IKEA Living Room Hacks

sloped ceiling bookcase

When it comes to furnishing your living room, IKEA is a go-to destination for many. With its affordable prices and stylish designs, IKEA furniture is a popular choice for those looking to create a comfortable and functional living space.

But there's the risk of your living room looking like an IKEA showroom if you use mainly IKEA furniture. With a little creativity and a few DIY skills, you can take your IKEA furniture to the next level and perhaps even get a few people saying, "I can't believe it's IKEA!"

From easy IKEA hacks like adding new legs to your sofa to creating custom built-in storage solutions, there are so many fabulous ways to tweak your IKEA pieces into pieces that are uniquely you. 

In this page, you'll find some of the best IKEA living room hacks to inspire your own DIY projects and help you create a space that's both stylish and functional.

Most Popular Posts on Living Rooms

Take ordinary IKEA furniture and transform them into something extraordinary. From custom built-ins to clever hidden work spaces, these living rooms showcase the creativity and ingenuity of IKEA hackers.

Whether you're looking to add some personality to your space or simply want to make the most of your IKEA furniture, these living room hacks are sure to inspire. So why not take a closer look and see how you can create a space that's stylish and functional?

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Bookshelves Sideboards Room Dividers

Living Room Storage

The wonder of IKEA hacking! Take IKEA furniture and modify them to fit your specific needs and space requirements.

You not only create a storage system that's tailored to your living room and the items you need to store, but also seamlessly match your style and taste.
DIY apothecary sideboard cabinet ikea malm hack

Hack a big Apothecary style Sideboard Cabinet

A couple of years ago, I had a dead Ash…

IKEA IVAR shines in this Sunburst Cabinet hack

IKEA IVAR shines in this Sunburst Cabinet hack

Two pine cabinets makes one awesome sunburst cabinet. We had…

ikea eket hack sideboard with pole wrap

Pole wrap turns basic IKEA cabinet into a stunning sideboard

I decided to hack the EKET units as I’ve been…

behind couch cabinet with storage

Behind the Couch Cabinet hack: A deep, skinny IKEA BESTÅ console

I wanted to install a number of BESTÅ cabinets along…

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Coffee table and side table hacks

IKEA coffee table hacks are very popular on IKEA hackers. They are smaller DIY projects and a great starting point if you're beginning your DIY journey. But they are no less amazing. Here are some popular IKEA coffee table hacks.
How to disguise your Bike Trailer as a end table

How to disguise your Bike Trailer as a end table

I created this hack for two reasons. It saves space…

Extendable Board Game Table made from IKEA TV stands

Extendable Board Game Table made from IKEA TV stands

We have a small apartment but wanted to host board…

Stripped down these IKEA items and the results are fab

Stripped down these IKEA items and the results are fab

I started with two HEMNES pieces — a bedroom end…

KALLAX side table with storage is the perfect small nightstand

KALLAX side table with storage is the perfect small nightstand

For this simple yet effective hack we used a single…

How I transformed an IKEA table into an Infinity Mirror Coffee Table

How I transformed an IKEA table into an Infinity Mirror Coffee Table

I recently made myself an Infinity Mirror Coffee Table using…

Paper Mache Scuplture — Furry Friends coffee tables

Paper Mache Scuplture — Furry Friends coffee tables

I made paper mache coffee tables sculpted like a dog…

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IKEA Bookshelf Hacks

Other than the fact that IKEA bookshelves are made to store a lot of stuff, they are affordable and so hackable. Which makes them a popular choice for built-in bookshelf hacks and so much more. Here are our top IKEA Bookshelf Hacks.
cube shelf lighting

How to add lighting to a KALLAX cube shelf

I decided to make this change because I like to…

sloped ceiling bookcase

BILLY bookcases hacked to fit under sloped ceiling

The space under a sloping ceiling is always a bit…

crate bookshelf

Crate bookshelf made from only IKEA items

Here’s the crate bookshelf that I made just previous to…

billy corner bookcase

90 degree corner installation of IKEA BILLY with Doors

BILLY corner bookcase installed without the angled unit in the…

cane wall cabinet

Cane wall cabinet ups the charm in this bedroom

SVALNÄS wall mounted cabinet gets a touch of cane. While…

kallax birkeland

Transforming the KALLAX to a movable magazine stand

We have a guest/library room with two BIRKELAND pieces and…

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IKEA Hacks for sofas, poufs and stools

Upcycle or customize an IKEA sofa, armchair, stool and pouffe to create a unique piece of furniture that reflects your personal style and meets your specific needs. We go beyond adding new legs to the sofa or reupholstering the cushions to show how much more you can do with your IKEA sofa, armchair or ottoman.
French Bench

French Bench

Materials: Sultan Luröy, 6 slats for the seat, 4 slats…

Removable Seat for the BEKVÄM step stool!

Removable Seat for the BEKVÄM step stool!

Here are the basics for adding a seat to the…

EKTORP with Custom Dyed Slipcovers – 2 colors!

EKTORP with Custom Dyed Slipcovers – 2 colors!

One post about two EKTORP getting custom dyed slipcovers. Love…

Bench cushion cover made from IKEA Signe rugs

Bench cushion cover made from IKEA Signe rugs

Materials: Minna fabricX Signe cotton rugs What I did was:…

EXPEDIT cube bench

EXPEDIT cube bench

Materials: EXPEDIT cube (no longer available, you may try the…

Besta Bench Seat Dining Area

Besta Bench Seat Dining Area

Materials: Besta Cabinet base, with MDF top upholstered by caravan…

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All our IKEA Living Room Hacks

sloped ceiling bookcase

BILLY bookcases hacked to fit under sloped ceiling

The space under a sloping ceiling is always a bit of a challenge. Costantino has an attic with a sloped ceiling where he wanted to fill with bookcases and free up the living room. before IKEA item used: IKEA BILLY bookcase x 4 His bookcase of choice was the cheap…

lighted room divider

IKEA Trellis as a brilliant lighted room divider

Outdoor trellis comes indoors as a lighted room divider. As many of you do, due to COVID-19, we spend most of our time at home. We wanted to make the home environment more cozy and charming and designed a lighted room divider. Our project is called Velumen. We wanted to…

crate bookshelf

Crate bookshelf made from only IKEA items

Here’s the crate bookshelf that I made just previous to the KNAGGLIG/ HEJNE magazine rack. IKEA products: Six (6) large KNAGGLIG crates Two (2) HEJNE shelves 30-3/8″ x 11″ One (1) EKET Base on Legs 13-3/8″ x 9-1/2″ The EKET Base on Legs appears to be discontinued, but never fear,…

candle fireplace hack

Hello 2021! Light the year up with a candle fireplace

A cosy candle fireplace to set the mood for 2021. Happy 2021! I’m back after a week’s break. It was refreshing to be away from my devices and reconnect with family and friends. I hope you had a wonderful time closing the year and ushering in the new one. To…

billy corner bookcase

90 degree corner installation of IKEA BILLY with Doors

BILLY corner bookcase installed without the angled unit in the middle. I came up with a solution for my home office that would enable me to use two 80cm and one 40cm wide BILLY, all with glass doors. Now this would all only FIT into my office space if I…

faux fireplace ikea hack

Faux fireplace mantel, all ready for stockings and more

I started this project because I’ve always wanted a mantle for hanging Christmas stockings. Et voilà! Here it is — the IKEA faux fireplace mantel. Finished and ready for Halloween.  I wanted something simple and easy to put together without too much carpentry skills required. So this is something that requires…

virgil abloh markerad cabinet

MARKERAD display cabinet, stacked and elevated

The MARKERAD glass door cabinet is a really nice, simple piece of modern furniture made from solid pine. It has a really nice pop of colour on the ‘nail’ shaped orange handle for the glass sliding doors. before My only issue is it’s a bit low to the ground and…

cane wall cabinet

Cane wall cabinet ups the charm in this bedroom

SVALNÄS wall mounted cabinet gets a touch of cane. While I liked the soft white color of the metal brackets and cabinet doors that came with the SVALNÄS range, my husband thought it was too juvenile for our bedroom. He asked me to spray paint them in bronze color. However,…

double poang hack

IKEA snuggler – 2 seater POÄNG style

First things first, I wouldn’t have been able to do this Double POÄNG without looking at a previous Triple POÄNG article by Ian Fish. Mine is similar, but different at the same time. Thank you so much, Ian, for the inspiration. I kind of did this in two stages — the…

room divider desk ikea

KALLAX tall room divider with integrated desk

We used the IKEA KALLAX modules to build a room divider with a desk. The main structure is a KALLAX 4×4 unit propped up by two 1×2 KALLAX units. Together they work perfectly as a room divider with an integrated desk. The materials we used: 1 KALLAX 4×4 2 KALLAX…

DIY succulent table

From regular side table to succulent centerpiece

Turn a plain IKEA LACK side table into a conversation piece. Take it from a regular coffee table to a living centerpiece, a beautiful succulent table. IKEA items used:  LACK side table LACK side table | Buy on IKEA.com Other materials and tools:  Measuring tape Duct tape Pen and cutter…

billy room home office

Carving out a special room for a home office

BILLY bookcases are awesome as walls for a temporary room. Working from home is becoming a reality for more and more people. But not everyone has the luxury of a dedicated room for a home office. In Carolina‘s case, they carved out a spot in their living room to fit…

bookcase room divider before

Barcelona Studio Apartment So Cosy After This 2-day Hack

A lovely bed nook with the BILLY Bookcase as a room divider. I hated being able to see my bed from the “kitchen” and vice versa, so needed a cheap way to hide it! Here was how it looked when I first moved in: The Before Quotes for a partition…

kallax birkeland

Transforming the KALLAX to a movable magazine stand

We have a guest/library room with two BIRKELAND pieces and needed a matching magazine stand for our file holders. BIRKELAND chest of drawers (discontinued) | IKEA.com The plan was to hack the more streamlined KALLAX to match the design of the BIRKELAND. The result is a matching movable magazine stand…

customized ikea ivar hack

See these ideas before you customize the IVAR cabinet

We bought some IVAR cabinets to make a customized wall unit for our living room. Again, maybe not a very high-tech or impressive hack, but there might be some useful tips in here for someone looking for a similar solution. We played around a bit with the configuration, trying different…

renter friendly room divider

How to hack a renter-friendly room divider

It took me almost a year to figure it out. I sent a help request in 2019 but here is my attempt at a renter-friendly room divider.  You can get this up by only drilling 4 holes, 2 in the wall and 2 on the ceiling easy to fill up…

remove poang arms

How to remove the arms from your IKEA POÄNG armchair

Remove the arms on POÄNG in 2 steps. I liked to type on my laptop while sitting in my old POÄNG. While it was mostly very comfy, my elbows were constrained by the armrests. They had to go. Buy POÄNG armchair | IKEA.com Materials and Tools: POÄNG armchair Wood Saw…

kallax wood wrapped

Dinged up KALLAX? Renew it wood wrapped style

I just completed a makeover — turning the old unit into a wood wrapped KALLAX. A little bit of glueing, staining and screwing and the old dresser has a new rustic look.  Firstly, I have a really old KALLAX 2×2, rather it is an EXPEDIT. KALLAX 2×2 unit | IKEA.com It…

ikea side table with drawers

Two IKEA faves become a side table with drawers

I have a small nice hack, combining MOPPE mini chest of drawers and a MARIUS stool. And I get a nice side table with drawers out of it. The MOPPE unit was on my desktop, and I wanted to clear my desk to make more space on it. But I still wanted…

nintendo arcade cabinet ikea hack

IVAR expands into a Nintendo arcade cabinet

Discreet arcade games cabinet built into the IVAR system. I recall the loud humming sound. The base resonating from numerous heavy wooden cabinets. Plastic buttons clicking. The smooth surface of a marble ball at the end of a stick. Four Coin tokens inserted. I take my stance. For the next…

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