TREASURE CHEST

She’s not the Messiah but a Very Naughty Girl.  That’s the verdict according to Ebay.  Fancy listing items for sale then ending the auctions prematurely.  Apparently this is a crime worthy of a damn good thrashing so I’ve been sent a ‘slapped wristies’ email to make sure I don’t do it again.  Next time, it’s crucifixion.  Out of the door.  Line on the left.  One cross each. 

We'd never do anything that naughty...

Selling my tat on Ebay has been the least of my worries this past week compared to the challenge of finding a set of drawers to fit in the available gap in front of the old fireplace. And as you know, dear readers, drawers that don’t fit can cause extreme stress.

The real ball ache is that we’ve only got 158 cm to play with and most of the IKEA chests are 80 cm wide.  Unbelievable what a difference of 2 cm can make to a bedroom design scheme!  With just a smidge more space, I could have had a couple of lovely MALM four drawer chests but no, thanks to this poxy 2 cm deficit I’ve had to settle for some HEMNES three drawer chests instead.  It’s infuriating!

Mind the gap

Now I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with the HEMNES range as we’re already using their bedside cabinets but its slightly less modern, Shaker type design wastes a lot more space than the sleeker MALM design.  Wooden tops that overhang the sides, legs taking up space that could have accommodated another drawer, I think IKEA should go back to the drawing board to rethink some of the HEMNES features.

Okay, so now we’ve got some HEMNES chests but they still don’t fit in the gap because of the overhanging tops.  

Getting to grips with flat pack assembly

It takes a lot longer than you think

Where does this bit go?

Amputation is the only solution to this problem.  If you are in any way squeamish at the thought of slicing into perfectly decent IKEA furniture then look away now as what I’m about to type next is going to make your blood run cold…  We chopped off the overhang! 

Cutting IKEA furniture to fit - don't do this unless desperate

I guess there’s now a collective cry of horror reverberating all over the web at this IKEA desecration but sometimes small sacrifices have to be made for the greater good.  I must admit though, I did cringe when the jigsaw slid into the lovely dark wood especially as each chest cost £150 so ruining them was definitely not an option. 

Having survived surgery, the chests have now been shoe-horned into position between the wardrobes where they’ll remain for evermore or at least until the next DIY bedroom makeover.

The perfect fit