10 of the Very Best IKEA Hacks from 2024 (They Start at $50!)
When you think of IKEA furniture, you might think of ready-to-build pieces that will work stylishly in your home right after assembly. But if you’re an avid DIYer (or an avid reader of Apartment Therapy), you might also think of totally adaptable pieces that are ripe for IKEA hacks that’ll make them even more colorful, custom, and creative.
Bathroom vanities, bookshelves, bar carts, and more — Apartment Therapy has featured some of the best IKEA furniture hacks spanning every room of the house this year. While the process behind those hacks wasn’t always the simplest, the end results are beautiful custom-designed furniture pieces you won’t believe started from humble flat-packed furniture. Below, marvel at AT editors’ favorite IKEA hacks from 2024. They look so fancy that they’ll have you calling a basic BILLY bookshelf “William.”
1. Five IKEA BILLYs Transform This “Wasted Space” Bedroom Corner
First, I’ll start with one of IKEA’s most signature pieces, the aforementioned IKEA BILLY. Bookworms will love this gorgeous hack from Christine Amorose Merrill (@cestchristine), who transformed five BILLYs of varying sizes into a built-in bookcase that Belle from Beauty and the Beast would be jealous of. To create them, Christine added wood paneling for a built-in effect and painted them all in Valspar’s Coastal Dusk to match the rest of her bedroom. Read more about the project here.
2. A $65 IKEA MALM Makeover Repurposes Another Familiar IKEA Product
Seasoned DIYer Holli Brown (@homebyholli) used two different IKEA products to create the ultimate IKEA hack that makes her desk look more expensive. Holli used a fluted RÖDEBY armrest tray, painted it white, and glued it to the drawer of her IKEA MALM desk to amp up the style factor. It adds an air of sophistication to the whole space. Read all the DIY details here.
3. A One-Wall IKEA Hack Triples the Storage in This “Shoebox” Apartment
To maximize the storage in her small space, DIYer and studio apartment owner Carmen (@thetodolistwithcarmen) created built-in shelving. She used six BILLY bookcases and five SONESAND 3-drawer chest dressers to create the wall-to-wall setup. Then, she added EKBACKEN countertops between the dressers and the shelving on each side of the room. The big-box finds were $1,631, and Carmen was able to create a functional spot where she can store things, get ready, and watch TV. See the studio transformation here.
4. A Gorgeous IKEA Vanity Hack Transforms This Dated 2000s Bathroom
Design couple Savannah and Kaitlyn Stone (of @ainslee_design_studio) amped up this bathroom renovation with a stylish vanity hack using the GODMORGON bathroom vanity box. They used it as their base, and from there added custom door fronts in a soft warm wood tone from Nieu cabinet doors. The countertop and backsplash are completely custom — and totally luxurious — calacatta marble. (Sometimes, a great IKEA hack balances saving with splurging.) Check out the full bathroom here.
5. Just $50 Later, This IKEA HEMNES Looks Like It’s Made of Solid Wood
Last year, DIYer Claire Champion (@charnwoodtowers) did an IKEA cabinet hack that look liked bone inlay; this year, she set her sights on creating something with a solid wood look. She transformed this IKEA HEMNES shoe cabinet using Frenchic’s Browning Wax and a tool that creates a wood grain effect in paint. “It’s a straightforward process of priming, painting the undercoat, and then applying the browning wax, and then running the wood grain tool through the wax,” Claire explains. Read more about the DIY process here.
6. This Bedroom Makeover’s IKEA PAX Hack Has the Prettiest Closet Doors
Yvonne Langen’s (@tasteandtipple) primary bedroom originally had a “very narrow galley-style closet that was dark and awkward.” During a room makeover, Yvonne and her husband, Michael, decided to demo that closet, refinish the (now larger) bedroom, and add an IKEA PAX system — with a colorful twist. The doors are made of cMDF sheets, hardboard, cane webbing, paint (Benjamin Moore’s Willow Grove), and brass hardware. Yvonne says it’s her favorite DIY project in the whole house, and Assistant Home Projects Editor Sarah Everett says they’re the prettiest closet doors she’s ever seen. Read more about the IKEA hack here.
7. A “Bland” IKEA Cart Gets a Colorful Transformation for $50 (It Adds So Much Storage!)
Sometimes, the best IKEA hacks simply involve a lick of paint. Designer Yvonne Fisher (@yvonneellen) transformed a neutral-hued kitchen staple into a colorful accent piece that is the star of the space. The cart’s main vibrant blue hue is Farrow & Ball’s Blue Ground, Craig & Rose’s Ottilie, a dark green shade, jazzed up the drawers, and the finishing touch — bright red wheels — are courtesy of Craig & Rose’s Troubadour. The project cost £40, or a little over $50. Read more here.
8. A Bold Pink Makeover and a “Grand Library Wall” Transform This Plain Living Room
An equally colorful IKEA hack on a larger scale, this living room shelving is made from nine IKEA BILLYs. Loft owner Brandon Andrew Robinson (@DrKittyGirl) assembled all of the shelves with the help of friends, and then they hired a professional painter to give the shelves (and the wall behind) a coat of Sherwin-Williams’ Dishy Coral. Brandon calls the living room a “deconstructed rainbow” because it has so many pops of color. Read about the room makeover here.
9. A $990 Makeover Transforms a “White Box” Room Into a Cozy Home Office
IKEA EKET cabinets make the perfect slender desk that wraps around the room in this home office makeover by Luke Lusk (@twolinedesign). Luke used plywood for the top of the desk and painted it in Behr’s Iced Copper. Read more about the office transformation here.
10. An IKEA Hack Saved This DIYer Thousands on Their Living Room Makeover
IKEA hacks can be a great way to save money on home makeovers, as proved by Kelly Kahn’s (@no2threestoryhome) living room transformation. After being quoted £2,500, or about $3,200, for custom built-in media shelves, Kelly and her husband took matters into their own hands and DIYed the shelves for just £800, or about $1,000. The couple built a base, and three BESTAs became the bottom cabinet storage with HANVIKEN doors providing a tidy and streamlined look. For the shelving on each side and above the TV, they used IKEA LACK shelves turned sideways, while the bookshelves on each side are made from BERGSHULTs. Read about the project here.
Further Reading
I Just Discovered the Smartest Way to Store Paper Towels in Your Kitchen (It’s a Game-Changer!)
See How a Stager Used Paint to Transform a 1950s Living Room
