With the move into my new studio, I’ve gone all in on Ikea because of the versatility and economy of so many pieces.
Prior to the new studio, I invested in 4 Stensdorp Kitchen Islands (see below) which I push together for my main cutting worktable. Thankfully my friends Alan and SIen helped me set these up in 2016. The islands also have a great solution for leather storage underneath. Sadly, the Stensdorp has been discontinued, but the Vadholma is a good substitute. You will want to put wood or cardboard down over the slatted storage to avoid any settling marks on your leather. For worktable seating, I am using these Bevco chairs.
In the previous studio I also had 2 Bergshult/Granhult shelves (two double length units which are 63 x 7 7/8” each). (See the top and below pictures) These have easily moved to the new studio and I will be purchasing a few of the wider 31 ½” 11 ¾” shelves soon. My Dad made my thread shelf (filled with @Meisi108 Xiange thread!). See below.
I also have had 6 Moppe storage boxes (in first picture) which are wonderful for keeping hardware or small supplies. It looks like the current Moppe offering is a bit different than what I have. Keep watching Ikea for new releases of this favorite organizational drawer.
For the new studio, I had decided that I wanted to have a good area for sitting to make my work. I found that my eyes are closer to my work, compared to standing at the workbench and so I have been enjoying higher precision. For this set up I used 2 Karlby Countertops in Birch Veneer. They are 74” long, 25 5/8” deep x 1 ½” thick. They just barely fit into my SUV for the ride home!
For legs, I used a Skinny Alex drawer unit on one end of each counter and then 2 adjustable Gerton legs on the other side. While these are the priciest legs that Ikea offers, all of the other models were sold out (Covid working from home!). Now I have a wonderful L shaped work area with all of my tools in the Alex drawers or on the Skadis pegboard. For lighting at the desk, I use a lovely LED task light.
Of course I got a Raskog cart and will probably pick up a few more. These are wonder for holding work in process projects.
Finally, I am heavily investing in Skadis pegboard. After loving the look of @Yussico’s studio set up, I was sold. I got just 3 of the 30” x 22” peg boards, but will be picking up a few more on my next stop to Ikea. They were sold out of nearly all of their accessories, but Yusuf mentioned that Thingaverse has a lot of Skadis accessories that you can print yourself on your 3D printer. I’ve just starting printing out hooks and bins and am thrilled that I can make these attachments a self-service production. Finally I added Kungsfors magnetic knife strip to the bottom of each Skadis unit. They attach my most commonly used knives and pricking irons. I simply purchased some Metric #5 hex nuts to screw the mounting strip to peg board with the provided screws. I will be purchasing more of these to store my student tools.
I have two bookcases, but sadly, the Billy bookcase would not fit in my SUV, so I ended up purchasing two flat pack Target small bookcases. I have 3 Home Depot unfinished kitchen base cabinets. You can’t beat the economy of these units. Two of them have been in my shop for nearly ten years! I just picked up a new one. I use plywood for the tops. At some point, I’ll paint them white to match the rest of my studio.
Finally, I bought an Updesk for my office back in 2015 and it is now a core part of the studio. I love alternating between sitting and standing. I purchased just the legs and finished a solid core door for the top.
Remember, purchasing just one or two things a year will supply you with a great studio in no time!
If you use Ikea, what hacks or products do you like for outfitting your Leatherwork Studio?
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