Last weekend Kyle and I went down to IKEA to take a closer look at the Stolmen drawer units that I wrote about a few weeks ago. We went on a Sunday evening, thinking it would be less busy. Yeah, just kidding…it was crazytown.
As is tradition when shopping at IKEA with Kyle, our first stop was the cafeteria. After devouring plates of meatballs and glasses of lingonberry juice (apparently I could eat 15 Swedish meatballs) we headed to bedroom wardrobes, but not before making a quick detour to look at cribs(!). I’ve been eying the new Sundvik style since my last trip to IKEA, which comes in a gray-brown (for some reason that color doesn’t show up on the website) and looks similar to the much more expensive Oeuf Sparrow crib. Well, similar enough when there’s a $600 price difference at stake. So even though it felt way too early, we agreed that we could just keep it in the box and return it if we found something we liked better. Unfortunately, when I went to look up the aisle and bin number the tag read “temporarily oversold”. Of course.
After a few more diversions, we finally made our way to the sparse and rather neglected Stolmen display. After about 45 seconds of deliberation we decided it was worth a shot and I tracked down an employee to look up the information. I could tell he was reluctant to design an entire wardrobe system so when I told him I only wanted three drawer units, he looked at me with a raised eyebrow but also let out a sigh of relief. It was Sunday night and he didn’t want to be there either.
One night last week (while Kyle played catch up on the first season of Downton Abbey) I went to town assembling the three units. (The boxes had to be opened in the living room and then Kyle handed the individual pieces up to me.) Overall, I’m happy with the quality and design. Because they’re designed for clothes, the drawers aren’t meant to hold a lot of weight, but that shouldn’t be an issue for most office and art/craft supplies. (By the way, who let that crazed racoon in the house?)
The big dilemma now is legs. Although they look ok sitting on the floor, I think they would look better at least 4″ above the floor. At this height, the units would also clear the base trim and sit flat against the wall. I’ve been looking (ok, dreaming) for a way to use hairpin legs somewhere in our house and originally I thought this would be the perfect opportunity. But after realizing how many I’d need (8 if the middle unit shared a pair of legs with the one next to it) the cost added up quickly. So I’m now brainstorming other, less expensive ideas.
We’re also looking into a few options for the desktop. What would you think about some reclaimed wood and steel? Yeah, I thought so. =)
Felix has been my little “helper” during this process – playing in the empty boxes, stealing hardware and getting all up in my business. Actually, he’s been especially “helpful” in general lately, so this picture is a good reminder that he does have his cute moments.
I bought three white Alex drawers for craft/kid/stationary supplies. My plan,someday, is to wrap them in 3/4 inch stained hardwood. I just found a pic of someone who did just this with Ikea cabinets. I thought you could do the same thing but make the wood go around all four sides allowing you to use only four legs as the three units will essentially become one.
Here’s the pin:
Source: the-brick-house.com via anna on Pinterest
Also, I know a crib seems like a must have with a baby, but you may discover once you have one that you never use it. If you co-sleep its kind of a major waste of space. Just a thought. I hope the pregnancy is going well, I’m 31 weeks and feeling much better than I did in the first half.
How about Ikea CAPITA legs? They come in 4″ size and are relatively inexpensive. I’ve used these throughout the house and really love them.
Thanks Anna! I love how Morgan wrapped her “fauxdenza” with wood (we did something similar with our “stair cabinet” made from IKEA cabinets), but I’m thinking about switching things up for this space and keeping it all white (especially since we’ll have some wood in other areas). Also, at 12′ long I think we’d have to have a pretty beefy piece of wood to support the middle portion. We could also attach it to the wall, but we’d like to keep things more flexible just in case we want to rearrange. =)
Thanks for the advice on the crib. Our bedroom is so tiny that I’m not even sure we could fit a co-sleeper next to our bed. Congrats on your pregnancy! I’ve been pretty lucky so far and avoided a lot of the first trimester sickness.
Hey Nat, we’ve definitely thought about the Capita legs (that’s what we used for our bathroom vanity). In fact, I think I even have an unopened box of them somewhere! They’re on our “short list” but because the units are so low and deep I’ve also been thinking about setting them on blocks of wood that run the whole length so it reads sort of like a plinth. Decisions, decisions… =)
consider ripping a 1 x 10 in half, that should give you slightly more than 4.5 inches. Then build a platform frame, kind of like a bookcase with shelves laid flat.
I’d undersize it slightly so you would have a bit of an overhang on the cbinets on the front and ends. Then just sit the cabinets on the top of it. If you wanted you could white melamine shelving boards or just paint it.
Great idea Ron! I was trying to think of a way to get something a bit taller than 4″ (nominal) w/o going to 5 1/2″…also definitely on the same page about undersizing it so it reads as a recessed toe kick (of sorts). I’d been thinking about using fir just to tie it into the other wood in the space (like the loft ladder).
speaking cribs, have you looked into Babyletto’s styles (also sold as “Baby Mod” through Wally-world-online)
The Babyletto Mercer is sold as Baby Mod Parklane
The Babyletto Modo is sold as Baby Mod Olivia
both nice modern styled cribs, a LOT less expensive as the “Baby Mod” line. I hate it’s through walmart online, but the savings can’t be ignored if it’s a style you wind up liking…
Would you consider more tube steel? What about a base like your c-table or this table with a center support from C&B? http://www.crateandbarrel.com/furniture/accent-tables/skye-indigo-rectangular-coffee-table/s242376
I’m sure whatever you decide will turn out great.
The loft is looking awesome! You really know how to see a space and pick what looks great at a reasonable price. My husband and I love love LOVE your site and want to congratulate you on your pregnancy. I’m excited to see you the baby’s room will emerge and then change to fit your needs as s/he grows.
You might have thought about this already, but when I saw the first image above, I imagined how adding 4″ legs to the units might make your books hit the ceiling.
I understand your bedroom might be pretty crowded already. Regarding cribs, you might want to look into Montessori education’s idea of the floor bed: http://sewliberated.typepad.com/sew_liberated/2009/04/finnians-montessori-room.html
It takes a lot of vigilance in parental safety awareness, but it works for some (we have a 19 month old and have been doing it since birth). We especially like not having to worry about safety recalls on cribs. Just put a mattress on the floor.
Also, you may have seen David Kaihoi’s apartment on Apartment Therapy a year ago, but I thought you might find this inspiring. For their tiny NY apartment, he fashioned a roller trundle bed to slip under their queen bed during the day, and then roll it out at night for their 2 year old: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/david-kaihois-familyfriendly-s-122348
Whatever you decide, Chezerbey turns everything to gold!
I would suggest that you don’t rule out the hairpin leg idea just because of the cost on hairpinlegs.com. If you know any welders or metalworkers, the cost of materials is very cheap. I had a friend of mine make four 18″ classic hairpin legs for a coffee table. It only took him a few hours and materials cost less than $10. Definitely worth a try if you know anyone with a shop!
http://escapefrombk.wordpress.com/2011/07/31/hairpin-leg-coffee-table/
Hairpin legs are easy enough to make, since Kyle already knows how to weld! I was unhappy with the weld quality (and the price) of the ones I bought for our entryway table.
been reading your blog for some time, just adore your style and attention to detail, though i’d expect nothing less from a couple of architects. that said, finally felt like leaving a comment.
in regards to legs for the stolmen units, did you ever think of the heavy-duty wheels ikea sells? i’ve used them a few times on a few pieces – a big steamer trunk, a rattan hamper – and i like the mobility and industrial look they lend. will more than likely add the height you desire and also quite reasonably priced so just a thought.
btw – congrats on the erbey-to-be!
I agree with cait the hairpin legs don’t look hard to make if you know how to weld!
We have the baby mod modena in cool grey and love it. Felt sturdier than ikea’s.
I’m thinking wheels 🙂
Stick 4 wheels underneath every Stolmen unit (2 rigid castors on the back and 2 braked(!) castors on the front). This will give you a bit of extra height (dependent on the size of the wheels obviously) + super flexibility.
You might even consider putting a white panel on the back of every unit (exactly the height of your the straight bit of the wall), so you can still stack your nice books/objects on top of the units and don’t have to worry so much about things sliding off when moving the units around. And, when you have sleepover guests, just slide 1 unit under the desk, and the other two make nice nightstands! Win/win/win 😉
Ok, you guys are obviously a bunch of geniuses! I’m loving all of these ideas, thanks for sharing!
Thanks Maria, that’s a great idea and would fit the aesthetic of the space. Can’t believe I didn’t think of it before…
Oh wow, that turned out great Amy! I hadn’t thought of it before, but Kyle could totally weld some up. One worry I have (not so much on carpet but if we use them in other areas of the house) is whether or not they’d put a divot in the cork. Have you had any experience with that?
Thanks Allison! I totally hear you on the restricted ceiling height…I think I might actually move the books to the other side of the space instead of putting them on top. (Or maybe I’ll stack the magazines on top instead of standing them upright.) And thanks for the link on floor beds, we definitely have a lot to learn and research in the next several months. =)
Thanks Grant, I’ll have to check those out. The Wal-Mart thing does bug me (actually haven’t shopped at one since we moved to Seattle nearly 8 years ago), but we’ll definitely be working with a tight budget for the space.
Although this is not a post about cribs, I would agree with A.P.’s comments about the floor bed. When I became pregnant I wanted the “best” crib we could afford. But we ended up moving our son out of his crib when he was 18 months old and onto a floor bed (he attended a Montessori toddler program). We spent a lot of money on a product we ended up not using much. It would have been much smarter to spend the bulk of our budget on a dresser – items that would endure. Your experience might be different though.
wheels make so much sense in this case! then we can roll them under the desk when we need to inflate an aerobed, genius, thanks to all the readers who had great ideas on this post.
i can’t stand walmart either, and oddly they don’t carry these models in store, hence why i put their alternative brand name and models. I’ve read great reviews on them, and leaning towards that style for our next one, wish i’d done it for the first!
As for walmart, i try my best to avoid it ever since i saw “Walmart : the high cost of low prices”
Our only lives on a carpet, but especially with a heavy cabinet they may leave divots in cork flooring.
After reading these other suggestions, I’m totally on board with the wheels. What a practical solution!
given the beautiful style of your home and functionality, wheels just seemed to fit your aesthetics. as i mentioned, i’ve used them a few times and love the results. also, they come in various sizes and thus can carry a wide variety of loads. the mobility factor is especially a plus. whatever you choose to do, can’t wait to see the results!