I Hack Ikea

When we bought the new furniture for the living room, we moved the old click-clack sofa into my sewing room.  We thought that the sewing room could do double duty as a guest room.  Unfortunately, the sewing room doesn't really work as a guest room as there is a streetlight just outside and the curtains don't keep out much light.  Also since I sew and dress in there, it's always a total disaster.

Since we weren't actually using it, the old click-clack really had to go!  Once it was gone I was so happy.  I hadn't realized how much space it took up in the room and how the tall back had blocked so much light from the windows.  Plus it was a yellowy off-white and kind of dingy and didn't really do much for my vision of the room.

I did still want a chaise or a small sofa where I could sit and do my hand-stitching or even just lie in the sun and read a book. I definitely wanted something mid-modish and bright white to go with the curtains and the trim around the windows.  I did a lot of internet shopping and everything I liked was just way too expensive.

We decided to take a look at Ikea. I thought that they might have a cheap white sofa or a couple of smart footstools that I could push together.  Maybe even a low cabinet like the hemnes that I could just cover with pillows and use as a window seat.

Well, the affordable white sofas were boring and the ones I really liked were not cheap.  I didn't see any of the footstools I liked in white at my Ikea and MD said that I would surely break the hemnes if I sat on it too often.

I had just about given up and we were on our way out, walking past the cafe and the children's furniture.  Just then I saw a lady sitting on a child's bed playing with her kids and I had a brainstorm.  I could make a small sofa out of the Gulliver!

So I bought:

Gulliver Bed Frame $139.99

Vyssa Vinka Small Bed Mattress $69.99

Malin Blad Twin Duvet Cover - $19.99

No Ikea Hack has ever been easier!  

First I assembled the Gulliver, which was super easy.  To make it into a sofa, I just left off the front piece that is supposed to keep the kids from falling out of the bed.  Easy, done and done.

Then I cut up the Malin Blad duvet cover.  I made a simple envelope big enough to fit the Vyssa Vinka inside and stuffed it in.  This was the hardest part because the Vyssa Vinka is covered in a soft fuzzy fabric which clung to the Malin Blad something fierce.  I was quite a wrestling match to get it inside the cover and I hope that I never have to take it off!

It isn't really a sofa without back and side cushions so I knew I'd have to make something.  The rest of the Malin Blad would provide the fabric, but I wasn't exactly sure how I wanted to make them. An online search for vintage 50s and 60s pillow patterns gave me some ideas. This one in particular caught my eye, but who has $25 for a pillow pattern?

Based on that pattern, I decided that bolster pillows would be the best and easiest and another online search gave me this link from E-How.  I cut out one large and two small rectangles to make the pillow bodies.  To make the bodies all I had to do was fold the rectangles in half and stitch the long end closed.

Even though I had lots of Malin Blad left over, I decided that contrast tied ends would look very cute and very vintage.  I dug around in the stash and came up with just enough white twill and white satin ribbon to finish things off.  A few minutes at the sewing machine and two bags of batting later, the pillows were complete and my sofa looked like this.

I love it!  It is exactly what I wanted, and it's very comfortable. It tucks right into the space by the window without dominating the room like the old click-clack. It's a great addition to my little sanctuary and a perfect place to hand sew or read or contemplate upcoming projects.