The IKEA HELMER ($40 in white, red, or silver) was my project for the weekend. I got it to replace a set of three plastic drawers on rubberized wheels—the kind that furnish dorm rooms and pantries but are better off hidden under a bunkbed or behind a closet door.
This is so-o-o-o much classier.
Since it’s the IKEA version of steel drafting drawers, the casters only roll forward and backward and the drawers do not have sliders or stops. This makes it a little awkward to store heavy items. I did put my blow dryer in, but if I open that drawer and let go of the handle, the blow dryer tips the drawer clumsily down and forward. That’s not a problem that outweighs having an easy-access spot to hide an unsightly object out of sight.
On the other hand, these drawers are perfect for: hair accessories, a half-empty box of Q-tips, a collection of Sharpie markers, miscellaneous gadget cords, a sewing kit, a sticky lint remover roller, five pairs of pattern-cutting scissors, stationary and stamps, and a calculator that I haven’t used in two or three years.
One other thing that I want to show off in this picture: see my laptop bag hanging from the side of the desk? I thought I was brilliant when I hammered a nail into the desk, specifically to hook the bag there. Any improvisational solution that will get something, just one item, off the floor of my bedroom is ingenious enough for me.
Also picture: two FÄRM vases from IKEA ($2) and a fifteen-minute glass from cb2 ($10 in green or red).
October 27, 2008 at 10:21 PM
umm, i LOVE it. i’ve been doing a lot of “nesting” lately, too. i’ve decided, after reading “O at Home” that I want to make our guest bedroom a library/guest bedroom so that will be my next project.
your desk is ADORABLE.
<–off to check out the IKEA vases ;)
October 27, 2008 at 11:12 PM
Thank you!! Bought the desk on eBay and painted it green. A departure for me. Usually everything I paint gets a coat of pink or purple.