16 Ingenious IKEA Hacks

Custom furniture is expensive. And let’s face it, while many of us have custom tastes, we don’t have custom budgets. Enter, IKEA— the Swedish furniture company that designs and sells furniture and accessories, most of which are ready-to-assemble— and at a fraction of the cost you’d pay to custom order at a traditional furniture store. The beauty of IKEA’s designs is their simplicity— which makes them utterly and beautifully hackable into an array of other things. The IKEA hack has become a bona ﬁde design category all on its own. Whether you’re working with a bookcase, desk, or dresser, there’s more there than what meets the eye. A kitchen cart can deftly masquerade as a bathroom vanity. That candle dish is just begging to be a bird feeder. Be it Rast, Lack, or Expedit, many of IKEA’s designs can be modiﬁed, reworked, ﬁnished, reﬁnished, or all out tricked out for your unique needs. We’ve found some of the coolest and best IKEA hacks from around the web. Which one will inspire you to do your own IKEA DIY?

By Eric Rosenzweig

Updated Aug 18, 2015 4:22 PM EDT

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BIGARRÅ Bird Feeder

Intent on building an inexpensive birdbath for her backyard, Karen simply placed the BIGARRÅ candle dish ($9.99) on a trio of wood dowels for a casually elegant solution.

BEKVAM Bath Vanity

To save money after shelling out for a rather costly vessel sink, Nick converted a BEKVAM kitchen cart ($59.99) into a bathroom vanity with open shelving.

Related: The Best Bathroom Sinks

Copper Shelves

A lackluster shelf gets a shot of glamour with the exact application of copper contact paper (or gold or silver, if you prefer). The simple and clean lines of the shelf make for an ideal application but if doubt your handiwork, the same look can be achieved with metallic spray paint.

Chandelier

Another makeover that yields glamorous results is the upgrade of the Maskros pendant lamp. The addition of paint and glass fixtures (actually small glass bowls) yields an elaborate sputnik-like chandelier.

Patterned ERSLEV Rug

Using just latex paint and Scotch tape, Hayley added her own design to the inexpensive, off-white, 100% cotton ERSLEV rug ($39.99).

RAST Console Table

After buying it on sale, Kelly turned the RAST chest ($34.99) into a sleek, industrial-look entryway console, perfect for corralling loose change, incoming mail, and house keys.

Mail Organizer

If you don’t have room for a complete entryway, the Knuff magazine holders can form the base of a nice landing pad to collect keys and mail. Vertically aligned under a shelf, they both support and organize your by the door catch-all.

FJELLSE Trundle Bed

Using two simple FJELLSE bed frames ($39.99 each) and basic woodworking skills, Ellen managed to create a compact and budget-friendly trundle bed for a small guest room.

Rustic Card File

If you crave a vintage or rustic look, Ikea might be the last place you’d think to go, but sometimes all it takes is a good stain and brass pulls. In fact, they’ll have your Moppe drawers looking like a one-of-a-kind antiquing find.

GORM Cold Frame

GORM shelving ($29.99) has been taken apart and put back together again to create this cold frame, an outdoor enclosure for protecting plants during fall, winter, and early spring. Visit Planted at Home for project details.

LACK Table

This handsome coffee table is the result of Matthias joining two shelves from the LACK series ($14.99 apiece) over a set of six legs.

UNG Corkboard

Combine a few dozen old cork stoppers, spray paint, and the $29.99 UNG frame to create your own corkboard. Head over to Suze Geeks Out for step-by-step instructions.

INGO Desk

Katie (from matsutake) transformed a simple, unfinished pine table (INGO, $69.99) into a decorative yet functional desk. All it took was a few strips of wood to embellish sides, some diligent sanding to prepare the wood surface, and four coats of high-gloss paint to complete the look.

Related: 15 Easy Designs for a DIY Desk

Modified MALM Bed

The MALM bed frame ($149.00) appeals with its clean, modern lines, but Heath Ashli sought to improve the design by adding hinges to carve out an internal storage cavity.

Nail Head Table

The nail head Lack table is a quick and simple Ikea upgrade that requires little more than strips of nail heads and a hammer. When you’re finished the table will read less modern and more Hollywood glamour.

Mudroom

If you’re looking to make a big impact on a low budget, the combination of a Hemnes tv unit, two Hemnes bookshelves, and a bridging shelf can be assembled to mimic a built in mudroom.