Brilliant, right? Hacking IKEA's über-popular and compact fold-down laptop workstation into a perfect little closet vanity. I mean, it's already got built-in cord control to wire up that lighted mirror. It's perfect, right?! But wait... there's more. If you're upgrading to a desktop machine, or just ready for a change, try repurposing your IKEA PS laptop workstation around the house in one of these 5 ways.
We've already showed you how plenty of IKEA's housewares can work double-duty as desks. (Need proof? check out these desks made from IKEA's MELLTORP dining table, NORDEN kitchen table and the discontinued MALM dressing table.) But office multitasking goes both ways.
Your old IKEA PS laptop workstation ($59.99, IKEA.com) can pull it's weight in any room of the house. And the best part? None of these require any serious modifications!
Repurpose your laptop desk as...
A Vanity
This genius IKEA hack we spotted at Curbly (pictured far above, right) uses a white IKEA PS laptop workstation as an in-closet vanity, There's plenty of storage space for makeup and perfume, plus room to cover up the cord to your lighted mirror.
A Changing Table
A reader at DaddyTypes suggested this one. With a secure wall-mount, the PS workstation could turn into an out-of-the-way diaper workstation. Just adhere a changing pad to the laptop surface and keep wipes inside the station's cubbies. And when the little one is all grown up, you can move it into the office!
A Home Bar
So you want a proper bar at home for entertaining, but you don't exactly have space in your dining room. Or you, know, have a dining room at all, really. Instead, mount the PS on a spare wall and use it as a space to store a few bottles and prep drinks.
An Ironing Station
Fold-down ironing boards are great space-savers, but sort of unsightly if they're not tucked inside a closet. Instead convert IKEA's PS into a small ironing station with a small, custom-fit DIY ironing board.
A Workbench and Garden Station
A proper workbench is hard to find outside of the sprawling suburbs, but we think you can make your own compact version by hacking the IKEA desk. Find a covered space to mount it outside, then use it for small hardware projects or as a potting station for plants.
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I actually really like the idea of it as a little bar. Has anyone done this? Is it tall enough for a bottle of liquor to stand upright inside?
I'd love to see a picture of someone using it for drinks!
I would not use it as a changing table. The corners are very sharp.
We have installed one 12 inches off the floor as my kindergartener's writing and drawing desk. It's not quite a hack but the idea was to drill new holes every couple of years so it could grow with him. We need to keep the key out of reach though because kids who come to play fiddle with it, it crashes open, and the corners or edges bang pretty hard on the way down.
I found one of these in the As Is section of my local Ikea. We installed it in the kitchen, in a dead spot between a door and a wall. Voila, extra counter space. :)
How much weight can it hold?
Ikea says the max load is 55 pounds, but of course, that depends on you installing it in the wall properly.
Hmm, I have an idea to use this in my in my kitchen, which has very little counter space and makes cooking a chore. The product page at IKEA states its dimensions as 27.5" Wide, by 23 5/8" High, and 7 7/8" Deep. Obviously the depth is with the door/shelf closed. Does anyone know what the total depth is when open?
Max. load/open front: 55 lb
Oh. Hi! That's my ironing board you're linking to. Thanks!!
::shuffles out of room with grin on her face::