST as a case in point. Apparently a crowd favorite for adaptation not just on Ikea Hacks, but Googling Ikea Rast reveals that a lot of people have been converting a lot of rasts. One rast is a side table, two rasts is a highboy, four rasts is a dresser, half a rast is a night stand and so forth.
I have been scanning all these hacks for ideas…but alas none of them jump and say 'make me' my brain doesn't work like that. I have to file the Rast away with all the other tools in the back of my mind and wait until i have a problem to call that item up 'hey! i can hack a Rast to solve that problem.' The only thing i am thinking right now is that if i design my bookcases to be the exact width of a Rast, I can use the Rast to create a more built in look. And certainly i can use more drawers for more camera equipment.
Right now this one is among my favorites..amazing what a little thought and a lot of paint can pull off.
Moving will hopefully give me some space to work with wood again…where i can leave my tools out and not worry about them. Where i can make a mess and leave it until the project is finished and not have to clean it up before i got to bed.