IKEA Living Room Hacks

Daybed reading nook with IKEA bookselves

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?

Jump directly to these categories:
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.
nintendo arcade cabinet ikea hack

IVAR expands into a Nintendo arcade cabinet

Discreet arcade games cabinet built into the IVAR system. I…

diy faux fireplace

DIY Faux Fireplace from IKEA kitchen cabinets

Love having a fireplace but the house doesn’t come with…

ivar cabinet

A beautiful design idea for the IVAR cabinet with doors

A wall of IVAR cabinets with doors engraved is astonishingly…

ikea kallax office sideboard

A simple hack elevates this office sideboard

Plain IKEA KALLAX gets upgraded to office sideboard I wanted…

Load More

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.
Laptop stand to 50’s retro coffee table

Laptop stand to 50’s retro coffee table

Greetings from Switzerland, where we also love IKEA hacking! This…

Metod kitchen cabinet meets modern mid century console

Metod kitchen cabinet meets modern mid century console

IKEA items used: 1 Metod wall cabinet 1 Maximera low…

Infinity IKEA mirror in LACK coffee table

Infinity IKEA mirror in LACK coffee table

IKEA item used: LACK Coffee Table We like the LACK…

IKEA Groland Kitchen Island Bathroom Vanity and Coffee Table

IKEA Groland Kitchen Island Bathroom Vanity and Coffee Table

This is really two projects from Ikea Groland kitchen island.…

MARIUS stool gets new direction

MARIUS stool gets new direction

Materials: MARIUS stool from IKEA street sign screws and washers…

IKEA LACK Rustic Coffee Table DIY

IKEA LACK Rustic Coffee Table DIY

Ad found the IKEA LACK coffee table a tad boring.…

Load More

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.
Rattan doors for the EXPEDIT / KALLAX cubbies

Rattan doors for the EXPEDIT / KALLAX cubbies

This is an old hack of mine. I had an EXPEDIT…

Full height built-in bookcase from IVAR units

Full height built-in bookcase from IVAR units

I would like to share my hack of IKEA IVAR…

Fabric sliding doors gets dust away from BILLY

Fabric sliding doors gets dust away from BILLY

I have 2 BILLY bookcases for some years now. And…

Tree Shelf – FROSTA X goes green

Tree Shelf – FROSTA X goes green

I’m a French YouTuber who makes vlogs, each week a…

Daybed reading nook with IKEA bookselves

Daybed reading nook with IKEA bookshelves

Jessica shares her IKEA hack — a daybed reading nook…

IKEA bookcases framed for the basement

IKEA bookcases framed for the basement

I wanted a more robust and sturdy look for the…

Load More

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.
From Marius to Ektorp Headrest

From Marius to Ektorp Headrest

Materials: krakris pillow, Marius white stool Ektorp is a comfortable…

4-in-1 Ottoman

4-in-1 Ottoman

Materials: Kallax shelving unit, Rekarne coffee tabl Using the Kallax…

Make Ingolf bigger

Make Ingolf bigger

Materials: INGOLF Lately we visited the Ikea here in the…

VITTSJÖ Nesting Table turned Chic Cocktail Ottoman

VITTSJÖ Nesting Table turned Chic Cocktail Ottoman

I wanted a cocktail ottoman to use as a table…

Diamond Tufted Kulla Pendant Lamp Ottoman

Diamond Tufted Kulla Pendant Lamp Ottoman

Materials: KULLA Pendant Lamp I was at IKEA going through…

BESTA storage footstool

BESTA storage footstool

Since our couch was always covered with not-so-fancy fleece blankets…

Load More

All our IKEA Living Room Hacks

Daybed reading nook with IKEA bookselves

Daybed reading nook with IKEA bookshelves

Jessica shares her IKEA hack — a daybed reading nook — made from 4 BILLY bookcases. It’s amazing how it turned out. They used 1×4’s and 1×6’s to built bases for the shelves and the daybed portion. Then, they cut plywood to size to top the daybed and cover the…

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 1×1 KALLAX unit and transformed it into a combination bedside table and daytime small side table by adding BJORLI legs and a drawer insert. The KALLAX unit is in my new home office and we needed it to work for…

IKEA bookcases framed for the basement

IKEA bookcases framed for the basement

I wanted a more robust and sturdy look for the IKEA bookcases to be installed in my basement. The final results look good and my family seems to like it. It took about 15-10 hours of work, with plastering being the hardest and most time consuming bit. The set up…

Apothecary cabinet from RAST chest of drawers

Apothecary cabinet from RAST chest of drawers

If you are wondering how to turn your RAST dresser into a handsome apothecary cabinet, I have just the hack for you. IKEA item used: RAST chest of drawers Other materials: Plywood (3mm thick) Drawer handles File label tags Wax Stain The dresser has 3 drawers. I changed only the…

Custom Built-in Entertainment Center hacked from HEMNES units

Custom Built-in Entertainment Center hacked from HEMNES units

We wanted a built-in entertainment center / wall unit in our basement that we were finishing. Custom cabinetry was considered but it was way out of our budget. Then, we came across examples of others using HEMNES cabinets as a starting point and loved the idea. IKEA Item: HEMNES bookcase…

Hack a long Dining Bench with Storage for $200

Hack a long Dining Bench with Storage for $200

A really easy to put together, cheap and effective dining bench that spans the entire length of our dining room. It was pure luck our wall space wall is the exact width of two BJURSTA bench seats. IKEA items and other materials: 2 x BJURSTA bench seat (discontinued, so thank…

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 an IKEA LACK coffee table. It turned out pretty cool! I made a video tutorial of how I made it. Take a look. Tutorial for Infinity Mirror Coffee Table hack Materials: LACK coffee table Glass – 73cm x 43cm x…

Paper Mache Scuplture — Furry Friends coffee tables

Paper Mache Scuplture — Furry Friends coffee tables

I made paper mache coffee tables sculpted like a dog and cat. And I named them Hulky and Siam. Below are the instructions I made — on what I call — the MOJO tables. The base of both paper mache coffee tables is the LACK side table. IKEA Item Used: IKEA…

SVALNÄS…reloaded

SVALNÄS…reloaded

When I was a child in the 70s, some of my relatives had those shelving systems like the one you can see in the image below, the Royal System® Shelving by Poul Cadovius, a famous danish designer.  I’m pretty sure they had a replica, given the prices 😉 Photo: dk3.dk In…

KALLAX Hide-away TV & Cascading Room Divider

KALLAX Hide-away TV & Cascading Room Divider

I recently got myself an open studio loft, so I finally had a chance to get creative. I wanted to share my massive IKEA KALLAX room divider, but more specifically, my hide-away TV that doubles as an art piece (with the added feature of allowing me to choose to watch TV…

Making space for 3: IKEA PAX as a room partition

Making space for 3: IKEA PAX as a room partition

We were faced with a problem, we had to move into a one bedroom flat. But there’s three of us – me, she who must be obeyed and our seven year old son. The sole bedroom wasn’t that big but it did have an alcove with a fitted wardrobe and…

IKEA room divider

TAAC!!! The making of an IKEA room divider

IKEA items used: n°2 Stuva closets + n°1 Nordli bed/ n°1 IKEA complete Kitchen We designed this custom hack for a small loft in the historical district of Florence. The loft is about 26 square meters (280 sq. ft). In order to save space we created a central core. It…

Trolley table: Make a Coffee Table on Wheels

Trolley table: Make a Coffee Table on Wheels

I was planning to build my own coffee table, trolley style with functional wheel. So we can move around the trolley table if needed. To keep the story short here are the ingredients. My wife and I sketched the design first and then looked for the pieces in IKEA. IKEA…

FJÄLL-BOring turned rustic with wooden pallet top

FJÄLL-BOring turned rustic with wooden pallet top

We recently bought the FJÄLLBO coffee table to use as a side table. We liked the metal frame (and the low price), but found the sleek tabletop a bit boring, so we replaced it with wooden planks from an old wooden pallet to achieve a more rustic look. It’s an…

Mid-Century Modern Shelving from IKEA Rast

Mid-Century Modern Shelving from IKEA Rast

IKEA items used for this Mid Century Modern Shelving Unit: RAST dresser 2x RAST nightstand TOSTERUP handles 3x Photo: IKEA.com Step 1 On the right side piece drill completely through top two holes and the 3 holes that the drawer guides fit in for the top two drawers. Create new…

Hackin’ the Lack into a rustic coffee table

Hackin’ the Lack into a rustic coffee table

Items Used: LACK, IKEA Coffee Table Steps to hack a rustic coffee table Measured original table top. Bought one (1) 12″x 8′ knotty pine. Cut to size. Sanded, stained and sealed pieces (one (1) side and edges.) Joined with pocket holes every 6″ (roughly). Drilled pilot holes on all four…

Nailhead Console Table: An entryway table luxe upgrade

Nailhead Console Table: An entryway table luxe upgrade

The size of the IKEA LACK console table is right for entryways and hallways. But it’s just a bit, how should we say it, meh? It’s certainly not the furniture piece to make an impression and say “hello” to your guests when they arrive at your doorstep. Orchid rethinks the…

Angled wardrobe door for closet or sewing cabinet

Angled wardrobe door for closet or sewing cabinet

The problem with most of the walls in my apartment is they have roof slopes. Which is as good a reason as any to build my own furniture. And for my latest project, I turned the IKEA PAX into an angled wardrobe. I wanted to make a sewing cabinet for…

BILLY Wrap-Around

BILLY Wrap-Around

IKEA items used: 4x BILLY 80cm Shelves + 3x BILLY 40cm Shelves + Top Extension Units + 1x GERTON Beech Table Top. 6 or 7 lengths of 89mm x 39cm pine to help with construction. Bit of paint. STAGE 0 : We needed bookcases in the spare room and chose…

Stunning Nautical Ikea Rast Hack for the Beach House Lover

Stunning Nautical Ikea Rast Hack for the Beach House Lover

IKEA items used: Ikea Rast I recently decorated my sons nursery from a boring plain room into a cute nautical themed bedroom. I was on the hunt for beautiful nautical pieces to put in his bedroom but I struggled to find anything I loved. I do love nautical rooms but…

Load More