DIY Battlestation

This is something I have longed for, it has tumbled and twirled in my dreams, taunting me with what I could not obtain. But after laying down a couple hundred of my hard-earned dollars at Ikea, I have achieved the unachievable. I have my very own in-room, make-up vanity.

My journey started after the perks of having a younger sister, was eventually outweighed by the constant waves of anger brought on upon her constantly using my make-up. I knew I needed to bring my growing collection into a safe space where I wouldn't be worrying if my inanimate babies were being mistreated.

Enter Ikea.

I want to sing sweet serenades to you my love, but with that; these were my purchases to make my little DIY project possible.

MALM Dressing Table in White $199
KOLJA Square Mirror $19.95
MUSIK Wall Lamp $59 (x2 $118)
GODMORGAN Storage Unit $19.95
TRENSUM Vanity Mirror $6.95
SKURAR Plant Pot $2.95
GE Lighting Classic Round Globes 2pk $3.62 (x5 $18.10)

Total = $384.90

MALM Dressing Table

Like all Ikea furnishings, MALM came with instructions, and I set it up the night a got back from my Swedish venture. After deciding placement, I marked where I wanted my mirror. If you are planning on using the KOLJA mirror in the future, make sure you find and provide your own suitable nails/screws etc. which are appropriate to hold weight on a wall, especially plasterboard as they are not provided.

Plasterboard screws for the mirror and lights

KOLJA is up!

I decided to place the Vanity Lights on either side of the mirror, and specifically didn't included one on top. I did this because Vanity Lights are there to produce light from multiple angles, and including a bar on top would create unwanted shadows and an unnatural light distribution.

After marking out placement, and including help from my Father, we wired the vanity lights together, to be controlled with a modified switch. The switch gives me the ability to turn the lights on and off from the light cover itself, and not have to continuously use the powerpoint to control the light. Those who are considering the MUSIK lights, please be weary that these are supposed to be hard wired by a professional electrician, aka installing these are HARD. My set-up was possible because of my Father's extensive knowledge in the trade, but even we had to make some modifications of the bar's plastic to allow streamline wiring.

Wiring the Vanity Bar

The customised switch

I purchased the globes from Masters, just across the way from Ikea. I was going to grab the LEDARE LED globes from Ikea, being as they were the recommended globes, and LED produces a warm white light which is great for colour correction, but they had sold out in store! So instead I bought the GE Classic Round Globes for $3.62 for 2, compared to the $14.95 ea at Ikea. I rationalised that if I wanted to upgrade to a higher quality globe in time, I will when they come back in stock.

When all was put together, I filled my GODMORGAN Units with my collection, only to discover that I want more make-up, especially lipsticks. I figure now I have somewhere to cherish my escalating habit, I can now add to my beautiful set-up. (A lot of empty space in that drawer).

GODMORGAN Units

The TRENSUM Vanity Mirror is a cute addition to my Battlestation and is perfect for detail application with one side using magnifying mirror glass.

I am currently using a wooden stool, which I am planning on painting white when I have a break from uni!
Fingers crossed.

I've pulled it all together with my SKURAR pot of brushes, perfumes and other beauty related necessities, topped off with a bunch of flowers I bought over the weekend from Centennial Florist.