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IKEA hacks are creative and innovative ways to make the simple furniture and decor of IKEA more unique and custom. IKEA is a well-known Swedish home brand known for its low-cost furniture and home decor.
Many people have discovered creative ways to modify IKEA furniture to meet their specific needs, preferences, or aesthetics. You could spend all day searching for the best IKEA hacks, or you could just look at our list. We worked hard to find IKEA hacks that deliver high-quality results.
With a little hard work and time, you can transform your IKEA piece into something that better fits your needs and style.
How to Create Your Own IKEA Hacks
The following article describes how others transformed IKEA furniture to suit their tastes and goals, but you can do the same. Study these hints to get your own creative juices flowing and develop hacks that work well in your own environment.
- Painting and staining: Changing the color of an IKEA piece with paint or stain is a clear and easy way to update its appearance. If you want to try a more daring look, do not limit yourself to solid colors. To make something truly unique, experiment with stencils or free-style designs.
- Hardware upgrades: Replacing the hardware on an IKEA piece, such as the knobs, handles, and pulls, is an easy way to customize and update the look.
- Adding shelves, dividers, and decorative trim is a good method for tailoring bookshelves, shelves, and cabinets to your specific needs.
- New upholstery: Reupholster IKEA chairs, sofas, and cushions in interesting and exciting fabric choices.
- Adding legs: Adding new legs to items such as cabinets, dressers, and bookshelves will change their height and give them a more defined style.
- Combining pieces: You can combine multiple items from the same IKEA line to create a more customized look, or you can combine different lines to create something entirely new.
- Modifications to lighting: Integrating lighting into shelves, headboards, and cabinets can elevate the style while also adding functionality.
- Wall-mounting: To save space and create a floating effect, wall-mount IKEA pieces such as shelves, cabinets, and headboards.
- Hacks for kids’ rooms: Add canopies, tents, and decorative trim to IKEA kids’ furniture to make whimsical children’s furniture.
- Technology incorporation: Adding technology into your IKEA furniture, like charging stations and cord management tools, can enhance functionality for your specific needs.
Best IKEA Hacks
IKEA hacks vary in the level of DIY experience required. If you are a new DIYer, choose a simple project that requires just paint or changing out some hardware. As you develop your DIY muscles, you can begin to take on more complicated IKEA hacks.
Hemnes Dresser Hack
The Hemnes Dresser is another popular product from IKEA. The entire line of Hemnes pieces is crafted from solid pine. Hemnes dressers, nightstands, side tables, and beds have a clean, straight style that is easy to transform with paint, stain, or some unique hardware. This is a good place to start if you want to begin your DIY journey.
Amanda, from Love & Renovation, walks through her process for customizing a Hemnes dresser for her closet. She cuts the legs down, adds trim around each drawer, installs new gold hardware, and paints the dresser a sophisticated gray. This is not a difficult process, and the product is worth the extra effort.
Billy Bookshelf Hack
IKEA’s Billy bookshelf was introduced in 1979 and is still one of their best-selling items. They estimate that a Billy bookshelf is sold somewhere in the world every five seconds. This is a simple six-shelf bookcase that stands over six feet tall. The six shelves can be rearranged to accommodate the objects you want to display.
The Sommer Home used sets of Billy shelves on top of IKEA Oxberg doors to create a built-in wall of bookshelves. The shelves appear to be built into the wall thanks to a false header and footer. The bookcases are painted white and feature gold, adjustable arm scones that gleam against the background. Best of all, they walk you through the process and include a useful supply and tool list so you can replicate it yourself.
Malm Bedside Table Hack
IKEA’s Malm line is a popular line to hack, bcause of its straight lines The bedside table is made up of a vertical, rectangular box that sits on the floor and has two drawers with flat fronts. People employ many methods to transform their Malm bedside table, from painting to adding new hardware and giving the exterior some texture.
Melanie Jade Designs walks through the process of transforming the Malm bedside tables into a boho-glam design. She paints the tables a deep green and adds wooden texture to the drawers. The gold hardware and legs give it a final touch. This is not a difficult hack, but it will take some time. Thankfully, the finished project is something you can enjoy for years to come.
Hauga Cabinet Hack
The IKEA Hauga cabinet with glass doors has all the hallmarks of Scandinavian design. It has clean, straight lines, a straightforward design, and excellent functionality. This cabinet has four shelves and glass doors to keep dust at bay. If you are Type-A, the glass doors will require you to keep everything inside tidy and well-organized. Covering the glass doors will allow you to take a break from constant cleaning and organizing.
The Navage Patch brings us a brilliant way to cover the glass doors while maintaining the light and unaffected Scandi style of the cabinet. This blog will show you how to cover the doors with cane webbing sheets. The end result is a stunning look that can be used in any room of the house, from a nursery to an elegant living room.
Mosslanda Shelves Hack
Mosslanda shelves are a popular product that people hack because each one is just a plain, floating shelf, but when combined, they can create something spectacular. They can be used as minimalist bedside tables or bookcases. Dress them up or make them fade into the background by painting them to match your walls. There are far too many possibilities to mention.
At Home With Ashley gives the Mosslanda shelves an entirely new look for her son’s bedroom. She splits wooden balls in half, paints them rainbow colors, and glues them to the front of the shelves. The result is whimsical and fun, perfect for a child’s bedroom.
Ivar Cabinet Hack
The Ivar cabinets’ clean design makes them ideal for hacking. The Ivar cabinet is rectangular in shape and has vertical, flat panel doors. It is constructed of untreated, solid pine. There are numerous ways to customize this cabinet, from painting or staining it to adding interesting hardware or a new facing texture.
We like the creative hack idea from Christina Muscari at Pretty Distressed. She uses simple materials to create a stunning mid-century glam cabinet. The blog does an excellent job of walking you through the process step by step, ensuring that you achieve the same results. You can also draw inspiration from her ideas to create your own Ivar cabinet style.
Beckvam Stool Hack
IKEA has many wonderful stools, both wooden and metal, that you can customize to your preferences. The Beckvam is one of the best stool options. The Beckvam is a basic wooden step stool that can be customized in a variety of ways. Simply use paint or stain to better match your decor. If you have small children, making a toddler learning tower with the Beckvan stool is a good use of your time.
A toddler learning tower is intended to allow small children to stand safely while performing easy kitchen or bathroom tasks. Check out Laura Gummerman’s method for making the Beckvan step-stool tower on A Beautiful Mess. Her detailed instructions will help you understand the process and customize it to your liking.
Rast Dresser Hack
Because it is made of solid wood and has an uncomplicated shape, the Rast dresser is another popular IKEA furniture option for hackers. There are numerous examples of how people have used this dresser to make a stylish bedside table.
The Rast dresser hack from Entertain the Idea has all the elements of the best hacks. It presents a simple process with some customizable steps that results in a beautiful product. Take note of our personal favorite feature: the stunning “wooden” detailed drawer pulls.
Vittsjo Shelf Hack
Metal and glass shelves, a side table, a coffee table, and a desk are all part of the Vittsjo collection. These pieces have a straightforward metal structure that can be easily customized with paint. Take it a step further by adding wooden shelf tops to the mix.
Yellow Brick Home demonstrates how they used plywood to give their shelves a more custom look. This not only strengthens the shelves but also softens the original design’s industrial style.
Ingo Dining Table Hack
Farmhouse tables can be expensive, so it makes sense to try to create your own. This is where the Ingo dining table can come in handy. The Ingo table is made from pine. It has the ideal shape to create a solid base for a larger table.
Consider this idea from East Coast Creative. They used the Ingo table as a foundation. They constructed a large tabletop out of wood planks. These enlarged the table and gave it a more rustic appearance than a Scandi one. Make it your own by selecting a wood stain that complements the wood tones in your home.
