Ikea Kivik Loveseat and Chaise

I moved with almost no furniture. I had everything from my bedroom, and just a few hand-me-downs.

On the one hand it was great because I get to pick out everything I want for my new place. But on the other hand, I have practically no furniture, which makes living and organization more than a bit of a challenge. Even worse, most of the furniture I like is priced well above the limits of my budget. I love Horchow, and just about everything they sell, but not for my life at the moment.

For me and the way I live, a good couch is an absolute necessity. It is my command center. The place where lots of important work, play, and rest gets done. And with a 3 year old boy, and a dog, it needs to be durable, and washable.

I looked at a lot of couches, but in the end decided on the Kivik from Ikea. It’s boxy, and plain, but lends itself to be dressed just about any way I choose. I liked that it was modular, and gave me the ability to add to it later if I wanted to.

Next to the price, the deciding factor was that it all comes apart and all of the covers can be washed or replaced. I placed my order online, and a little old delivery man placed it neatly in my dining area.

Please excuse the wall crawler in  the background. Spiderman was my helper for this project.

I decided on white.

Now my friends think I’m insane for getting a white couch, on account of the fact that I live with a super hero. I understand the concern, but white is so clean, and easy to decorate around. Plus, I can bleach it if necessary.

Now, I’m the type of person that ALWAYS reads, and usually follows the directions before I begin any type of project. And good thing too, because this thing has the ability to be a giant pain in the foot.

Just in case you can’t read that.

After that, assembly was a breeze. And in about an hour, the Kivik looked like this,

my dining room looked like this,

and all was well in the world. Well at least under this roof.

Until the next time, have a great day!

Related Posts:

• Washing the Kivik: Take 1
• Washing the Kivik: Take 2
• Living Room, Making Progress
• Sunny Lack-a-like Bookshelf
• Ikea Fjellse Hacked!

Ikea Fjellse Twin Bed: Part 1

I’ve decided to go with an upholstered bed for the little one. I’ve been doing quite a bit of blog surfing lately and I’ve seen a variety of upholstered headboards. I love upholstered headboards. I’ve wanted one for my bedroom for a while, but I love my bed, and have no desire to change it. Plus the ones I’m most attracted to (like the over $4,500 tufted bed below from Horchow) are priced above the thousand dollar mark, and for me in my current situation, that really isn’t practical.

I found a few blogs that provide plans for brave DIYers to build beds themselves, but I wasn't quite ready to take the plunge into building my own furniture. Then while perusing the Ikea website,I came across the Fjellse. For less than $30 (at the time of this post) you get a solid wood bed frame. Total score!

Since the nearest Ikea is over 2 hours away, I had to order it online, and the shipping ended up costing more than the actual bed. Not a huge deal, considering the cost of purchasing a brand new bed from one of my favorite kiddie furniture stores. Delivery was quick and the bed came in 2 boxes. Both packages arrived on the same day in good condition. I was a little hesitant to buy a bed so cheaply online, but I figured since it was solid pine, worst case scenario, I could use the wood for something else.

In the big box, the actual bed frame.

In the little box, the slatted bed base (which must be purchase separately here).

On top of the box, my eager helper Zoey the Destroyer.

It comes with all of the tools you need for assembly, (except for a flathead screwdriver, but you really only need that for holding, not actual screw driving) which is great if you just need starter furniture and don’t have a ton of tools.

I used Mr. 7-Hands. He’s one of my favorite tools.

For me, the key to a successful Ikea assembly, is organization. First the little pieces.

Then the big pieces.

The directions suggest you have a friend around to help,

But I found that a chair works just as well.

And in almost no time at all, I was finished.

Overall, it was a quick and easy assembly. It took under an hour, and the bulk of that time was spent adjusting the chair to hold the pieces properly. The bed is solid and I’m content for the moment. It’s shorter than I expected, even though I read the measurements, but that’s easily fixed. Now off to plan my hack to pretty it up…

Until then, have a great rest of your day.

Related Posts:

• Ikea Fjellse Twin Bed: Part 2
• Fjellse Turned Storage Bed?
• Kivik Loveseat and Chase
• Sunny Lack-a-like Bookshelf
• Room Reveal: Partially Finished