Looking for somewhere to mount a microphone when you're recording podcasts or your own music? Conceptual design blog SGArts came up with a quick but effective solution: superglue the microphone to an extendable lamp. He used the Antifoni from IKEA, but any similar lamp would do.

Israeli blogger Ran wanted a long, low coffee table, but couldn't find one that matched his requirements -- so he slung one together by connecting together five Lack shelves from IKEA. Ran himself admits that the construction is a tad messy, but the end result is a great table if you're entertaining several friends, and one that's easy to adapt to your colour scheme (though the orange option isn't currently sold in Australia).

Displaying your new LCD flat screen can be a difficult and expensive process, but blogger Gus Money came up with a novel solution: converting a Pax wardrobe from IKEA into a custom media display unit. Hit the link for details of how he went about the task.

There's no denying we're keen on the IKEA furniture hacks here at Lifehacker, but as belts keep tightening, tricking out cheap furniture looks more appealing than ever. And when the hack is as cool as this one from Apartment Therapy -- a glass-topped Vika Lauri table which changes colour at the flick of a switch using the Didoer light strip -- I know what I'd like to be doing this weekend.

Notebooks might be getting smaller and more common, but it still helps to have a decently-sized work area. IKEA Hacker outlines how Jonas upgraded his computer desk by using a cabinet door as a work surface, providing a large, high-gloss surface. This particular furniture hack used a Pax cabinet door, but you could go ultra-cheap by checking for discarded doors in the As-Is section.

Most of the furniture hacks we feature at Lifehacker (like this one) are designed to make your use of technology easier, but here's a neat example of the reverse scenario: a $29 Flarke computer desk from IKEA that's been converted into a dressing table. You could apply the same principle to any computer-specific desk (and we suspect there's more of those lying around disused these days given the preponderance of notebook computers). [IKEA Hacker]

You can spend quite a lot of money on a notebook stand, but here's an idea that costs a lot less: use a $0.95 Bokis bookend from IKEA. Something to bear in mind when summer approaches and you need some air circulating around your beloved PC. (If you're in the mood for saving money, the same post at IKEA Hacker also looks at how you can use a cheap shoe rack as a monitor stand.) [Eganz via IKEA Hacker]

Assembling furniture from IKEA can be a challenge in itself, but doubly so if you've disassembled it for storage and then try and rebuild it later, having long ago thrown the manual in the recycling bin. The IKEAFANS Forum comes to the rescue, offering PDF versions of manuals for furniture from the ubiquitous Swedish megastore. You need to register to access the library, but this is a pain-free process. Like previously mentioned SafeManuals and ReplacementDocs, this is one to bookmark for when the vital paperwork goes missing. (Thanks Sean!) [IKEAFANS]

Where would you put a server if you had to keep it in your kitchen? Jonk came up with an unusual option for his Linux server: he adapted a plastic bread bin from IKEA and turned it into a server rack. Step-by-step instructions on how to complete the project are on his site. While IKEA doesn't seem to have any bread bins in its current Australian online catalogue, a quick visit to your local kitchenware store (or $2 discount shop) should easily sort you out.
[Pirateboy via Ikea Hacker]

A notebook PC with a broken hinge might not seem much use to anybody, but blogger Frederic Sebton had a nifty idea: install the popular arcade emulator MAME, pop the whole thing into a sideboard from IKEA, and voila! You've got a cocktail-style arcade cabinet (one you sit down to play at). With basic notebooks now so cheap, it could be tempting to build a similar project with a brand-new machine especially maimed and MAMEd for the occasion. [Frederic Sebton via Ikea Hacker]