IKEA furniture is the holy grail of budget decorating: functional, affordable, and of course, flat-packed. But if we’re honest, sometimes those minimalist staples need a little zhuzh to stop your place looking like a cheaply furnished showroom.
Enter the #IkeaHack hashtag, where social media users share clever tweaks to turn pieces into something more stylish and expensive looking. Whether it’s turning £1 mirrors into a stunning statement design piece or crafting a Soho Home-worthy dupe from a plant pot and lazy susan, here are our favourite tricks to take your furniture from basic to brilliant.
Picture ledges —> Light-up wall shelves
This clever trick to turn basic shelves into a sleek, light-up wall feature was shared by interiors account @east_shore_home and racked up over a million views.
In the clip, DIY enthusiast Ashley takes three Mosslanda picture ledges and, instead of mounting them the usual way, flips them upside down. This hides the shelf’s ridge underneath, leaving a clean, flat ledge on top.
She then attaches LED strip lights to the undersides. The overhanging ridge – now facing forward since the shelves are upside down – neatly conceals the lighting.
The result? Three chic, minimalist shelves with a warm glow. You’d pay hundreds for a ready-made designer version.
Salad bowls —> Statement table
This DIY job posted on Cassandra Noel’s (@Cassandranoelhome) Instagram account has received millions of views and left users, in their own words, ‘shook’.
To start, Noel bought eight salad bowls, sticking them together with glue and then using wood filler to line any gaps. She then sanded them and stained them a deep brown colour for a luxe finish.
To create the top, Noel bought a plain wood board and cut out a squiggle shape, staining it with the same shade as the bowls. After she left everything to dry, she finally secured it all in place – and the result was extraordinary.
Dish rack —> Floating bookshelf
This hack, reshared by Ideal Home, has been viewed upwards of 100,000, and is one of the easiest for DIY-phobes.
All you need is a £2.50 Ikea wooden dish rack, and a paint colour that suits your decor. Give the plate rack a coat, leave it to dry, then stick it to the wall with glue on hooks or command strips.
Voilà: a floating bookshelf. You can spruce it up with more LED light strips, stickers, or a hand-drawn design for a more personal, elaborate piece.
Lazy Susan —> Designer side table
We’ve all seen those designer tables with fluted wooden bases (very Soho Home). But a clip shared by Kerry (AKA @klkinteriors) showing how to create a budget version might just be the greatest Ikea hack we’ve seen.
It involves three pieces from Ikea: a £12 bamboo armrest tray, an £18 lazy susan and a £9 plant pot. Apply glue around the plant pot, then fold the malleable £12 fluted tray around. Turn upside down, and then apply plenty of glue to the plant pot’s base, before sticking the lazy susan on top.
For a final step, you can use a wood wax to give a more aged, rustic or sleek look. We’re not kidding: this one is a serious bargain.
Mini mirrors —> Statement black mirror
If you have a big blank space, @Our_Home_Style’s nifty Ikea mirror hack is just the thing. To start, mark off the area you want to feature with masking tape, before using a paint roller and black paint to create a dark block.
Remove the masking tape, and grab your Ikea mirrors, a ruler and some glue. The next bit is a little time consuming: you need to measure, mark and equally stick down the mirrors into rows across the black space.
The result, however, is totally worth it: a huge statement mirror with none of the weight on your walls (or the hefty price tag). Job done.
