Transform Your Bedroom with these Fun IKEA Furniture Hacks
There are many reasons to spruce up your bedroom. Whether you’re moving into a new apartment, rearranging for a new season, or welcoming a new addition to the family, a remodelled bedroom is always a good idea. Sometimes, you may simply want more space for storage.
With the use of creativity, the humble IKEA furniture and products can be used to transform your bedroom into an oasis of comfort. Follow these simple hacks and DIY Ideas to make your bedroom sparkle. From wallpapering your PAX wardrobe to finding a second purpose for your IKEA floating shelves, we will show you how the best hacks of IKEA products. Keep reading!
In this article, we will cover:
1/ Create a bespoke workspace with ample storage
Researchers discourage the use of a bed as your workspace because, in addition to bad ergonomics, it can affect your sleeping pattern.
If you prefer a work area in your bedroom, you can create such a space with two simple dressers from IKEA like Olivia Silk, interiors blogger (Lust Living) did below. You will need: 2x IKEA MALM drawers. So if you are in a hurry to set up your home office, we have you covered.
And if you want to peek at a fashion blogger's office, check this out!
Photo credit: Olivia Silk, Lust Living
2/ DIY Idea: Upgrade your drawer fronts
This might not be so new to you, but IKEA drawers can easily be hacked to make them look bespoke and high-end. In this amazing $200 IKEA HEMNES Hack, Erika Lauren of Peony and Honey cut rolls of foam and added them to the drawers to create a quilted look. This is insane! You can see the full video here.
3/ DIY Idea: Wallpaper your PAX wardrobe
If you have wardrobes with flat doors (like the PAX system), have you thought about covering the fronts with wallpaper or fabric? This is a 30-minute DIY job that we explain in detail in this post and it can totally transform your room. We used geometric wallpaper from Cole & Son, but the possibilities are endless!
Photo credit: Jenny Kakoudakis / Seasonsincolour.com
4/ Make cushions out of a $10 flatwoven rug
Rug cushions - what are they? Just more proof that creativity and IKEA are a dynamic duo. Unlike traditional pillows, rug pillows are longer and pack twice the comfort. Plus, their cosy texture makes you warmer in cold weather. Perfect for having around your bed !
You don’t need to be a maven with a needle for this pillow hack. Just gather some attractive-looking rugs with various patterns from IKEA, fold and stuff them up, then sew together the edges. There are different patterns to match the ambience of your room. It’s entirely up to you.
Will work great with TÖRSLEV (£7) which is a 60x90 flat woven rug that can be turned into a 60x45 cushion.
5/ Turn your KALLAX shelves into seating
Do not compromise storage over an extra seating place in your bedroom. Run out of seating space but still have a KALLAX shelving unit in the room ? Have you thought of turning it into a seating area ?
It may sound absurd, but that’s what creativity is all about. We are strong advocates of pushing your own imagination. And the best part? This tutorial by Kate Decorates is for a no-sew bench cushion. You can use large 3M Command Strips to attach the bench cushion to the Kallax.
6/ Turn your VITTSJÖ media unit into shelving
Shawna Underwood, Principal and Interior Designer of Shawna Underwood Interior Design combined 3x VITTSJÖ media units that she previously spray painted in white for her bedroom makeover. The narrow unit, provided a lot more storage space and the white colour blends beautifully in the background. Each unit is approximately $50. Image credit: Edward Underwood Photography.
7/ Mount a floating credenza
Floating credenzas are not only functional, but give a room an aesthetic value. For example, if you want a TV right at eye level while you lie in bed, a floating credenza can make this possible. It is also useful for storing toys at a child’s height to give them easy access.
Simply take one or two IKEA dressers and mount them no more than a foot or two from the floor. White is usually a good colour, but if you want something different for contrast, do paint it before mounting. The credenza can also serve as a floating media console. Image credit: Superfront
8/ Spruce up your HEMNES side table with faux marble top
If getting a real marble side table is currently not in your plans, why not fake it instead? Interiors Blogger and DIY enthusiast Gaby Burger did just that for her HEMNES nightstand and we are all in awe. Find the full tutorial here.
9/ Gild your RAST nightstand
A bedside table is always convenient for your glass of water or acts as a place to keep your bedtime books, but you can spice-up yours with a little imagination. Add some brass corners and gold leaf to give it a luxurious finish. The dresser used here is the RAST.
10/ Use IKEA Wall brackets for hanging clothes
IKEA’s wall brackets might be designed for mounting shelves, but this hack makes them great space savers for hanging your clothes on. When you’re running out of storage space to accommodate your ever-growing fashionista collection, look no further than these style savers.
What’s more, being so accessible makes it easier to pick your clothes for the day. Don’t have wall brackets? No problem - you can buy a rail from the GRUNDTAL Collection and attach it behind your door or in a corner of the room.
11/ Turn drawers into under-bed storage
Another good use for drawers in storage space is under-bed placement. Instead of throwing items underneath your bed and creating clutter, a drawer-storage area makes it more organised and easier to manage. What’s more, you don’t have to spend extra on this.
If you have a set of old IKEA drawers, separate them and place them under your bed. Check that the size is appropriate to avoid making you uncomfortable at night. It is best to have considerable space between the top of the drawer and your mattress. This is a good place to keep things like old magazines and the like.
12/ Turn an IKEA Kallax into a bedside table
Your traditional bedside table comes with drawers. Ideally, you’ll want to be able to reach out and take what you need without tugging at a creaky drawer. With its four compartments, an IKEA Kallax makes this a lot easier.
Your bedside table can also be useful for storing items (a vase or books for example), which in turn allows for more room space. You can even choose to paint your Kallax with different patterns for a more striking effect.
13/ Turn an IKEA Wire basket into a side table
If you like eccentric furniture, you will love this IKEA wire basket hack. Its light and easy look makes it easy to convert into bedside furniture. Ideal for placing your flower vases or other light décor, the wire basket can be set in any part of the room, other than the bedside.
Turn it upside down to hold your vase and place a rounded table top over the upturned base. Give it some flair by painting the wire frames a different colour. The colour of your curtains or carpet can serve as a guide. Find a combo that is most suitable for your room.
Source: oleander & palm
14/ Maximise your bedside corner space
If you have run out of horizontal storage space, the stack of dividers allows you to maximise the vertical options. The corner beside your bed is a good choice or you can set it on the wall opposite the door. IKEA’s range of flexible furniture isn’t limited to singular use, but goes as far as your mind can wander.
Image credit: IKEA
15/ Create your own photo exhibition shelf
Instead of fretting over where to put your various photos, you can have them all in one place on an IKEA ledge shelf. This gives your room an art gallery effect that adds to its sophistication. Bare walls also make a room appear more spacious. You can buy the shelf from IKEA.
Image credit: Desert Domicile
16/ Turn a bar cart into a nightstand
This is another hack to keep your bedside occupied. The bar cart nightstand- as the name suggests- is the conversion of a bar cart into a nightstand. It might look unusual, but each box in this stand can house anything you need in bed, from books to your phone or mug. Just place them in any of the boxes and there you go!
Image credit: Homeyohmy
17/ Convert storage cabinets into seating
When it comes to dual functionality, nothing achieves it with less simplicity than IKEA’s cabinets. In addition to being a treasure chest, the top can also serve as a comfortable seating post. This hack by Angela Rose Home is simple: place a cushion over the cabinets and add some throw pillows for comfort.
18/ Use a basket as a light pendant
With a little creativity, there is no limit to what you can achieve. You can make this fixture by cutting a section from the base of an IKEA basket and tucking the pendant light from the ceiling inside it. Be sure to check that it is not too heavy for the cord or it could break. Wire baskets are best, due to the heat for the light (which can affect plastic). However, it is always better to install LED lights. Use with: VIKTIGT baskets.
19/ More IKEA Furniture Hacks - Make a bed out of a bookcase
If you need an emergency bed, this hack transforms a bookshelf into a bed frame in no time. Of course, the decking is still important, so put it over the frame before you place the mattress over it. The big advantage of the bookshelf frame is the storage space it provides.
For when you want to put away your shoes or clutter of magazines, this storage space can come in very handy indeed. This is not possible with every kind of bookshelf, though IKEA’s five-compartment model is a good example of a proper bed frame. It is smooth and has a level platform for the bed decking.
Image credit: see tutorial here
20/ Add more clothes space under a shelf
If you need yet more space for clothes, you can hack a floating shelf by adding a clothes rail underneath it. Genius!
Jenny Kakoudakis likes to blog about interiors. She launched award-winning Seasons in Colour in 2014 and luxury interior Decor blog All The Pretty Homes in 2024. When she is not chasing criminals out of the financial system (her day job), she gets creative by redecorating her own home.
Download her free bathroom renovation guide here.
