From flat pack to fabulous: The best ever IKEA hacks

We know you guys love a hack just as much as we do. Our Kmart and Big W hack round up articles are super popular on the blog, so we thought we should definitely share some more! This time, it’s all about the clever, crafty and best ever IKEA hacks!

Related article: 20 of the coolest Kmart hacks EVER!
Related article: Big W hacks to organise or add affordable style to your home

1. Kallax bookshelf becomes luxe bathroom cupboard

An absolute stunner to start us off! Talented DIYer Celine created this luxe rattan bathroom cupboard by adding a custom door to the Kallax bookshelf and painting it in that dreamy taupe colour. She shares all the steps in the reel below. With ‘more storage’ being on the wish list for many, we hope this IKEA hack offers plenty of inspo!

2. Built-in bookcase pantry

If you’ve been dreaming of an open pantry, this BILLY bookcase DIY hack from Breakfast at Kellie’s is the perfect way to get the look on a budget. We can’t even tell it’s a bookcase! Check out the full DIY tutorial on her website.

IKEA hacks _BookcaseTurnedOpenPantry
The stunning bookcase to open pantry DIY by Breakfast at Kellie’s
IKEA hacks _BookcaseTurnedOpenPantry
The stunning bookcase to open pantry DIY by Breakfast at Kellie’s

3. A plain dresser gets an amazing makeover

This HEMNES chest of drawers is kinda generic, don’t you think? But just look at what Lisa from @knots.and.pots.home on Instagram did! A hack that creates such a high-end look on a budget. You can recreate the look following all the DIY instructions here.

IKEA hacks_HEMNESDIYBefore
The HEMNES chest of drawers before… (Image via Apartment Therapy)
IKEA hacks_HEMNESDIYAfter
The HEMNES chest of drawers after… (Image via Apartment Therapy)

4. Stylish floating entertainment unit for a bargain price

When it comes to lower priced furniture, often things can look… cheap. But not if you do it right. Take a look at this incredible entertainment unit styled by Tess. Using the incredibly affordable BESTA TV bench, Tess wall mounted hers and placed her TV off centre to create a chic, sleek and stylish living room.

And all that storage to hide everything away — we are in love! Oh… and yes, we know this isn’t exactly a hack. But it’s so gorgeous, can you blame us for including it in our fave ever IKEA hacks post?!

5. Bookshelf gets a Mediterranean-inspired makeover

It’s hard to miss the rising trend in organic furniture. If you can’t afford the real deal — or you just want to put your own unique spin on things — here’s a fabulous example of what can be done with a simple IKEA bookshelf. Create whatever configuration you want and paint it in a colour to suit your interior style.

6. Shelving units turned kitchen island

If you’re feeling a little crowded in your kitchen, have a look at this kitchen island hack! Jen Lou Meredith came up with this hack using KALLAX shelving units. It’s small, storage savvy and mobile, so you can move it as you need to! It may require a little DIY know-how, but if you’re feeling adventurous, you can find her tutorial here.

IKEA hacks _KALLAXislandbench
IKEA KALLAX kitchen island hack by Jen Lou Meredith

7. Kitchen cabinets become living room storage

IKEA is renowned for its affordable kitchen range but why restrict it to just one room? The ever-so-talented Shelley from DIYshelley (who we’ve featured on the blog a few times!) used IKEA kitchen cabinetry in her living room as her TV cabinet and clever added storage. So smart and functional!

tv unit from ikea kitchen wall cabinets_diyshelley
Kitchen cabinet turned TV unit by diyshelley

8. Chest of drawers becomes a luxe linen cupboard

With custom joinery costing a pretty penny, we love discovering clever hacks like this one from Emma-Lee Goulding from Willow Root Collective. Emma-Lee took the HEMNES 3 drawer and built it into her gorgeous linen cupboard.

See the video transformation below, or check out her detailed blog post on how she achieved this look.

IKEA hack linen cupboard
Luxe linen cupboard using IKEA drawers | DIY by Willow Root Collective

9. Cute as a button mushroom lamp

Who knew you could make a cute as mushroom lamp from a mixing bowl and a canister?! One of our fave DIYers, Geneva Vanderzeil did just that using the metal bowl and canister, both from IKEA. You can find the full tutorial here, and by the looks of it, it looks super simple!

10. Clever use of kids stools… and IKEA doors!

If you’re a parent, you probably have one of the BEKVAM step stools at your place. But here’s a use for it we’d never considered.

Using 2 step stools and, get this, 2 FONNES doors, you can get this brilliant and cost-effective TV unit!

Yep, that’s right, kids step stools and doors! Such a unique idea!

Ideal-Home_Jo Henderson
Image credit Jo Henderson via Ideal Home

11. Peg board becomes a green wall

Here’s one for our plant lovers! Using the already-cool SKADIS peg board, Dani created this wonderful living green wall. Simply add some hanging baskets and pop your plant babies on the shelves and you’ve got a great idea you can easily do at your place!

Skadis peg board into green wall_@living_atnumberone via lovepropertyuk
Amazing IKEA hacks – indoor plant wall from living_atnumberone via lovepropertyuk

12. A curtain rail for hanging plants

Another fab idea for the plant lovers! A great way to display your beautiful plant hangers is by using the RACKA curtain rail. Such an effective solution if you’re unable to reach, or can’t drill into the ceiling.

13. Luxe chair makeover

Take a touch of gold paint. A simple IKEA chair. And top it with the soft and fluffy SKOLD sheepskin rug.

Voila! Luxe, scandi-inspired chair!

Note: The chair pictured isn’t available in Australia but here’s a similar style we found.

gold-chair_thekeyitem
Luxe chair hack from thekeyitem

14. Window bench seat

Using the NORDLI chest of drawers, you can create a gorgeous window seat! Created by Kelin from Hydrangea Treehouse, this easily customisable hack can help you create a stunning bench that fits just right. And who doesn’t love extra storage? Find the tutorial here.

NORDLI_WINDOWSEATIKEAHACK
The Nordli bench seat hack by Kelin from Hydrangea Treehouse.

15. School bag storage solution

Ok, so this isn’t really a hack, but anything that minimises kid-mess gets our attention! This clever and simple idea uses the TROFAST storage unit to create a school organisation station where everything is neat, tidy and easy to find. Yes please!

Organising station by @homeandtribe_ via raw_homemade
Clever organising station using TROFAST storage by homeandtribe_ via raw_homemade

16. Bed head with clever storage

Using the TRONES shoe storage, you can create a simple yet clever bed head with heaps of storage. Pop your spare sheets in for easy access, or keep your books and other clutter hidden away. SUCH a cool idea!

17. Bed slats new lease on life

Staying in the bedroom (kind of) for another of our fave IKEA hacks… taking the slats from a no longer needed bed could be the storage solution you’ve been hunting for!

Use it in the kitchen to hang pots of herbs and quirky kitchen gadgets. Pop it in the bathroom for added storage, or maybe in the bedroom to hang belts, scarves and jewellery.

Simple yet functional, we love this clever upcycle that could stop would-be waste going to landfill.

Sultan bed slats_ichdesigner
Bed slats turned storage / IKEA hacks by ichdesigner
IKEA hacks_BedslatsDIY
Find this cute wall hanger hack tutorial here.

18. Spice rack turned kids bookshelf

Sometimes it’s the simplest hacks that turn out to be the best! Kate, a motherhood TikTokker, shows us how the cheap and cheerful IKEA BEKVÄM spice rack can be turned into 2 styles of shelves for a kid’s room.

Correct way up, they’re a sweet mini bookshelf. Or flipped over and it becomes a great shelf with a hanging rail for clothes or backpacks, using an S hook. So simple!

@kate.athome A super easy little hack… #ikeahacks #ikeakidshack #mumhacks #ukmumsoftiktok #ikeabekvam #kidsroominspo #kidsroomideas #ikeadiyhack #kidsinterior #ukmumaccount #diyikeahack ♬ I Am Your Mother You Listen To Me (Tik Tok Sped Up) – Remix – Green Neon DJ

19. A bookcase turns into a pull out pantry

Ok, so this is super clever. TikTok creator @lovemlovef shows us how they took a simple IKEA bookcase, and turned it into a sliding, slimline pantry. By attaching sliding washing machine base stands to the bottom, it creates the ideal pull out pantry!

Check out the video below — so cool and so creative!

@lovemlovef loveit😍🥰 … #ikeahack #ikeakitchen #ikeafinds #ikeatok #swag #decor #decoration #picoftheday #queen #fyp #lovedecor #beautiful #awesome #amazing #instagram #pinterest #lovediy #diyproject #deco #ikeadiy #actiondiy #diyproject ♬ origineel geluid – 🇨🇵🤍♡halfbloedje♡🤎🇲🇦

20. DIY rug

Rugs can be expensive, we know. So how about making your own?! A clever crafter took these cheap as chips IKEA mats and sewed them together to create one big rug.

You could try using any of IKEA’s huge range of place mats, smaller rugs or even bath mats to get the same effect.

21. Kids safety stool

Ah, kids ‘helping’ in the kitchen (insert panicked parent here!). Sina from Happy Grey Lucky hacked the BEKVAM step stool to make it a whole lot safer for her little peeps.

Perfect for future budding chefs!

learning-tower_happygreylucky
Safety stool from happygreylucky

22. Kids kitchen makeovers

We see so many gorgeous IKEA hacks done on the DUKTIG kids play kitchen. And while these ones are not so much hacks as they are makeovers, we couldn’t resist including them.

We especially love the sweet subway tile details in the pink and gold kitchen, and the boho vibes in the teal and terracotta version!

Kitchen hack_thetexasteacher14
IKEA play kitchen makeover by thetexasteacher14
IKEA kids kitchen_mrsmerrellyeah
Makeover by mrsmerrellyeah
A Beautiful Mess IKEA kitchen
IKEA play kitchen makeover by A Beautiful Mess

23. Another use for the play kitchen — a flower stall

According to the Dutch team at Zoeyzokidsconcept, the DUKTIG kitchen isn’t just for the kitchen! They show us how it can be made into a fabulous flower shop with just a touch of added creativity!

If flowers (or DIY) aren’t your cup of tea, they also do burger bars, sushi kitchens plus more using their cute-as-anything stickers and magnets, made specifically to fit the IKEA kids kitchen!

kitchen turned flower bar_zoeyzokidsconcept
Flower bar hack by zoeyzokidsconcept

24. Storage unit turned super sweet dolls house

Using the ever-so-popular KALLAX 4-square storage unit, a few crafty people have created these gorgeous dolls houses! We love the version with the added roof, but think the wallpaper/contact versions are just as sweet!

4squre into dolls house_ikeahack
KALLAX 4 square storage hacks via ikeahack

25. Heat mats become a cork board

This collection of painted and wall mounted pin boards is so clever! But what’s even better is they started life as HEAT kitchen pot stands! You can find the how to instructions from ‘Oh everything handmade’ here.

CustomCorkBoard_oheverythinghandmade
Custom cork board hack from oheverythinghandmade

26. Boho coffee table

There’s no shortage of clever people out there, and one of our favourites has to be this boho-style ALSEDA stool hack. How cool is it? Use this tutorial by Alice and Lois on Hunker to create your own.

Aleseda_Ikeahackcoffeetable
Boho IKEA HACK coffee table by Alice and Lois

27. Wooden train tracks turned blackboard

For any keen little train spotters (young or old!) how cool is this idea? Attaching the LILLABO wooden train track to the wall and adding a blackboard (or just using blackboard paint) to create a quirky but clever blackboard.

Train track into black board_ikeahack
Train track hack via ikeahack

28. Headphone storage solution

Tangled headphone cords are never fun. So how about this for a clever little hack. Attach the BROGRUND toilet roll holder under a desk and you’ve got the perfect headphone storage solution. So simple, but we think it’s kinda genius!

Toilet roll holder for headphones_ikeahack
Headphone storage solution via ikeahack

29. DIY cabinets turn custom entertainment unit

Finding the perfect entertainment unit is a challenge! They always seem either too small or BIG, too deep or not the right style for your home.

In Rachel’s large living room, a custom entertainment unit was the only solution but without wanting to spend thousands on custom joinery she came up with a clever hack using the BESTÅ TV bench from IKEA with HANVIKEN doors. The wooden handles from Auburn Wood Turning fit her contemporary home to a T!

Rachel IKEA entertainment hack
Custom entertainment unit hack by @house_of_o.u.r.s

Have you seen any other IKEA hacks you think we should know about? Tell us in the comments below so we can add them to this blog post! We love a good chat in the comment section 😉 .

Check out more DIY and hacks here

Disclaimer: This article was first published in July 2020 and continues to be updated with the latest and best IKEA hacks.

Gina Beschorner Style Curator

Welcome to Style Curator, your destination for daily interiors inspiration, styling tips, reno advice, home tours and DIY projects!

We're on a mission to help you create a home you love. And with plenty of tips and tricks, tutorials and other home inspo, we give you all the tools to achieve it!

I’m Gina, Founder and Interior Designer, and you can read more about Style Curator here.

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