We Gave a DIYer $50 at IKEA to Update Her Kitchen — Here's What She Got
IKEA is a favorite of DIYers, and for good reason: It’s an affordable source for everything from tiny basics to large furniture, and many of those pieces can be customized with hacks. Even if you’re not a dedicated IKEA hacker, though, there are still plenty of options for IKEA products that can help you make over just about any room of your home.
Jacqueline Schowetsky, the DIYer behind @aurorabyjacqueline, has used IKEA products throughout her home, but the place where they’ve made the biggest impact is in her rental kitchen.
Schowetsky spruced up the space last year as part of the One Room Challenge, using budget-friendly IKEA products for both functional additions as well as aesthetic touches. Look around the room and you’ll spot IKEA products everywhere. There’s an EDSBRUK picture frame, which she customized with paint and cane webbing. She DIYed a LACK coffee table into a breakfast bench using leftover scrap wood, stain, and paint sticks to give it more visual weight and a sturdy base. And, of course, there are the classic FULLTALIG candle holders adding a farmhouse look to a window shelf.
But with just $50 Schowetsky says she could spruce up the kitchen even more and add “style, function, and practicality.” Here’s what she’d recommend buying for your kitchen if you have $50 burning a hole in your pocket and a trip to IKEA on the books.
FRIDFULL Plant Pot
IKEA
$9.99
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This FRIDFULL hand-woven water hyacinth pot looks far more expensive than its sub-$10 price tag, and it adds an organic element to any room. “Greenery makes my kitchen feel warmer,” says Schowetsky, who chose the FRIDFULL pot for one of those plants to bring some extra texture with a natural flair.
TJILLEVIPS Basket
IKEA
$15.99
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Schowetsky uses TJILLEVIPS baskets as the workhorse of her kitchen. Because they are just $15.99, you can stock up on at least two of these baskets and still come in under $50 when you add them with the other items. Best yet, they look at home in bookcases, under benches, or on kitchen carts. Schowetsky says she’d use them to hide away baby items and dog food under her coffee bar.
SYRLIG Curtain Ring with Clip and Hook
IKEA
$9
Buy Now
Curtain ring clips give even the most basic curtain an elevated look, and Schowetsky says the SYRLIG curtain ring clips would be perfect for cafe curtains hung under a shelf in her kitchen.
Windows aren’t the only place you could put these curtain rings to use, though. This affordable set would be perfect for creating a cottagecore skirted sink.
Further Reading
We Tested (and Rated!) All the Sofas at Ashley — Here Are the Best to Suit Your Style and Space
We Asked 8 Pro Travelers What They Never Pack in Their Carry-On, and Here’s What They Said
