the IKEA book: post 1

available at all good booksellers

I have news! Charlotte Rivers and I are the proud co-authors of a new book about altering assemble-it-yourself furniture, in other words IKEA hacks. I embarked on this project in March of 2015 but wasn't ready to share about it until I had the book(s) in my hands.

And now I do! Advance copies of 50 Flatpack Hacks (Australia, released July), and I Modify IKEA (the US edition, released this October) arrived just days ago.

one of many visits to IKEA. meatballs, anyone?

There's so much to tell, I'm not quite sure where to begin so I'll begin with thank you. Thank you to Caroline Elliker, Jo Turner, and the team at Quintet Publishing (Michael Charles!), for this opportunity! On the home front, thank you to my oldest son Jonah who was encouraging from the start, telling me "you got this!" and for making good on his promise to assemble furniture. Thank you to my younger son Ethan for his help and ideas!

To my husband Jeff who constructed and developed, and came up with the genius idea to use a bottle opener as a drawer pull in our bar cart project!

It was pretty trying at times to be living in what seemed like a furniture showroom/idea lab and I'm super grateful for my family for being patient and accommodating every step of the way from cardboard to completion.

The original version of the book had 100 projects and so my co-author Charlotte Rivers and I were encouraged to seek contributors. Of course there were additions and subtractions along the way all resulting in a really great book.

Meet the Modifiers/Hello, Hackers

Here's the lovely Charlotte, my co-author. We've never even spoken but were constantly in-touch by email during the making of this book. She is brilliant and so wonderful to work with. I hope we meet someday. This is Charlotte's sixteenth book!

Here is a snapshot of most of the people who helped. I say most because countless family members, friends and colleagues offered support to me in many ways. I plan to showcase my designers in another more in-depth post but for starters here's the team; I hope you will visit them online. I always try to include friends and their businesses in my editorial work whenever possible.

Marisa Bettencourt: Answered my SOS to help with last-minute photos which were of course, stunning!

Stacey Flesch: Quickly supplied beautiful bespoke work as I knew she would!

Danielle Driscoll: Rising DIY home and lifestyle blogging star; many thanks to Luke and the boys, as well!

Pernilla Frazier: Sunniest person, genius seamstress and astute community-minded shop-owner!

Nancy Chace: Master of decorative paint, curating storied interiors and promoting her town!

Matthew Mead: Lifestyle guru originally to be my photographer until way too many schedule snags got in the way but was there for me with encouraging texts and calls throughout.

Janeen Chabot: Appeared in a flash to help with a big smile!

Sam Harradine of Chic Mouldings, who out of the blue offered to send me the appliques of my choice!

Kimberley Bell of Peony & Sage, who responded to my query of "I'd even love scraps from your waste bin" with a box of  beautiful samples.

In no particular order thank you to Dede, Betsy, Emily, Cindy, Mike, Fifi, Stephanie, Jodi, Ken, John and Maureen, Anisa, and Christine, and Joe and Maurits!

Um, more will follow.

Thank you for reading! 

xo

elyse