I’m on my way in preparation for the Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design and therefore always have the principles and also the OBREDIM process in mind. Some of the designs of the Diploma will be about BeyondBuckthorns and our house. In order to get things going I challenge myself with some small projects. Yesterday I picked the living room, especially the comfy place around the couch.
Observe
The couch usually piles up with books, telephone and laptop and other stuff. The laptop gets stored below the couch which results in a laptop that needs intensive cleaning. That might be ok for my used Linux machine but not for the new business work book. The telephone usually gets just lost between the pillows and the books end up somewhere else, just anywhere to get them out of the way. Let’s face it - the couch is not just a couch, it is a storage space. The couch table is pretty small. Some 42,5 x 42,5 cm.
Boundaries
The size of the table limits what can be done with it to extend the by-the-couch-storage-space. There is no chance in creating an entire new table. Also buying is out of the questions as I don’t want a new table. Another shelf is also no solution as I want the books that I’m reading near to where I’m sitting. I also want to be able to switch between the current open books.
Resources
There is a small workshop for woodworking on our premises. There is also some not used wood. If there is time I might be able to create something on my own. If not there is always https://www.ikeahackers.net/ which might already host a solution for my problems.
Evaluation
I’m pretty comfortable with the observation, the boundaries and resources. I’m ready to go for an extension of the Lack table as this is the smallest change for the biggest outcome.
Design
I went to the drawing board and put up some nice idea how the table extension could look and showed it to Lumia. One of her questions was: “Can I hurt myself in all those random corners”. I realized that the design was nice looking but impractical and also uncomforting. Implementation would have been difficult. It would have cost a lot of time to realize it and at the end some of the observed needs wouldn’t have been met.
When I was out for a coffee I put my notebook on the table and started thinking again. I need a smaller space for the laptops, and a bigger space for the books. I also need an extension of the actual surface area besides the boundaries of the table without compromising stability. Just enough space to put a phone and some pencils there.
Find below the first drawings.
Implementation
It didn’t take all that long to get everything together. My first thoughts about the leg posts of the table were right. The posts are hollow but can be used to hold a plate without drilling entirely through it. The plates just need to be cut tight enough. I tweaked the design a little because I cut the first plate wrong and didn’t have enough plywood any more for the initial design. I improvised and went for a simpler solution.
Reflection about the design
I checked IKEAhackers afterwards and there were tons of LACK hacks around. The solution I came up with is pretty well working for me. I now have the storage space besides the couch that I need. My laptop is finally staying clean and safe. The books I’m reading remain close to me. The solution didn’t require any new purchases. Everything was already available to me. It just took my time to get things together and done. There probably is an extension around below the 2nd plate. I’m thinking of a SAMLA slide-in-holder. Let’s hack IKEA stuff!
