The Insider: Pretty Pegs does table legs

You may recall my previous posts about Pretty Pegs, a Swedish company that ingeniously makes gorgeous, unusual replacement legs for Ikea sofas.

It's a sort of interiors perfectionist's version of the classic fashionista trick of buying a high street coat and replacing the buttons to designer-ish effect.



Well if you liked those, you'll be excited to know that the company has just launched a

#Cheaphometricks: when is an Ikea sofa not an Ikea sofa?

When Saustark Design has been at it. This Munich-based company has taken the Ikea hacking trend to a clever, commercial level.

Now you can pimp your Swedish buy by adding a customised loose cover in the fabric of your choice (as well as colourful new legs), to take the edge off the ubiquity of your purchase... I wonder how many of us do have an Ikea sofa? (And you can check the rest of your home

Before & after: Ikea mini drawer unit revamp

I've had these Ikea drawers so long that they no longer sell them (though they're in the ilk of the Moppe series). 

I put wheels on them back in the day, and thought often about painting them, just like the ones I overhauled in the bathroom – using odd old drawer knobs found on eBay and some white gloss paint. Years passed, procrastination flourished. Finally I have got around to fixing them up.

The Insider: The best Ikea hacks ever?

"Things are not always what they seem," state Elia Maurizi and Francesco Pepa, the duo behind Italian design company, Teste Di Legno (which means, by the way, "blockheads"). 

"Ask yourself: is it possible to revolutionize the furniture of Ikea, the company that revolutionised how millions of people live? Yes, it is." And thus they explain the thinking behind their incredibly brilliant new range

On the ninth* day of Christmas... Ikea butcher's block

I featured the new and stylish Ikea Trendig range when it came out a couple of months ago. 

And one of the standouts for me (among some really great bowls and unusual tea-towels) was this chunky bamboo chopping board. A good unisex present for anyone who enjoys their time in the kitchen.



Trendig butcher's block, £16, Ikea

Bamboo is hardwearing, so it should last the distance too – which is

Object of the day: Urban Outfitters' zig zag rugs

Remember that monochrome rug I wrote about last year? It was one of Ikea's very popular items and, as such, was quite a palaver to track down.

Now Urban Outfitters has got in on the act (but with more colours, see below). And they're way cheaper than the Ikea version...



...However, that is because these ones are lightweight cotton and as such are – yippee – easily washable. But will – boo –

House porn Thursday: a space-saving NY loft with space for three generations

There's so much to love about this hallway, featured in NY Magazine's ever excellent Design Hunting section, edited by Wendy Goodman. 

The Manhattan apartment was redesigned by its owners specifically to accommodate visiting children and grandchildren. And it's done some very clever things to maximise the available space, as well as making it flexible, depending on who's staying.



Photo: Frank

Ikea's new Trendig range: how long before everyone has some?

When Ikea launches a new range, the cynics among us may wonder how long it'll take for the products within it to become ubiquitous* (like these) – to be the things that elicit an "ooh, Ikea? I've got one of those" from house visitors. 

Nothing wrong with that, mind. But it can really take the shine off your spangly new bit of Scandi design, can't it?



Ceramic tableware, from £2-£8

So some

Ikea's old new table

The first piece of flat-pack furniture Ikea ever sold? Right here.

And now Ikea is reissuing this 1956-designed classic, and selling it again in stores for £40 from next month after designers there recently found the original drawings for it in the company's archives.




The new table, renamed the Lövbacken, is almost entirely faithful to the original design, with its classic midcentury

Ikea's unusual new Huset range

What's unusual about this new range of Ikea living room furniture, below? Well, for starters, the whole lot costs just over a tenner.

But there's a catch...



None of it is big enough to sit use – unless you're a doll.

Isn't it surprising Ikea's only just thought of selling teeny tiny versions of some of their furniture? Even that rather plain stalwart of a sofa looks more exciting when you

Fabric of the day

It's been a while since I browsed the Ikea fabric department. And I'm rather liking these new-ish designs...



HÄLLEKNOPP, £4 per metre



STOCKHOLM, £6  per metre





TRÅDKLÖVER, £7 per metre



Because I'm a very lazy sew-er (I have a machine I was given on my 18th birthday. Back then I was an enthusiastic sew-er. It is currently rather dusty) I'm thinking the top and the bottom ones would