Say hej to IKEA Hackers – the mavericks that modify and repurpose IKEA products in the name of personality. Some of their cunning ‘hacks’ can be rolled out like Swedish meatballs whilst others require power tools and lots of ingenuity.
Below IKEA Hackers founder Jules Yap runs down six fantastic hacks for vinyl lovers, plus a bonus one of our own.
Words: Jules Yap
Enter the house of pretty much any record collector in the world and you’re bound to stumble upon an EXPEDIT shelf. So when, in 2014, IKEA announced that it would be discontinuing the range, collectors were up in arms. The reaction caught IKEA off-guard.
For a generation, IKEA’s square build bookshelf had been the storage unit of choice for vinyl fanatics, taking advantage of the happy coincidence that each unit is the perfect height and depth for 12″ vinyl. Some threatened to forsake IKEA unless it continued producing the model. That was two years ago but the music played on.
In taking the EXPEDIT out of rotation, IKEA unveiled the KALLAX, a substitute of similar proportions that has since become the product of choice for records. Whilst the KALLAX has proved to be a worthy successor to the EXPEDIT, it’s still a rather bland option. Hopefully the hacks that follow will inspire you to get creative with your furniture, IKEA or otherwise.
Modern Turntable Console
If you don’t have that much floor space, this BESTÅ hi-fi table and storage combo may be right up your alley. Plus it looks super chic.
The hack uses IKEA’s BESTÅ shelf/ height extension unit, with the centre divider moved to the left to make extra room for records.
Read the step-by-step tutorial here.
Vinyl doors for shelves
IKEA was careful to maintain the dimensions of KALLAX’s cubby holes, though they shrank the outer dimensions. In any case, records still fit the KALLAX perfectly. The shelves don’t have doors though and if you like things to look more streamlined, you’ll love this hack.
The GLADSAX photo frames play nice with the KALLAX cubes. The frames are an almost exact fit but it do require a bit of cutting in the KALLAX shelf to fit the hinges.
Read the step-by-step tutorial here.
Vinyl display
If you’re not into the KALLAX, there’s always BILLY. You can easily create a front-facing vinyl storage by threading a string through the dowel holes of the BILLY. You will of course need to get the drill out first!
Read the step-by-step tutorial here.
Turntable plinth
If your vintage turntable came with a flimsy plinth that makes you shudder, you can hack a sturdier, heftier one out of the IKEA LAGAN countertop. Or any of its other solid wood countertops, actually.
It’s not an easy hack and you’ll need a jigsaw at the very least plus lots of elbow grease. But if you really want to save that old turntable from its wobbly legs, it might just be worth the effort.
Read the step-by-step tutorial here.
Hi-fi rack
As you may know, the LACK range is made of mush. It’s hollow and filled with cardboard. Hardly the thing to hold up heavy amps and such. But with a bit of ingenuity, you can mod the LACK into an impressive hi-fi rack. This one uses seven LACK side tables and one coffee table, with all bases reinforced with solid wood. The legs are made of M24 treaded rods for height-adjustable racks.
Queensize bed with LP storage
This musical bed is the grand product of two EXPEDIT shelving units, MDF, wood screws, a power drill and, erm, duct tape. With a capacity of around 500 records, it’s an ideal small space living solution. That said, if you’ve got room to play with, it’s also possible to construct a king size bed using exactly the same materials.
And in case you’re wondering, the hack also works with the new KALLAX range.
Read the step-by-step tutorial here.
Via the Vinyl Factory
Find new release vinyl, imports, rarities, limited editions, classics and more at eil.com
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