Saturday, March 1, 2014

I wanna rock!

I've recently posted about our nursery plans including my frustration with finding a rocker or glider that wouldn't break the bank. Well, thank you Heather from Mrs. Wigglebottom for this genius idea and for keeping a few extra hundred bucks in our pockets!

This was probably one of the easiest DIY projects Chris and I ever did. 
We already had this Ikea chair. It actually dates back to Chris's days in the city before we lived together. 

IKEA Ektorp Chair

I ordered the swivel/rocker base from this website. There are several different versions of the base and I decided to order the #15449 version for $84.60 (not including tax and shipping). For about $5 more, it is described to hold up longer than the #154 version.


Next, we unscrewed the legs of the chair...



 ...and Chris cut a piece of extra plywood that we had laying in the garage to fit the width of the bottom of the chair.


Then, he pre-drilled some holes and screwed in the plywood.


Lastly, we attached the rocker/swivel base using screws that I purchased from the website.
If you are doing this, be sure to have the side marked "front" facing towards the front of the chair.


And that was it. I told you it was easy!
The chair actually looks the same it did when it just had legs on it except now it rocks and swivels (please ignore the fact that the slipcover could use a wash and ironing right now).


Since the baby isn't here yet, we tested it out with Rosie. 
It works as promised and I swear to you is very comfortable!
Best of all, it is slip-covered and can be thrown in the wash as many times as need be.
I won't be having a heart attack over having an expensive upholstered rocker being ruined. 
Bring on the spit up!


Thank you to my cousin Lindsey who forwarded me Heather's blog post on this project!
- Caitlin

12 comments:

  1. looks great, way to save some MONEY too!

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  2. What a smart idea! Such a cute picture with your dog :) And love your blog too by the way!

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  3. What a project! Looks so worth it though...

    xo Lily http://whilemyboyfriendsaway.blogspot.com/

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  4. Such a great idea!!

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  5. Hi Caitlin! We saw this on pinterest too, and I'm wondering how you guys are liking it now that adorable baby Charlie is here?? We are having a hard time justifying the cost of those really expensive gliders, and we're hoping this could be a great option for us! Would love to know how it is working out for you! :)

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    1. It's been working out great and I'm happy we did it! If you are looking to save some money, it is the way too go without buying one of those not so attractive rockers.

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    2. Thanks so much, Caitlin!! We bought the base too and are going to try it out! I have had one of those ektorp chairs since high school, so it would be amazing if I could get even more use out of it! :) Thanks for sharing your experience!! Love the blog! :) Been working on one myself for all of our home reno stuff...but I am the worst at actually organizing and updating things! Yours is such great inspiration!

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  6. I love your footstool. Was that a DIY project or did you buy it somewhere? In other words, where can I get one!?

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    1. Hi Elise! I wish I could have made that ottoman but it's Restoration Hardware. Here's the link: http://www.rhbabyandchild.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=rhbc_prod398254&categoryId=search

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  7. Just as an fyi, that rocker base is $127 including tax and shipping but on amazon.com that same company is running it for $60. It's the #3230 model (they don't carry the 154 or 15449 anymore.

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V91LANK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00

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    1. Thanks for sharing! That's a much better price.

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I appreciate all of your comments! If you have a question, I'll get back to you as soon as possible.