IKEA Living Room Hacks

customized ikea ivar hack

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.
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…

home office in living room ikea hack

Clever hack for a Home Office in the Living Room

I moved recently and needed a new furniture set for…

built-in living room cabinet

2 IKEA cabinets for this beautiful living room built-in

The initial plan was to have floor to ceiling alcove…

ikea nesting console tables

IKEA nesting console tables – Hidden in full view

I needed a place to put the console table, taking…

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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.
Paper Mache Scuplture — Furry Friends coffee tables

Paper Mache Scuplture — Furry Friends coffee tables

I made paper mache coffee tables sculpted like a dog…

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…

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…

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…

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…

LACK side table with CAPITA legs

LACK side table with CAPITA legs

IKEA items used: LACK Side table, birch effect CAPITA Leg,…

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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.
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…

kallax wood wrapped

Dinged up KALLAX? Renew it wood wrapped style

I just completed a makeover — turning the old unit…

Hide the storeroom with BILLY and OXBERG

Hide the storeroom with BILLY and OXBERG

A row of BILLY bookcases keeps our messy understairs storeroom…

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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.
How to pad your POANG armchair armrest

How to pad your POANG armchair armrest

I found the bent wood arms on the Poang chair…

Hemnes Coffee Table turned Ottoman

Hemnes Coffee Table turned Ottoman

Materials: Hemnes coffee table 4 pieces of flat wood (will…

Bunny Copper Piping chair

Bunny Copper Piping chair

Materials: FROSTA stool A furniture hack designed for Rabbit Owl…

Extra long Karlstad Sectional for the large living room

Extra long Karlstad Sectional for the large living room

My wife and I really loved the look of the…

How to tuft/button your cushions

How to tuft/button your cushions

Hi guys! I wanted to share a super easy DIY…

Two Fjellse beds make a living room

Two Fjellse beds make a living room

Fjellse-sofa 1. I assembled one bedframe with two Headboards. 2.…

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All our IKEA Living Room Hacks

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…

rotating coffee table ikea hack

Minimalist height-adjustable rotating coffee table

A custom height adjustable rotating coffee table perfect for TV dinners. After searching for a new coffee table for a long time and not finding what I was looking for within a reasonable price range, I decided to take matters into my own hands. The idea I came up with…

antonius floating coffee table

Floating coffee table for a tiny apartment

Old laundry hamper repurposed into a stylish floating coffee table. This is a movable, small coffee table ideal for a small apartment. The idea struck me when I was discarding an old ANTONIUS laundry hamper. After removing the bag I discovered that it has an attractive, one piece frame. That…

living room update ideas

8 IKEA hacks and ideas for a quick living room update

IKEA hacks and ideas to give your living room a fresh update.  It’s a new season and you’re looking for inspiration and ideas to update your IKEA living room. You’re not up for a complete makeover but want that bit of change for a breath of fresh air. That’s what…

Hide the storeroom with BILLY and OXBERG

Hide the storeroom with BILLY and OXBERG

A row of BILLY bookcases keeps our messy understairs storeroom hidden. We call it the BILLY Goats Stuff because it allows me to hide my house cleaning and laundry stuff out the way. And we can hear when the kids sneak in there as they trip trap over the base…

diy faux fireplace

DIY Faux Fireplace from IKEA kitchen cabinets

Love having a fireplace but the house doesn’t come with one? Well, you can always make a DIY faux fireplace. Here’s how I built it out of IKEA METOD kitchen cabinets. (If you’re in the US, you can use the SEKTION cabinets.) IKEA items used: METOD wall cabinet frame x…

KOARP armchair upgraded in a very, very good way

KOARP armchair upgraded in a very, very good way

Scripto took the KOARP armchair with a metal frame and give it a warm, mid-century modern style. The end result looks like a designer armchair at a fraction of the price. KOARP armchair in Gunnared beige, black ($169) First thing he did was remove the powder coated steel frame from…

ivar cabinet

A beautiful design idea for the IVAR cabinet with doors

A wall of IVAR cabinets with doors engraved is astonishingly captivating. Because IVAR is real solid wood (unlike a lot of flat-pack cupboards), it makes a great blank canvas for CNC machining work and engraving. IKEA items used: IKEA IVAR cabinets in 30mm (12″) and 50mm (20″) depths. IVAR cabinet…

sofa storage armrest

IKEA sofa with genius armrest storage

Bet you never knew your sofa armrests were prime storage space. Ok, so the guys at IKEA are the masters of hidden / secret storage everywhere. In fact, one of the things I most loved about the ESKILSTUNA sofa series was the undercover storage on the chaise lounge, but… what? More…

action figure display case ikea billy

Making the ultimate built-in action figure display case

Action figure display case from stock IKEA BILLY bookshelves Since I’ve moved to a new place I wanted to make an ultimate nerd room/ guest room/ home office. I am an action figure collector, so I have plenty of action figures to be displayed. At the beginning of this hack I…

corner speaker shelf - sonos play 1

DIY corner speaker shelf for the SONOS Play:1

I already had a long MOSSLANDA picture ledge on that wall and wanted a matching corner shelf to hold my SONOS Play:1 speaker. The project took about 2 hours and only the cost of the MOSSLANDA picture ledge. I already had the screws, PVA and tools to hand. I love…

ikea hemnes built in bookcase hack

IKEA HEMNES built-in: Trim and moulding does wonders

Here’s how I made a wall to wall IKEA HEMNES built-in bookcase. It’s amazing what a little trim and moulding can do. The project took me 3 days from start to finish. I’m very happy with how it turned out. Materials: 3 HEMNES bookcase 90 cm wide 2 HEMNES bookcase…

ikea kallax office sideboard

A simple hack elevates this office sideboard

Plain IKEA KALLAX gets upgraded to office sideboard I wanted a side surface to my bay window desk which also had a lot of storage, so the KALLAX offered a blank canvas to work from. A few months earlier I had bought a second hand upcycled IKEA STOCKHOLM walnut veneer…

back-lit world map coffee table IKEA LACK hack

Popular IKEA coffee table takes on the world (map)

I had seen a glass-top table made on an advertising campaign (for a stationers) and thought a LACK coffee table was the perfect candidate. Plus I had seen a back-lit world map wall mounted in an office and thought it was a good first subject to put under the glass.…

rattan cabinet ikea ivar hack

Missed out on the Stockholm rattan cabinet? Make this!

My inspiration for this one, was the rattan cabinet from the IKEA Stockholm 2017 collection. I thought it would be ideal with a DIY project in the same style. And I wanted to make a cabinet that fitted with the ongoing trend of rattan, wooden furniture, bamboo, warm notes and craftsmanship. IKEA…

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