pimp my boj

help! my boj is so boring!

marion from sydney writes me asking for ideas how she can spice up her boj drawers, and cover the flaking bits. (boj is no longer produced by ikea, i think.)

"i've been wanting to hack my tired looking white boj drawers for years but haven't worked out a good way to attack the white laminate. mostly, i am wanting to change the colour and cover the flaking top. i figure i can change the handles easily enough and find some funky alternatives to white plastic, but i'm over the white laminate. i was wondering if you or any of the readers might have any ideas on how to hack it?" - marion

this is a picture i found, not marion's actual boj drawers.
but you get the idea why marion desperately wants to hack it.

right on, marion. i have 2 ideas for you.

#1. masking tape magic
the first is inspired by jonathan fong's walls that wow where he uses masking tape to dress up a wall (see pix from ivillage). i thought the same neat trick could add a lot of sizzle to marion's boj.

1. think of your colour scheme and how you want the stripes laid out.
2. buy coloured masking tape in your scheme.
3. stretch it across the top of your boj from one end to the other, and if you like, down the sides in unequal (or equal) lengths.

tip! if after sticking the tapes, you want to re-arrange the stripes, squirt some lighter fluid on the tapes for easy removal. but first, test the fluid to see if it leaves an oil stain on the laminate.

pro: no mess. cheap. and will mask the flaking beautifully.
con: you might not get masking tapes in the colours you want.

#2. blik it beautiful
if you have a bit of cash to spare, you can turn up the sex appeal of your boj with blik. this paisley decal will set you back $45 for a set of 10. let's assume that you're feeling generous and you do get the decals:

1. arrange them on your boj till you are satisfied with the layout
   
2. stick them on
3. sit back and admire
   

pro: no mess. lots of design options.
con: pricey (to me, at least).

these are my 2 cents. any other takers? please click on the comment link to leave your ideas and save marion from boredom.

and yes, marion, if you do hack your boj, pretty please send us a picture. we would love to see what you made out of it.

tags: ikea, boj, drawers, jonathan fong, blik