Ikea hacking goes pro at Toronto Design Week

Imagine buying Ikeafurniture and not following the instructions. That's pretty much what Karol Kosnik does for a living,as a self-proclaimed professional Ikeahacker.

Kosnikplans toshare some of his skills this weekendduring a workshop at the Toronto Design Offsite Festival, an event held throughout the city in conjunction with Toronto Design Week.

"Ikeahacking allows people to be creative and it's part of the larger maker culture," he said. "The products are very readily accessible and well priced.That's the number one driver."

By trade, Kosnik is a carpenter and cabinet maker.

Finding his passion came with a lot of experimenting that followed after he dropped out ofuniversity. He eventually completed a degree at Sheridan College in furniture design.

Since then, he's prided himself on designing and modeling practical but attractive furniture. Ikeahacking is something that he saidcame naturally, and he only has two types of furniture in his house: Ikeamade, or his own designs.

"Ikeaproduces things that are functional. And people need functionality in their lives because it's a way that improves their lives," he said, adding that sometimes to get the ultimate use of the furniture, peopleneed to alter it.

Kosnik saidhe gets questions about hacking from all over the world, and that it gives people the opportunity to reconnect with their skills.

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He saidthe Swedish company has even embraced hacking of its furnitureto an extent.

"Idon't think it was fully intentional to sort of create this movement," he said. "Itwas a capitalist dream to downloadpart of the labour on the consumer to lower prices."

Kosnik's workshop, "IKEA Hacking: The Cure for the Common Designer," takes place at The Assembly Hall, at Colonel Samuel Smith Park on Jan. 22.