How to build a play fort, according to Ikea

The living room fort is a time-honored tradition for future architects and non-architects alike. Sleeping bags draped over chairs; sofa cushions propped up as a fortress; sheets strewn from one side of the room to the other. The beauty of the fort is that it can take dozens of forms based on whatever material is handy.

You don’t need instructions for building one, but Ikea—king of simply illustrated furniture assembly manuals—recently came out with some anyway. In the new quarantine-minded ad campaign, the retailer details how to construct six different play forts using basic furnishings.

There’s the classic Höuse silhouette in which some sheets are draped over a table and secured by leaning books. Förtress puts the couch to use by transforming the sofa cushions into walls. And Cåmpintent hangs sheets over a clothing rack. All of the instructions call for Ikea products (naturally), but it would be just as easy to recreate the designs with whatever you can pull out of the closet.

Ikea

Ikea

Ikea

Ikea

Ikea

Ikea