Let’s face it: IKEA more or less invented the life hack, or at the very least championed it with surgical precision. After all, a proper life hack is an efficient strategy meant to save you time, effort and money–the Scandinavian chain has that down cold. Being that IKEA is the undisputed champion of the life hack, we thought we’d explore some hacks within the hacks. That is to say we’ve uncovered a slew of nifty techniques that squeeze even more functionality and efficiency out of your favourite products. Read on for the 16 Best IKEA Hacks we’ve found so far.
Table of contents
- 1. Get Creative with Room Dividers
- 2. Turn Your Bin Into a Side Table
- 3. Deco on a Budget with Washi Tape
- 4. Use Rails to Organise Your Workspace
- 5. Pressing Plants Between Two Glass Frames for Wall Art
- 6. Organise Your Sporting Gear with Picture Ledges
- 7. Create a Mini Bar with an IKEA Shoe Cabinet
- 8. IKEA’s Signature Blue Bag Can Be Much More Than Just a Bag
- 9. Easily Create Hanging Pieces of Art
- 10. Create Seat Cushions in 5 Minutes
- 11. Turn a Lantern into a Modern Plant Terrarium
- 12. Turn a Wine Rack Into an Indoor Herb Garden
- 13. Turn a Dish into a Modern Pendant Lamp with a Single Drill Hole
- 14. Turn a Shelf into a Desk
- 15. Use an IKEA Timer to Get Epic 360 Degree GoPro Footage
- 16. Make a Coffee Table Out of KNUFF Magazine Files and a Stool
1. Get Creative with Room Dividers
If you live in a city then you’re all too familiar with the open floor plan and its spacious benefits. However, there’s still something to be said for boundaries and personal space. IKEA offers a slew of smart room dividers that allow you to create separation without compromising the overall aesthetic or ruining the open floor vibe.
Options: RIGGAClothes rack; MYRHEDEN Memo board with clips; KALLAX Shelving unit
Price: starts from AU$14.99
2. Turn Your Bin Into a Side Table
Did you buy a KNODD bin from IKEA and then come home to discover you didn’t really need it? Instead of marching back to return it, get creative by turning that KNODD upside down and topping it off with a tray. Voila! You’ve got yourself a nifty nightstand that none of your friends have.
Price: starts from AU$14.99
3. Deco on a Budget with Washi Tape
Everyone knows that quality art is the proverbial icing on the cake of interior design. The problem is that quality art can be expensive. Save loads of cash and milk those creative juices by going wild with affordable Washi Tape instead. And feel free to experiment whereas the tape is easy to remove and leaves no marks on the wall.
4. Use Rails to Organise Your Workspace
Like everything else at IKEA, their rails are streamlined and cost-effective. Skip the whole DIY shelf-building process at your workspace and instead use IKEA rails with smart hooks to prop books, pictures, pens and other essentials.
Price: starts from AU$5.99
5. Pressing Plants Between Two Glass Frames for Wall Art
Here’s one of the simplest and best IKEA hacks that presents another easy-breezy way to put inspiration on the wall at little cost. Pick some beautiful flowers or plants and display them between two glass frames like the works of art they are.
Price: starts from AU$10
6. Organise Your Sporting Gear with Picture Ledges
Sporting gear is a clutter-phobes worst nightmare. To solve at least some of your sporting gear storage problems, prop some IKEA MOSSLANDA picture ledges in the vertical position, attach knobs at the top and bottom and string a rope lengthwise to create a fence. You’ve just found the perfect way to store your hockey sticks, baseball bats and other tall sporting equipment.
Options: MOSSLANDA; MÅLERÅS; MELLÖSA; MALMBÄCK; MÅNSARP
Price: starts from AU$7
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7. Create a Mini Bar with an IKEA Shoe Cabinet
The IKEA TRONES shoe cabinet is spacious, easy to remove, and elegant enough to not make you think of shoes when you see it. What are we saying here? That the TRONES is the perfect makeshift bar area for wherever you may need it. Fill it with ice and some cold beers and you’re good to go. Simply remove it from the wall and dump the melted ice when necessary. If alcohol is involved, you know this has to be one of the best IKEA hacks for sure.
Price: starts from AU$39/2 pack
8. IKEA’s Signature Blue Bag Can Be Much More Than Just a Bag
We’ve all used an IKEA Blue Bag and know just how resilient and spacious it can be. It’s also versatile enough to fulfill any number of creative whims. For instance, you can sew quilted material onto it to make a picnic blanket or sleeping bag. Or you can transform the bag into a kid’s craft apron.
Price: starts from AU$0.70
9. Easily Create Hanging Pieces of Art
IKEA curtain rods are as functional as they are easy to use. They’re also good for essentially all types of hanging. Use them to hang works or art or cool hats or whatever rounds out the visual vibe of the interior space.
Price: starts from AU$6
10. Create Seat Cushions in 5 Minutes
Pillow? Check. String? Check. Ability to loop string over pillow into 8 equal sections and tie a knot? Check. Congratulations–you’ve just made a seat cushion in 5 minutes. They don’t call them the best IKEA hacks for nothing.
11. Turn a Lantern into a Modern Plant Terrarium
Here’s a top IKEA hack that all your friends will see and then replicate. Fill an IKEA lantern with potting soil, charcoal, gravel and plants to put a beautifully novel twist on the domestic terrarium.
12. Turn a Wine Rack Into an Indoor Herb Garden
The beauty of IKEA’s products is that they can take on new dimension almost immediately. For a prime example, look no further than their stainless steel wine rack. Put some pint glasses filled with herbs and dirt between each steel ring and no one will ever know bottles of wine were supposed to go there in the first place.
Price: starts from AU$19.99
13. Turn a Dish into a Modern Pendant Lamp with a Single Drill Hole
Picture a smooth plate or dish. Now picture that plate or dish hanging upside down by a string in mid-air with a hole drilled in the middle. Now picture a bulb protruding from the hole. You’ve just envisioned a brilliant modern pendant lamp and thereby discovered one of the best IKEA hacks. All that’s left to do is buy an Angenam dish to make it happen.
14. Turn a Shelf into a Desk
Again, the intrinsically adaptive qualities of IKEA products make them perfect for a slew of functions. Take an IKEA shelf and get clever with the legs and you’ve just made yourself a desk.
Price: starts from AU$10
15. Use an IKEA Timer to Get Epic 360 Degree GoPro Footage
The IKEA ORDNING timer rotates while it counts down and is just big enough to mount a GoPro at the top. As a result you get 360 degree footage without having to spin around in circles yourself.
Price: starts from AU$3.99
16. Make a Coffee Table Out of KNUFF Magazine Files and a Stool
One of the best IKEA hacks requires a little effort, but the results are definitely worth it. Superglue the backs of 4 KNUFF magazine files together and perch the result on top of a stool. Since the KNUFF racks come in pairs of two sizes, use the smaller ones as nifty table extensions.
Price: starts from AU$19.99
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