Ikea’s a great place to go if you’re setting up an apartment or an office. Their merchandise is generally clean, modern, and fairly simple in design. There’s a feature in the New York Times Style Section, though, that shows how people have taken Ikea’s simplicity and run with it — they’re modifying off-the-shelf pieces to make them their own unique and individual pieces. Some of the highlights: a waterproof dress (made from an Ikea shower curtain), a surfboard table (supported by two Ikea chairs), a hanging speaker assembly encased in two Ikea salad bowls, and a bunch of pieces where people have painted or otherwise decorated stools and end-tables.

You can view the slideshow, “Adaptation,” here.