PANYL is a company that makes flexible, self-adhesive vinyl film that is pre-cut to the dimensions of specific IKEA furniture models. You can customize your IKEA furniture using dozens of different vinyl finishes, from bright pink to wood grain to aluminum. One of the owners of PANYL, Dan Goldman, recently wrote us about one of his own IKEA hacks — this one inspired by West Elm's Patchwork Dresser.
Recently, someone forwarded me a West Elm newsletter featuring their new Patchwork Dresser and said it reminded them of PANYL. I already had an IKEA ODDA 3-drawer chest with a large bottom drawer and two upper drawers. To mimic the West Elm piece I needed contrasting wood tones and a mixture of vertical and horizontal grain direction.
After removing the drawer handles, Dan rummaged through the remnant stock for right-sized samples of PANYL patterns that echoed the look of the West Elm piece. He chose Ebony (the newest woodgrain finish) on the bottom, Dark Walnut (coming soon at PANYL) on the upper left and Pale Oak on the upper right.
He trimmed the remnant pieces down with scissors to be roughly a half inch wider than the drawer panel dimensions. Dan explains:
After applying the vinyl across the front surface, I spent a few minutes running my fingers along the edges at a 45 degree angle. I wanted there to be a pronounced crease in the PANYL along the edges of the drawer, so that I could easily trim away the excess edge material with a snap-blade knife. In so doing I could achieve a perfectly flush look.
Dan then wrapped the handles with brushed-gold PANYL, which actually took more time (15 minutes) than the 10 minutes it took to wrap and trim all three drawer panels.
The West Elm piece is listed for $999, and the IKEA ODDA costs $99. Dan used roughly $50 worth of PANYL, bringing the hijacked piece in at one sixth of the price.
Thanks, Dan!
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This is a great looking hack! Now if Ikea could only do something about those flimsy drawer bottoms.
That is beautiful!
This is a great idea. I've always liked the ODDA line, but never was a fan of the black and white being the only option.
This is actually about what I have in the works for my Expedit drawers/cabinets, but minus the $50 Panyl purchase and plus 6 bucks worth of woodgrain contact paper from eBay and some spray paint for the drawer knobs. No idea if mine will turn out nearly as good, but for like ten bucks I am happy to give it a shot.
I have PANYL on my dumpster found Expedit door inserts. They made all the imperfections go away and gave my Expedit tv stand some more life. I want to get more, but those inserts are a pretty penny for Ikea. I'm hoping I'll find more thrown out on the street. :)
AT: Can you do one post describing all of the Ikea-hacking products? There seems to be a bunch and I have lost count.
Thanks!
Bagels - They did: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/aftermarket-resources-for-customizing-ikea-furniture-165751
MaggeeMagoo: It looks like the Green IKEA door inserts are $5 less than the others. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10207689/#/10207689 I guess the green isn't selling as well as the white or the black. But that's $5 you could spend on PANYL, I guess?
panyl vinyles are very tacky and fake looking in person. i would just use a veneer or scrap wood from the re-use venter than by plastic stickers to put on furniture.
I bought the Patchwork dresser from West Elm...I am happy to announce that it comes already built!
Side note: I am in the process of moving to my first apartment, so I've only been collecting furniture and such. I haven't actually unwrapped the dresser from its packing...
I am reading many poor reviews regarding West Elm furniture, but hoping I didn't make a mistake with the dresser as I fell in love with it the minute I saw it.
But due to to all the terrible WE reviews...I've chosen not to buy my bed, headboard, or sofa from the store.
I've worked in e-commerce, but it only takes common sense to know that they need major restructuring.