Genius IKEA DIY Hacks to Save You Time and Money

Concept By: Jen Lou Meredith
What You’ll Need: A Kallax unit, castors, inserts, Lamplig chopping boards
Estimated Cost: $95*

Kitchen islands are wonderful things to have. In fact, many people often tell realtors it’s on their list of nonnegotiables. Not only does it give you more kitchen counter space, but it also looks great. The only downside is, they’re usually pretty expensive to build – unless you put your thinking cap on. 

Kallax Kitchen Island Hack @gantner0818 / Pinterest.com

Blogger Jen Lou Meredith from the UK decided that the best small island could easily be made using a Kallax unit. She also bought two Lamplig chopping boards to work as a wooden countertop. All in all, it cost about $90, which is certainly cheaper than picking a pre-made one up on sites like eBay.

Concept By: Shift Interiors
What You’ll Need: Two Helmer/Alex drawers and a wooden top
Estimated Cost: $100*

Working from home has never been more popular, but not everyone has the ideal desk setup. If you’re sick to death of working at the dining table but don’t want to spend a fortune on a stylish desk, then you might want to take a trip to Ikea. There could be a simple answer. 

Helmer/Alex Desk Hack @hillaryalava97394 / Pinterest.com

Shift Interiors wowed the internet with this easy hack. Simply buy either two Helmer sets of drawers or two Alex drawers and place a wooden countertop on them. Nail it in and glue it down and you’ve got a desk that’s better than anything you can buy at Bed, Bath & Beyond for half the price.

Concept By: Better Home and Gardens
What You’ll Need: Billy or Kallax units, bed platform, brackets
Estimated Cost: $200+*

Most of us underneath beds for storage, but it can get a little messy and unorganized at the best of times. Not only that, but there’s a much better way to utilize that precious square footage. We have Better Homes and Gardens to thank for this one, so what exactly have we got going on, here? 

Billy/Kallax Platform Bed / footer.com

This platform bed was originally made out of now-discontinued Expedit units, but don’t fear. Kallax or Billy units will work just as well. This is slightly more of an ambitious project, but the end result is more than worth it, especially when you compare the cost to that of buying a pre-made unit like this from somewhere like Amazon. 

Concept By: Brittany Makes
What You’ll Need: Ikea Sektion high kitchen cabinets
Estimated Cost: $600+*

This incredible kitchen pantry looks like something that has been specially made and custom-designed by professional carpenters, doesn’t it? In fact, it’s all down to the creative mind of blogger Brittany Makes. Brittany and her husband used three Ikea Sektion high kitchen cabinets to create this incredible unit. 

Sektion Cabinets Built-In Pantry @Decorhint / Pinterest.com

While the cabinets themselves aren’t cheap at $201 a pop, the project turned out much cheaper than having one specially made. They ordered DIY shaker doors to cover the cabinets and painted them a chic shade of grey, making the entire aesthetic more than Insta-worthy.

Concept By: Sugar and Cloth
What You’ll Need: Ikea Malm Bed frame and Stikwood
Estimated Cost: $250*

Everyone knows that the majority of items in Ikea’s Malm range are usually on the cheaper side, but the look is quite basic. That being said, this line is perfect for a spot of upcycling. Blogger Sugar and Cloth used Stikwood to give her bed frame a new lease of life. Stikwood provides stick-on panels of wood in all sorts of different shades. 

DIY Wooden Headboard / footer.com

This hack is so simple it hurts. All you have to do is stick the wood to the Malm bed frame and you have something that looks like it’s fit for Pinterest. What’s more, it’s not all that expensive at around $200 for the bed and $50 for the Stikwood. 

Concept By: Kristy Murphy
What You’ll Need: Koldby Cowhide
Estimated Cost: $200*

An ottoman can be a great way to jazz up any living space. Not only do they look great, but they’re practical too, so everyone’s a winner. However, buying one can be quite expensive, especially as they are quite in-vogue at the moment. 

Cowhide Ottoman @kristimurphydiy / Pinterest.com

This hack isn’t really all that cheap, but it’s still impressive. If you’ve got an old ottoman lying around or are lucky enough to find one on Facebook marketplace for free, then it’s worth it. All you need is a staple gun, liquid nails, upholstery foam, and Koldby Cowhide from Ikea. In no time at all, you’ve got your newest piece of furniture.  

Concept By: Thrifty and Chic
What You’ll Need: Rast drawers and fancy handles
Estimated Cost: $60*

The best part about the Rast chest of drawers isn’t that it’s cheap, although that certainly helps. It’s that it’s unpainted, untreated pine, so inventive crafters like Thrifty and Chic can do whatever they want with it. The actual until itself costs around $35, but there’s so much you can do with it. 

Apothecary-Style Nightstand @thriftyandchic / foter.com

In this case, Thrifty and Chic used a router to carve lines into the front of the drawers, making it look like it was an apothecary table. Then, they screwed in three fancy handles on each drawer and painted it to complete the look. The end result is something that looks much more expensive than it actually is!

Concept By: This Old House
What You’ll Need: Rast dresser, paint, wax, sandpaper
Estimated Cost: $70*

Rast dressers are essentially blank canvases, which is why they’re so popular with crafters. This Old House completely transformed this piece of furniture, taking it from plain and simple to farmhouse chic with just some tender love and care. 

Rast Dresser to Farmhouse Style Dresser @apieceofrainbow / Pinterest.com

The blogger added some trimmings to the top, bottom, and front of the drawers to give it an older look, before painting it and distressing it with wax and sandpaper. Of course, it might take a little bit of practice, but once you know how you could set up your very own eBay business selling these!

Concept By: Anybody Home
What You’ll Need: Regolit lampshade, string, soft toy
Estimated Cost: $10*

Most of us have had a paper lampshade at least once in our lives, but they don’t always have to be boring stopgaps. In fact, one crafter called Anybody Home transformed a $4.99 Regolit white paper shade with just some string, a glue gun, and a soft toy. 

Whimsical Lampshade @annybody_home / Instagram.com

By winding and gluing the string into a circular shape, they created a hot air balloon basket. The cuddly toy sits in the basket while the lampshade itself acts as the balloon. It’s a cute addition to any little one’s room that you won’t find on the shelves at Walmart.

Concept By: The Ward Home
What You’ll Need: Ikea Samstad bench, MDF
Estimated Cost: $80*

Creating the perfect little nook in a child’s room isn’t always easy, namely because they usually have so many toys it’s hard to make space. This thrifty UK crafter shared an incredible idea via her Instagram page, The Ward Home back in 2020. They took a simple Samstad bench with storage and transformed the look of it, using a piece of MDF and some stick-on crystals. 

Playroom Seating @the_ward_home / Instagram.com

The bench itself costs around $70, while the additional materials likely cost around $30. The time and effort that went into this clearly paid off as it caught the attention of many fellow DIY-ers on Instagram. 

Concept By: HeatherMoxieDIY
What You’ll Need: Hemnes shoe rack, fancy handles, wood paneling
Estimated Cost: $130*

Hemnes is another popular range from Ikea. It’s slightly more expensive than Malm, but some buyers find the design more attractive. That being said, everything can be jazzed up a little when hackers put their minds to it! In this case, HeatherMoxieDIY got her hands dirty and created a Hemnes shoe rack unlike any we have ever seen. 

Hemnes Shoe Storage Hack @apieceofrainbow / Pinterest.com

By using stick-on wood panels, Heather completely changed the look of the Hemnes cabinet. She also replaced the handles to update the look slightly. It’s not the first item this YouTube star has overhauled and it likely won’t be the last.

Concept By: Unknown
What You’ll Need: Knuff magazine holder, glue
Estimated Cost: $10*

Sure, magazine holders are great for holding magazines, but have you ever stopped to think they might be wasted doing just that? After all, they are roomy enough to store all sorts of different things. One genius crafter thought they would try and stick to the inside of a cupboard door. The result was a hit. 

Knuff Magazine Holder Turned Door Organizer / footer.com

All you need is a Knuff magazine holder and some strong glue. Once you’ve stuck it to the inside of the cupboard you can use it to store anything you like, from bin bags to cleaning products you picked up during your last Target run. 

Concept By: Real Simple Home
What You’ll Need: Besta TV table, padded cushion, doors
Estimated Cost: $250*

If you’re a book lover then you’ll know there’s nothing better than a reading nook. Having a space to while away the hours in peace is invaluable, but buying special chairs isn’t always cheap. Instead, you might want to consider shelling out around $190 on a Besta TV stand. 

Besta TV Stand Turned Reading Nook @realsimple / Pinterest.com

Real Simple Home did just that, but there’s a twist. They gave it a little makeover with some Norse Interior doors so that the storage is all cleverly hidden from view. Add on an upholstered cushion, blankets, and throw pillows, and it’s a dream come true for lit fans. 

Concept By: Ikea
What You’ll Need: Ivar ends, rattan material, glue
Estimated Cost: $100*

Even Ikea itself has been known to come up with the odd hack. It’s hardly surprising when you consider the inventive displays that designers come up with for the stores. On the website, Ikea tells you how to create a very chic screen using Ivar ends. 

DIY Ivar Folding Screen @elianna213loja7 / Pinterest.com

These ends cost around $14 a pop and you’ll need at least six of them for this, plus a roll of rattan from a fabric shop, a glue gun, and some hinges. The rest is pretty self-explanatory. Cut the rattan to size, line up the hinges, and you’ve got a folding screen that’s versatile enough to be used in multiple rooms.