I took on the IKEA HAVSTA glass cabinet to rescue a totally “dead corner” in our bedroom (it was basically a pile of junk, a mirror, and a little picture shelf). My wife had the brilliant idea to actually fill the alcove with proper furniture, and I’ll admit it—I thought it would be too much. But once it was in, it genuinely looked really good… after we survived the build. This one’s a bit of a beast: loads of glass, heavy frame, and the kind of IKEA instructions where you’re squinting at a drawing trying to match it to real life. In the speed build, my son and I wrestle the frame together, get briefly distracted with some kung-fu cardboard fighting, and then hit the real pain points: figuring out the back panel, the deceptively difficult plinth (seriously, the “heavy bit” is not clear), and my absolute nemesis—those spring-loaded door hinges. I ended up taking parts back apart and re-screwing from scratch because the threads just weren’t playing nice. Then the fun bit: my DIY lighting hack. I hid 12V LED strips so you don’t see the lights, added a neat illuminated button switch on the side, and powered it from an IKEA USB port. It doesn’t just light up my wife’s stuff—it brings the whole cabinet to life.