You might have that same IKEA MALM dresser, BILLY bookcase and EXPEDIT bookcase that every other college kid/jobless college grad/grown adult/everyone owns, but now there's a way to personalize your affordable Swedish particle board.
Mykea is a small, 9-month-old, Amsterdam-based company that hawks specially designed vinyl prints to adorn your naked IKEA furniture. After carefully selecting IKEA's most popular pieces, Mykea released a slew of vinyl coverings measured to the millimeter in geometric, graphic (birds, cats, butterflies, whales, squirrels, a moose holding a parasol . . .) and text-heavy prints. There's even a special section for kids. And yes, there is some SpongeBob available.
But what if not one of the dozens of designs catches your fancy? Well, the company has taken care of that with its custom upload tool that you can use to create your own vinyl stickers with your favorite photos and images.
Did I mention all of Mykea's products are completely removable?
Visit ThisIsMykea.com, select the type of furniture you're looking to revamp, and order—shipping is just $10 thanks to an American supplier. In five to 10 days, you'll have your stickers at your door. Applying the vinyl covers might seem like a daunting task, but an especially neat feature of Mykea products is that stickers don't ever permanently adhere to any surface—that way you can apply and reapply until you get it just right. And Mykea also claims the structure of the vinyl ensures that no bubbles are ever left behind.
Right now, Mykea offers vinyl stickers for 11 different types of IKEA furniture (including the “big five”: MALM dresser, BILLY bookcase, EXPEDIT bookcase, MALM bed, LACK coffee table), but if you'd rather leave the color and design for something bigger, the company also offers removable vinyl murals for walls. The most expensive is the $89 four-panel, 27-inch-by-20-inch covering to spruce up your NOORSTEN wardrobe, but most run less than $60.
If you're still staring at your cheapo LACK coffee table and wishing for a Saarinen instead, Mykea might just be the answer to holding you over until you can invest in some furniture that doesn't require an Allen key and a couple of wooden pegs.
This column appeared in print as “Brighten Your BILLY.”
One Reply to “Mykea Lets You Brighten Your BILLY”