Bored Panda reached out to the moderator of the Ikea Hacks subreddit who goes by the handle u/6745408 to find out more about this community that gathers Ikea aficionados from all around the world. The moderator told us that they actually adopted the sub. “I’m not sure who started it, but one night I was looking for a way to make the POÄNG chair more ergonomic or even less bouncy,” they recounted.

That’s when u/6745408 stumbled upon the Ikea Hacks subreddit. “I found /r/ikeahacks with a few hundred subscribers and a lot of spam and no moderators. I figured I’d request the sub, set up some simple automation to clean it up and find someone to mod it,” the moderator said. They gave up on the POÄNG chair, but never left the sub. “I love seeing all of the stuff people come up with,” the mod added.

The moderator assured us that the audience of Ikea Hacks is “a really nice community, for the most part. The ideas people come up with are really great, too.” According to the moderator, everybody in the subreddit has an interest in modding flat-packed furniture, even if they don’t actually do it.

When asked how, in their opinion, Ikea has managed to remain relevant in this competitive industry of interior and furniture design, the moderator said there are reasons for its enduring popularity, according to them. “Flat-packed furniture isn’t far off from LEGO. Even simple hacks like adding legs to a shelving unit can elevate a piece of furniture. A lot of IKEA furniture is nice enough on its own, but building in shelving units, for instance, can really make a place feel like a permanent space, which is important,” u/6745408 explained.

“When it comes down to it, if your space needs something, you can usually find the parts to create the perfect piece of furniture, even if it takes a little planning and elbow grease,” they added.

When it comes to the content that gets shared on the Ikea Hacks community, the moderator said it’s a mix of show-and-tell and questions. “There are lots of simple mods like painting or using Mactac, plenty of offices/battlestations, elaborate shelving setups, bars, and even greenhouses using cabinets (see /r/IkeaGreenhouseClub).”

With so many wonderful ideas and tips shared on the Ikea Hacks community, it may be overwhelming to pick out the best ones. So moderator u/6745408 shared a couple of their favorite ones that you may find just as interesting. Check out this unbelievable library, this mirror wall, this bar the moderator said they send to everybody, this smart greenhouse with the pegboard and, last but not least, this dress made from a duvet.