Ikea hack: Making a new cat tree

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Last summer Taiyo and Vashti got their very own custom made cat shelves! On the right you can see the previous tree. It was sufficient when I bought it for Vashti and Taiyo when I got them as kittens, but the top baskets became too small for them, especially for Taiyo. Unfortunately, he was way too stubborn to stop sleeping in them, which resulted in his paws and head all hanging overboard. That definitely did not look very comfortable, so a new cat sleeping solution was needed!

Since I only have room for a cat tree in my living room, I decided I now really wanted something that wouldn't scream Crazy Cat Lady as soon as you entered the room. I also didn't like how the tower blocked the entire corner, which caused the room to look a lot smaller than it actually is. So shelves it had to be. 

After gathering some inspiration from Pinterest and Ikeahackers.com I was ready for my first little DIY project (I am usually more of a DIbuY girl), and headed to Ikea for all the accessories I needed. 

And below is the result! As you can see the whole corner looks a lot more ' open' and less messy. The top shelf is also lot higher then the top basket of the previous tree was, which both cats really like, because they now can look down on me more. Cats will always be cats....

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Want to make one as well? 

This is what you will need:

2 small Lack shelves / 4 Ekby Mans brackets / 1 off-white Ådum rug / 2 long Lack shelves

Apart from that you will also need:

• Scissors or a stanley knife
• A marker
• A ruler
• (Carpet) glue
• Screws for attaching the shelves to the wall
• A screwdriver and/or a drilling machine.

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How do you make it? 

1. Measure the surfaces of the Lack shelves that you want to cover with carpet. 
   
2. Draw the measurements you just wrote down on the back of the Adum rug with a marker.
   
3. Cut the rug with sharp scissors or a stanley knife. 

  4.   Glue the pieces of carpet on the tops of the lack shelves (I used carpet glue for this), and let it dry for 
         at  least 24 hours. 
  5.    Attach the Lack shelves to the wall that you want to create the cat tree on (as explained in the 
         enclosed instructions). 
  6.   For extra solidity, attach the long sides of the Ekby Mans brackets at the bottom of the long Lack 
         shelves (and the short sides to the wall, obviously).
  7.   DONE!

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And the most important thing of all: Taiyo and Vashti are both very happy with the new shelves and use them a lot!