By threatening to put an end to IkeaHackers, the go-to site for learning how to remix flat-pack Swedish furniture, Ikea made 2014 the year that the "Ikea hack" broke into the mainstream. Taking and later backing off of this harsh stance on what people did with their products, the world's largest furniture retailer effectively outdid its very active, stunt-loving marketing arm, prompting a particularly intense wave of Ikea-based inventiveness. Below are fourteen of the most creative and off-the-wall repurposings, art projects, single-topic Tumblrs, and satirical essays made with and about Ikea this year.
· A once "gross" Eames lounge chair reupholstered with Ikea fabric.
Photos via Design Stoke
· A theory positing that John Travolta was Ikea's secret "Chief Naming Officer," in light of his hilariously bad mispronunciation of Idina Menzel's name at the Oscars.
· Miniature Walter Gropius buildings created with Ikea parts.
Photo via Architizer
· A competition measuring the communication skills of two couples based on how fast they could build a Micke desk.
· A "DIY globe accessory" made from two Blanda Matte bowls.
Photo via Kristi Murphy
· A tumblr locating Ikea pieces in medieval paintings.
Image via Ikea b4 XVI
· A horror novel set inside a very Ikea-like furniture store, with a cover designed to look like an Ikea catalogue.
Image via Quirk Books
· A built-in closet storage system created from a few low Ikea shelving units.
Photos via House Updated
· An awesome playhouse made from a Mydal bunk bed and a Trofast storage module.
Image via Papotologie
· A guide charting the "seven emotional stages of Ikea furniture assembly."
· Sculptures made from giant Lego animals built around Ikea pieces. 
Photo via Design Boom
· Ernest Hemingway's account of buying and assembling a Hemnes daybed frame.
· A wall-length shelving unit from four Hyllis shelves. 
Photos via Ikea and Skyeytum Hus
· A Lack table built out of two ripped-up Ikea catalogues.
Photo via Design Boom
Comments(2)