IKEA IVAR Hacks to Elevate Your Home Storage

The IVAR range of furniture has more hacking potential than almost any other range at IKEA. Most of its components were designed with customization in mind. The IVAR range is untreated solid pine, with no finish or paint. It's just the right canvas for you to paint and finish as you wish. 

  

Tip: I recommend sanding down the IKEA IVAR units before applying any wood stain, as the untreated surfaces tend to be rough. As pine is highly absorbent, applying a wood conditioner before staining is also a good idea to ensure an even finish.

  

Here at IKEA Hackers, we love the IKEA IVAR range for its versatility. It's a storage solution that can be customized easily and is fully modular, allowing each item in the range to be combined with the rest of the range to create unique storage units and solutions. It looks timeless and just as good as when IKEA launched it 50 years ago.

  

The two most prominent features of the IVAR range are customizable shelving units and innovative small form-factor tables. 

  

1. IVAR Modular Storage Units

  

IVar with cane doors

  

The main items in the IVAR range are the shelves, storage cabinets, and side posts to hold these modules up. To complete the look, you can also add pretty rattan or felt doors to the open shelves. 

  

After seeing so many IVAR hacks with legs added (which TBH, made a huge difference), IKEA introduced an underframe that can be easily fitted below the 2-door cabinet or sliding door cabinet. The addition of the legs elevates the look and gives it a Scandi-farmhouse vibe. 

  

There are also custom accessories, including bottle racks, hooks, drawers, and a storage box on wheels.

  

Besides the pine collection, there are also steel cabinets in various sizes. These can also hang off the IVAR side posts.  

  

2. IVAR Fold Down Tables

  

ivar fold down table

  

The small form-factor tables in the IVAR range are very practical, especially when space is tight. The gateleg table is designed to be hung from the side posts and folded down flat when not in use. It blends beautifully with the rest of the IVAR range.

  

Add this table below the cabinet with sliding doors and you have an ideal small folding dinner table for a dorm room or apartment, with space to store cutlery and crockery above it. 

  

It could also be used as a drawing or craft table with built-in storage. 

  

IKEA IVAR Hacks we love

  

IVAR is the ideal range of furniture from IKEA to hack. There are as many hacks as you can imagine for this range; all you need is a little creativity. 

  

ivar painted blue

  

If you're a beginner DIYer, the IVAR cabinet is a fantastic place to start. Pick up a can of paint, some knobs or handles of your choice, 4 chic furniture legs eg. hairpin legs, or tapered wood legs. A few hours later, you'll have yourself a bold statement piece, absolutely unrecognizable from the initial IKEA plain cabinet.  

  

A fantastic hack example for the IVAR range is to build the perfect kid’s wardrobe. Simply combine an IKEA IVAR cabinet and a custom DIY base. Make the base to fit a few cute storage bins to serve as drawers. Paint the wardrobe to match the room's colors and décor, and you have a quick and easy yet highly effective small wardrobe that is ideal for kid’s clothes. 

  

Another good IVAR hack is this amazing hidden desk. The hack is a lot more involved but still doable by anyone with a bit of DIY skills. You'll need to build an IVAR storage cabinet, with a lowered top panel, and a bottom panel with a cut-out for your legs. Place a sliding shelf into the unit at the height you would use as a desk and slide an office chair beneath it. Close the doors and you have a perfect hidden desk for a small space. See the full tutorial here.

  

The Problem with the IVAR

  

ivar gap

  

An issue I (and many others have) discovered with the IVAR range is the gap between the cabinet doors. Many have spent hours tweaking the hinges to narrow the gap and given up in frustration. If that's you, here's a post on how to close the IVAR gap for good.     

  

That aside, the IVAR is one of the best IKEA ranges. As Lennart Ekmark, the one who discovered it said, “I’m convinced. Everyone needs an IVAR. All homes, in all times.” 

  

These hacks, and others, are easy to do with the IKEA IVAR range. The results are extraordinary, and perfectly customized to suit your purpose. 

Latest hacks

fridge in living room problem solved DIY slat wall solution

Is Your Fridge Putting a Damper on Your Design? (Try This!)

A refrigerator is great at keeping things cool, but it’s not exactly cool to look at, especially when its side…

studio apartment living room with a DIY room divider screen separating the TV area from the bedroom

How A Room Divider Transformed This DIYer’s Tiny Apartment Overnight

Living in a small house with my husband and son has taught me the art of carving out privacy wherever…

collage of a living room. Left picture shows TV cabinet in wood with wall art. Right picture shows a woman standing in a TV lift cabinet with TV half raised

Who Knew You Could Have a Better Movie Night When You Hide Your TV?!

I love an all-night binge session as much as the next Squid Game fan, but I’m not thrilled about the…

DIY IKEA IVAR side units for the cabinet to extend height of the cabinet and open shelving

This DIYer Said ‘No Thanks’ to IVAR’s Clunky Side Units: Here’s the Sleek Upgrade You’ll Want to Copy

Ever loved the IKEA IVAR range but not the entire family? You’re not alone. While the IVAR cabinet is a…

IKEA store front with logo

This New IVAR Shelf Insert Is the Pantry Upgrade We’ve Been Waiting For

If you’ve ever stared at your IVAR unit thinking, “You’d make a killer pantry if only you were a bit…

wall mounted desk in cabinet with storage ivar hack

Tiny Room? This IKEA Desk Hack Frees Up Floor Space Fast

Who says you need a lot of floor space for your furniture? If you’re squeezed for space and need a…

IKEA IVAR Cabinet with fold down doors

DIYer Turns IVAR Woes into a Winning Design

E. Stübing’s inspiring DIY project stopped my mindless scroll on IG. She reimagined the IKEA IVAR cabinet and gave it…

Designer Hacks An IVAR Arched Cabinet Unlike Any We’ve Seen

Designer Hacks An IVAR Arched Cabinet Unlike Any We’ve Seen

When Interior Designer Hannah Drakeford decided to give her living room a fresh look, she didn’t just think outside the…

cabinet door style kitkat grid

KitKat Door Style for a Sweet IVAR Cabinet Makeover

DIY enthusiast Keekshuis showcased a fantastic transformation of the IKEA IVAR, transforming the cabinet doors into a style reminiscent of…

IKEA IVAR DIY kitchen island hack

This DIY Kitchen Island is Actually an IKEA IVAR

Workspace in the kitchen of a rented home is often less than ideal. That’s the challenge facing Ehami, a Japanese…

String shelf ikea hack

The Iconic String Shelf inspired this IVAR Cabinet Hack

Victoria Svensson had always been fascinated by the iconic String® Furniture system designed by Swedish architect couple Nisse and Kajsa…

bathroom towel ladder rack

How to make an affordable Bathroom Towel Ladder

A bathroom towel ladder is one storage item you’ll often see in chic bathrooms. Unlike wall-mounted towel racks, a ladder…

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 just moved into our new home and we needed nightstands…

ikea kids wardrobe ivar hay

Your kids will love this wardrobe with IKEA IVAR + HAY

Me and my wife have been looking for a kids wardrobe for quite a while. We wanted to bring some…

ivar pine kitchen cabinet

IVAR hack adds storage to this Storybook Cottage Kitchen

Can you add pine cabinets to an old-world kitchen? Oh, yes! Jennifer lives in a 1937 storybook bungalow. Her kitchen…

ivar louis cubes parquet

IVAR with beautiful Louis Cubes parquet design

I would never recommend trying this. Because it drove me nuts.  The end result is kind of cool though. Whose…

ikea ivar cabinet hidden desk

Hidden Desk in an IKEA IVAR cabinet

My husband and I are now both working from home. We wanted to create a space in the living room…

ikea ivar bamboo doors alternatives

Out of stock. 3 alternatives for IVAR bamboo door.

On this week’s Hackers Help, we brainstorm 3 alternative doors for the IVAR shelving unit. I’m repurposing my IVAR shelving…

forward facing clothes rail ikea

IVAR front facing clothes rail for narrow spaces

I’m a single guy, living in a small space, IVAR has been my storage salvation. Wardrobes take up a lot…

ikea bar cabinet hack

IKEA IVAR “Hide and Peek” cabinet hack

I recently hacked an IKEA IVAR cabinet into a drinks and display cabinet. It features gold leaf on the back…

IKEA hacks shop

Most popular

Ivar loves Dolly

Ivar loves Dolly

Lights, camera, Ikea hack! Romain turns the Ivar side unit into rails for the cam. “A few days ago, I…

Kai’s great IVAR cot

Kai’s great IVAR cot

Materials: 2 x IVAR shelf 80 x 50 cm, 2 x IVAR side panel 50 x 125 cm, 1 x…

Ivar bookshelf

Ivar bookshelf

Materials: Ivar verticals, Ivar shelves, 6mm dowels, twine, varnish Description: When we left the last city we lived in and…

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…

Can't find the hack you're looking for? Type in the keywords to search thousands of IKEA hacks.

Search