If the first thing that pops into your mind when thinking of dystopian futures is flat-pack furniture, well, you must be Cecilie Fritzvold. She decided to bring a touch of Scandinavian flair to the colossal cyberpunk city of New Hashima. You’d be forgiven for thinkin that Swedish minimalism and might not mesh that well with the often gritty cyberpunk aesthetic, but the concept works remarkably well. Little touches like the Japanese signage and neon decor make it look right at home.
Iron Builder competitor Brickleas has taken the challenge to the land of Norsemen and ready-to-assemble furniture. This time the seed part has been used to create a chair, some decorative lighting fixtures, and a hood over the stove. But Brickleas didn’t stop at creating a cozy home scene. This build goes the extra mile by zooming out a few feet to reveal that we’re in the showroom of an Ikea. The arrow on the floor guiding shoppers and the black rigging hanging above the fake walls is sure to inspire flashbacks in anyone who has tried to navigate the labyrinthine superstore. “Why do I have to follow these arrows through the whole complex? I’m just trying to buy an affordable shelf for my UCS Batmobile!” Sorry, got a little lost in memories there…
A while back IKEA released a line of LEGO-compatible storage boxes. We’ve seen some creative builds based on them before, but this creation by Chi Hsin Wei (LEGO7) is a little sus. Sorry, I mean “fishy”. The white IKEA box makes for a perfect insulated container, transparent 1×1 brick makes realistic ice, and metallic silver tile and slopes add just the right sheen to the saury. The brick-built sign with pricing really elevates the build, giving everything context and letting you imagine visiting your favorite fish-monger for the catch of the day.
I don’t want to carp on about what a great build this is forever, so I suggest you go check out some other featured fishy builds.
Warm, white, and rectilinear – this can describe a couple things; BYGGLEK boxes produced from the new LEGO-IKEA collab or a Greek Villa on a sunny day in Greece. Jannis Mavrostomos combines both notions into one and creates an epic LEGO house for all to enjoy while yearning for Mediterranean weather.
The backbone of Mavrostomos’s structure consists of two BYGGLEK boxes – what seems to be the small and large boxes combined. The second floor porch is nicely tiled with sand and dark tan colored tile elements of various sizes. There is a lot of great parts usage in this work, one of my favorites being the blue hinged sliding doors on the elevated porch being used as a small shade. The notches of the boxes are utilized heavily with intricate windows being built into them as well as a whole staircase. No house is complete without some plant-life, and Mavrostomos has that area covered – literally by using green tree-limb elements decorated with flowers to serve as candid vines climbing along the corner of the villa. Mavrostomos also adds potted plants to liven up the place. Overall this build is unique because it showcases cultural architecture which is subject matter not often explored in LEGO, it is quite refreshing to see something like this pop into my Instagram feed.
Pastries on Netflix’s Nailed It never look as tasty as this LEGO IKEA BYGGLEK cake made by Milan Sekiz. To be fair, the builder has the advantage of using uniformly shaped plastic to craft the frosted layers, instead of fumbling with a piping bag. IKEA Serbia commissioned Milan to build the unique creation before the BYGGLEK’s October release. The two candles are very apropos marking the celebration of LEGO and IKEA’s collaboration.
Using the BYGGLEK for the actual purpose of storage is still a big part of this creation. The boxes also contain a plate, silverware, and a sample slice of the cake all built from LEGO elements. With stacks of detail, Milan completes the confection with a reference to “the cake is a lie” meme in his Instagram post, made famous by Portal. This sweet taste of ignorance is bliss!
Plants are nature’s greatest display. The cathartic feeling of seeing a tiny jungle is alive in Dave Kaleta’s LEGO plant box. Using the new IKEA BYGGLEK, Dave fills the inside of the base with some loose brown bricks, representing the soil. The small garden is made of green studs, slope-shaped bricks, and leaf elements. The real life plants, accompanied in the photo, contrast the plastic counterpart.
Dave’s 26x18x12cm BYGGLEK is a picturesque centerpiece mirroring the realism of indoor plants. The installation of a grow light gives some hope that these babies will sprout into trees. We’re just kidding. Notice the three button elements on the front of the BYGGLEK planter. They symbolize various power functions (left to right): bright light, water, and night mode (possibly a dimmer). This smart build puts the theme of sustainability at the forefront as we’ve seen in recent years from The LEGO Group, as they’ve rolled out plant-based elements (40320) in an effort to lower their carbon footprint. We’re digging this!
Recently LEGO announced a collaboration with IKEA to produce some new storage solutions. They won’t be available to the masses until October 1st, but Brothers Brick contributor and LEGO Masters US competitor Flynn DeMarco and his partner Richard Board, collectively known as TrickyBricks, had a chance to try them out early. Using the largest box as a base, they’ve built a breathtaking palace of white and transparent light blues. I’m particularly fond of the crests formed from Legends of Chima Wings and Nexo Knight shields, and the repeated use of trophy statues help create a sense of vast scale. Also, check out that “studs to the side” inlaid mosaic in the central archway. The varied shades of blue and clear plate really unify the color choices of the whole creation.
But what really caught my eye was the way they didn’t just use the box lid as a base. By adding waterfalls of blue brick to the lower section, they created a great visual pun of “overflowing LEGO storage bins” – a common lament in my household. I’m not sure things are actually useful as a storage solution at this point…but I don’t think anyone will be complaining about that.
Some say that IKEA is for grownups what LEGO is for kids. I say, why not have both? Builder Kalais seems to think so too.
![[MOC] Ikea BYGGLEK Blacktron base](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50351881931_f32752d643_b.jpg)
In probably the first example I’ve ever seen, Kalais used the new IKEA BYGGLEK storage boxes for a very modern-style Blacktron base. As far as getting the Blacktron look, this creation succeeds. From the laser-lime windows to the black and white accent bricks, you know this base belongs to the infamous space-faring evildoers the second you look at it. I especially like the power generator made from large wheels. Very clever!
The one downside about the BYGGLEK storage bins is that they don’t connect as regular LEGO bricks do. If you stare hard enough at the space base, you can see that the boxes are sitting on top of each other instead of locking in like normal bricks. Kalais has made up for that by using black bricks in places to give the illusion of the base being one solid tower.
This is a fantastic example of what you can do with non-traditional pieces like the BYGGLEK storage boxes. I hope to see more people become inspired by Kalais’ creation!
Today LEGO and IKEA revealed the BYGGLEK product line, more than two years after we first brought word of the collaboration between the two Scandinavian companies. The new product line promises to alleviate the organization of after-play with LEGO elements and provide a storage solution. Four products offering various size storage boxes are being introduced. LEGO says the heart of the collaboration is developing a system where kids are able to experience a quicker way to engage in continued play with LEGO bricks after a pause or break in play. The goal, LEGO says, is that this results in a storage solution that can cater to an intertwining concept of play and storage at the same time. With IKEA’s vast portfolio in furniture and home products, the BYGGLEK blends in with also being a unique decorative piece of storage, matching themes of IKEA products that are already on shelves today.
Click to see more of the BYGGLEK system in use
Builder Malin Kylinger takes us under the sea with this lively and colorful model built in a picture frame. Ariel, Flounder, Sebastian and the evil Ursula are all on hand to welcome you to the depths where an array of sea life and corals await!
Sometimes inspiration can came from the strangest places, and in this case it came from IKEA! This compact little LEGO creations fits perfectly into a RIBBA frame which fortunately has enough depth to it that it can accommodate bricks and create a nice feeling of dimension. The school of silver fish with the blue transparent plate background draws your eye to the center where you can start to take notice of everything that surrounds them. The jellyfish are fantastic with their lightning bolt tentacles and I like the fact that the builder didn’t rely too heavily on sea grass to create the colorful plants. The sea floor bears closer inspection as it’s full of wonderful little touches. I really like the Swamp Creature’s mask at the bottom left in front of the gorgeous blue flower plant. I’m also quite taken with the interpretation of Ursula’s cauldron, ready to accept the witch’s brew she’s whipping up. So many beautiful details leave me asking: How many wonders can one cavern hold?
Need more Klämtares, Kuggises, or Ivars for your LEGO collection? Look no further than IKEA, now in minature form thanks to cubo31. IKEA announced a new partnership with LEGO last year, and we still haven’t seen many details on what that is. But we can only hope that it will include an awesome micro model like this. This Micropolis module is loaded with accurate details, from the incredible brick-built logo to the carefully crafted curbs and even an underground garage. There’s just one inaccurate detail that bothers me, though: there are open parking spaces within sight of the front doors. I’ve never seen that at my IKEA.
Today at Democratic Design Days, IKEA’s annual press event in Almhut, Sweden, IKEA announced that one of their new partnerships will be with the LEGO Group. Together, they will be producing a line of products aimed at bringing children and adults together. “We have a lot in common. Play is essential to kids, and we both believe that, so together the LEGO Group and IKEA, we really want to enable many more opportunities for play in the homes with children and their parents,” said Lena Dixen, Senior Vice President, Product Development, LEGO Group. In fact, the collaboration began with the toy company. LEGO approached IKEA and “asked if we wanted to play,” said Fredrika Inger, Business Area Manager for Children’s IKEA.
Click to read more, and watch a video of the announcement
