Our bedroom is tightly spaced, and we needed a place for clothes in-between wearing and not quite ready for laundry. Inspired by a design from Laphoeff I bought two second-hand IKEA BERTIL chairs and made them into Dressboys. (On a side note, any wooden dining chair can be used to DIY these dress boys.) Dressboys is a less common, old school term used for a clothes stand or valet stand. A little archaic but I like it.
Materials:
- Two IKEA BERTIL chairs
- Cleat
- Glue
- Screws
- Drill
- Circular saw
- Paint
How to DIY Laphoeff inspired Dressboys
First, I measured the distance from the wall to where I wanted to place the Dressboys. Then, using that measurement, I drew a line across the seat of the chair. Then I fired up my circular saw and cut the seat in half. Be careful to check for any nails or screws around the seat. Remove them before cutting to avoid any mishaps.
Related: IKEA Hackers interviews G.V.M
Then I cut 3 pieces of wood as wide as the inside of the underseat. I used these wood pieces to make a French cleat to hold the chair to the wall. The cleat on the seat slots into its matching pair on the wall. This makes it is easy to remove for cleaning, etc.
The DIY Dressboys do not take up much room but hold quite a bundle of clothes. Because of its slim profile, it keep things neat and helps to declutter the room. The chairs were originally black, I painted them white to match the colour scheme.
I think they are very practical and useful. A handy place to hang my suit or jacket before wearing it again the next day. The dressboys keep my clothes in shape and wrinkle free. The less ironing the better, I’d say.
~ by G.V.M., The Netherlands