The 'Ikea'fication of Interior Design and Task-Rabbit'azation of Labour' - How to Overcome the Diminishing of Creativity;

 Chapter 1 - Handy Design - Modern Ideas, a school;

**EDIT: VIDEO - How to overcome the the Diminishing of Creativity

So this has been sitting with me heavy. Everywhere I turn all I hear 'shortage of skilled labour'. Let me tell you, NOBODY designs for 'skilled labour'. In fact, the opposite is true - every element of interior design is being pushed to be simpler for labour. Less labour equals less costs and today, with very few concerned, entire industries are going that way - intellectual property rights violations are rampant and unenforceable. 

Fight back the only way you can - regain the power and creativity of your own labour. I talk about Historic Design Event of 2020 when thousands of office workers left their super-organized and ergonomic cubicles [or open concept; whichever], left their commutes behind and suddenly found themselves forced to be productive at home, where they live. Talk about a blur between home and office! Think about the revolution of work culture! 

So you suddenly gain 2 hours of life - no commute. Your morning routine is also simplified - less grooming, more stretchy pants for women, guys in their in their undies. You lie in your bed, looking at your ceiling and you start thinking that you need to improve your space - it needs to function differently. 

You notice that you are now saving money - you cook at home, healthier, and get more sleep - you start looking better. No daycare fees and you drive less - it all adds up. 

You get excited. Now is the time to act - you look around the web and every one is using IKEA. OK... so you already have an IKEA kitchen, that's on one side. You first start wondering if there is a way to make your kitchen look custom, so it doesn't look like every other IKEA kitchen. Yea, when you bought you discovered that it was assembled without imagination and it hurts a bit. You now consider 'the other side' - do you really want to have 'another kitchen' in your living room?

How do you NOT make that mistake....? Lots of 'hacks' out there on the web, but this needs to be done professionally and with imagination. You want all that functionality... you love the price point... you want to make it look like a million bucks. How do you start....? Where do you turn...? Whom do you trust...? Can you really do it all yourself...? 

**ASKS doubting Thomas. **

The current reality of the labour market is that you very likely have or exceed the entry barrier to most popular tasking service - Task Rabbit; 'a willingness to learn'. I kid you not -  if you need something heavy lifted, if you need something picked up from a pick-up location, if you need something semi-assembled - if you need someone to wait in line for concert tickets, stuff like this - then tasks for gig are a great value. And I suggest in my courses that if you are short on time that you take advantage of that service - but up to a point...

**You will take over the creative part.**

That's right. You will install the rails and hang the boxes - that's my preferred method, but if you care and are feeling handy you can build a base and put some fancy trim on it. When you understand the potential of each box you will make an informed decision how to best leverage it for yourself - starting with design, delivery, semi-assembly + clean up;  small custom fabrication - it makes to structure the entire process to your advantage. 

**Yes, there is place like that on the INTERNET.**

Courses are being built right now. They are based on the the decade of questions I have received. Right now, 'HOW 2 BUILD a Home Office?' is the number 1 question that I get. 

IKEA revised their office lineups and production methods in response to this Historic Design Event! If you ever go on REDDIT - specifically r/IKEA and r/IkeaHacks you can witness the pent-up demand for creativity and practical solutions. Demand for stepping 'outside' of the 'Task Rabbit allowed activity'.

It's more practical to learn the concepts of Ikea Hacking and Peak Furnishings than......? Than what?

To Be Continued

IKEA Hacking Course - All questions will be answered ~TEACHABLE~

 

[picture shows a WILLIAM bookcase - short BILLY bookcase hack, open box split into 2 halves, with the lower half having sliding doors with a decorative metallic screen. According to the author of this post this is an example of 'Peak Furnishings']

Chapter 1 - How to scale this up? THAT is the question.

I can't answer ALL the burning questions of 'How do I.....?' even tho I really want to. I can't visit every home, condo, dwelling, loft, barn or a school bus that I am invited to and give a 'design opinion' on what is the best course of action. 

**But I do want to help.**

I am an educator at heart, passionate about quality and craftsmanship. I live exactly what I preach - nothing beats a great functional solution that doesn't cost a million dollars! I have accumulated thousands of hours of intimate, detailed work with IKEA's most popular and practical products: PAX, SEKTION, BILLY, BESTAs.... you name it! I know how to work magic with these boxes. 

That's right - it looks like a million bucks every time, mainly due to the design, optimized - imagine a very elegant, a very beautiful solution that also is super functional and it is meant exactly for your space. 

You know what I call those 'Optimized Designs'? I call them 'Appropriate' - everything is as it should be - your budget is good; your space is great; your comfort level is awesome; and you are just loving it - and that's luxury. 

Every IKEA box has strengths and weaknesses and it's important to make the right decisions. Yea, save money, but get it RIGHT! - I think Jules** is fudging thru a 'pantry project' right now!

** IKEA created me. **

It was a natural and organic process. I like being efficient. I enjoy taking on projects, no matter how simple, and then realizing their full potential - like my own household. When you have 4 babies and you live in a tiny space absolutely everything needs to be resolved. 

There is only 2 types of furnishings in my household, including the children's room:

A] IKEA Hacks

B] Fully Custom Pieces

I have made IKEA my renovation partner and I encourage you to do the same. When I weigh the costs of solutions that I can achieve via IKEA Hacks it becomes mind boggling - I've hacked every single item on my CORE 4 list [that's from my course! you learn about IKEA's Core 4 boxes...].

**'I'm not a fancy man.'**

I'm not a fancy man and I can totally appreciate IKEA's functionality. But what if things change? 

What if you buy a house, and for now it's just you. What if you now work from home and need a home office? What if you get married? Have a kid. Have a second kid. Have a third kid [why not! you already got 2 and you love babies anyways]. What if you get a promotion, start making more money. What if you climb the corporate ladder and make even more money.  What if you develop a taste for finer things in life....? 

It's OK. 

Everything that you have designed and built is compatible with the 'IKEA Standard'.  Going into the future, every IKEA shelf, pull out, insert, box, hanger, rod, organizer, tray, absolutely everything - will work with the design you create.

AND you can always change the doors. 

This is my favourite part of IKEA Hacking - it is! - your designs are always flexible and dynamic. IKEA comes out with new fittings, new organizers - we are talking functionality galore! - all the time. If you like something you can always bring it in. You can swap things in and out. You got an extra kid - you change your closets - that is the process, literally. Or maybe something catches your eye in the new catalogue and you kick out a KOMPLEMENT shelf for fancy looking KOMPLEMENT tray. DONE! That's what you really needed all your life anyways. 

And think about what you can do about your kitchen...? Firstly it looks like a million bucks, because you followed my instructions - you will make 'appropriate choices' for your budget and design. Door and panel replacement on a whim - greatest asset; and never underestimate that. Kitchens or built-ins these days need to last long time - 25 years is a good number. You will feel liberated during the install of your SEKTION boxes - guaranteed. Instead being frustrated with being accurate, you will focus your efforts on finishing details that matter and set the final tone all while keeping quality top notch - it will be easy, I promise.

**Leverage the 3rd party.**

We all need a little help in our lives. Sometimes the smartest thing we can do is ask for it. When the job seems overwhelming, or you lack the skill/equipment to do it properly then break it up into smaller chunks and outsource it. Do it at your own pace - there are many ways to go about a task. 

From hiring for assembly to small fabrication to 'getting a sheet of plywood ripped for strips', I will point you in the RIGHT direction. 

And don't forget the bottomless ecosystem of third party suppliers! Not quite digging the door line-up at IKEA but still desiring the savings of the box....? I assure you that there is a door for you out there.  This is what I mean when say 'ALWAYS compatible with the IKEA Standard'.  You see....? There are only advantages! And I will help you unlock it. 

**Quality and Design**

Quality and Design is always the focus of every course offered. 'Modern Ideas' section of the school tackles the challenges of being handy in the 21st century. We should aim to seize all the technological and production advancements that are available to us and leverage them to our advantage. The dwellings that we purchase today - especially the mass built - often are substandard when it comes to storage and organization - a fancy fancy address that doesn't come with any proper storage is a reality for many. 

Improve your space following proven design advice and done with methods that inspire confidence in your own work. Dramatically improve on the traditional warranties - in some cases resurrect ailing mill work - it is hard to find good quality labour today, yours is the next best thing. 

'Modern Ideas' is the one place on the Internet where IKEA Hacks make sense in Home Improvement - no 'cabinet gymnastics', no 'risky arrangements' - just a straight up awesome IKEA functionality dressed up as you like. 

You will learn how to develop your own aesthetic via the IKEA Hack - avoid the 'Ikea'fication of design.  Do you really want another kitchen in your living room?

With the right tools and methods it will be easy to improve on IKEA's initial offering - handy is the new cool and you will love the savings. 

**This is where it happens.**

We will start off just like everybody else - with a wall. We will build courses based on a natural progression starting with learning how to fabricate a solid and strong based for you kitchen box. We will then expand that base into other systems - PAX, BILLYs and then BESTAs. Yea... we will start with that.... See you on the other side!

**Jules, from IKEAHackers.net; I'm on her mailing list; Yea, that's right, I like watching other people's hacks too! Some are really really good and I am planning on actually doing an 'inspired' version of her recent posting, that gorgeous PAX hack with those gorgeous doors. It will tie-in beautifully with my 'why build your own base' video - this will be the practical follow up. Infinitely useful for islands and peninsulas or some built in seating - LIMITLESS possibilities - super level and easy to setup [good laser level needed]. Yea, it basically opens the doors to sky high BILLYs - make it a WILLIAM instead, chose any... absolutely any tall base and match it to the BILLY in an elegant fashion. Arches are HOT! learn how to design them and get them cut. Yeezus! I do top notch work, and I love it!