One of my favourite furniture/home décor stores to shop at is IKEA. I love the diversity of what they offer and the fact that you can shop at one place for virtually every room in your house. And let’s be honest, 50 cent soft serve ice cream cones at the end of a shopping trip is truly the cherry on top. What I also love doing is taking their generic pieces and tailoring them to my style or re-thinking the purpose. So here I will share with you some of my favourite IKEA hacks.

My most-used IKEA hack in my house is the KALLAX shelf unit. I currently have three of these which I’ve used in different ways; two of the double with eight cubbies, and one single with four cubbies. The first double one I am using as a TV stand. I purchased some MDF at my local hardware store and had my husband cut it to the size of the shelf. I then wallpapered the MDF and my handy hubby nailed it to one side of the shelf. The reason for this was to create a back to the shelf to A. to hide all the cords and cables from the TV and B. to prevent anything (i.e., toys, children) from being pushed behind the shelf. I also purchased some wooden feet for the shelf which I was going to spray paint a fun colour but ended up not putting them on because I wanted the shelf to lay flat on the ground so toys and dust wouldn’t collect underneath. However, I think this would be a really cool addition so I might add them down the road.

I also used the double shelf in my daughter’s closet. This time, I turned the shelf so it is standing tall. I placed the shelf slightly to the right of her closet and attached two rods on the left side. The side to the right of the shelf is left open for more storage but I may add another clothing rod in the future for longer dresses and coats. If you have kids, another great use for this shelving unit, in a similar fashion, would be to put it in a coat closet and label each cubby for each kid or for each activity. For instance, one cubby for school, one for dance class, one for soccer, etc. Your children can then put everything they need for those activities in the appropriate cubby.

Finally, I used the four cubby KALLAX shelf in my daughters’ toy room. I only wanted the four cubby one for this room because I wanted it to double as a table they could sit at and colour on, etc. I also added casters to the bottom of it so it could easily be moved around (casters also purchased at IKEA).

Another IKEA hack that I’ve found online which I want to try is to up-do the LACK side tables or coffee table. Some ideas for “fancying” these up are to add wood to the top or to paint them and add push pin nail heads.

(Image source: http://www.momtastic.com/diy/518049-ikea-hacks/?slideshow=1275#/slide/71)

(Image source: http://signedbytina.blogspot.ca/2013/07/more-ikea-lack-hacks.html)

I also think the LACK side tables would look so great painted, foam added to the top and upholstered in a pretty fabric, and placed at the end of a bed for end of the bed seating.

I also love the picture frames at IKEA and use them throughout my home for various prints and family photos. The RIBBA frame is great because it the depth is 1 ¾”. So, in addition to using these for pictures and prints I also used one to frame my daughter’s first outfit (which I have hanging in my laundry room). Another great hack for these frames is to remove the glass and add a cork board background (or you could collect a bunch of wine corks, cut them in half so they lie flat and glue them to the back). Put a few pins in the cork and then add hooks to the bottom. The frame then doubles as a place to post notes and hang your keys by your door.

(Image source: http://www.halbachblog.com/korkstoff-diy-schluesselbrett/)

Eeep! I am inspired by this blog and I am seriously tempted to pack the whole family up and make a trip to IKEA tonight. I definitely think my next hack will be the LACK side tables as we could use some new tables for our family room and they’re only $14.99 – you just can’t go wrong.

Written by:

Fiona White – REALTOR® with Sutton Group – West Coast Realty

Phone: 778-552-6246

Email: fwhite@sutton.com

Website: http://www.fiona-white.com

Facebook/Instagram: @fionawhiteatsutton