From Ikea to I-me-a: Ikea hackers have customizing ideas

When Naomi Stein, a Bala Cynwyd interior designer, was searching for a set of nightstands for her bedroom, she ran into a dilemma: She had a limited budget and rather expensive taste. Then she came across a blog post featuring an Ikea Rast dresser, a plain three-drawer box in unfinished pine, that had been painted, stained, and blinged out with hardware. She decided to follow the blogger's lead, creating her own elegant accent pieces from the same unassuming Ikea structure.