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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Materials: IVAR Description: The hubby and I’ve been looking for a buffet for extra storage in our kitchen for a…
Materials: IVAR – Bamboo massive parquet Description: I wanted a suspended wall cabinet in massive wood for our living room,…
Materials: two IVAR (80x50x83) cabinets, one TORSBY (180×85) tabletop,three Gnosjo doors (60x92cm) 1 gnosjo door ( 50×92) one Gnosjo plinth…
Materials: IVAR shelf, plywood, acrylic glass, hinges, … Description: I used an IVAR shelf as framework for my jird‘s cage.…
Materials: Ivar shelving system, Aspelund bed frame parts, Malm Chests Description: The problem was a room that only fit the…
Materials: IVAR chair (pine), Behr enamel paint, 80 grit sandpaper, and steel wool. Description: I recently acquired a farm table…
Materials: 2 x IVAR shelf 80 x 50 cm, 2 x IVAR side panel 50 x 125 cm, 1 x…
Materials: Ikea Ivar Chair Description: Our Ikea hack could quite possibly be the largest Ikea hack ever! This summer we…
Materials: Lack shelf, discontinued shelf parts from As-Is, metal brackets and screwsDescription: I bought my wife a digital piano, but…
Materials: Ivar shelving, lumber (luan, pine plank, molding), various mending plates, L-brackets, handtools (saw, screwdrivers), power tools (circular saw, drill,…
In order to maintain harmony in the family, we had to figure out a compromise between the dimension of our…
Materials: IVAR, decorative moulding, mdf, paint Description: A boring corner next to our two-wing bedroom door had to be pimped.…
I wanted to fill a whole wall with shelving in my office/library area, but could not find any bookcases that…
Materials: Ivar, Bekvam, Bygel, Kvart, Dimma Description: Material used: – IVAR (rack and shelves, chest of 3 drawers, cabinet) –…
Materials: Ivar cabinets (two, 80x30x83 cm), Ivar side/upright unit (one, 30×226 cm), shellac, paint, varnish, wood glue, screws. Optional: Rationell…
Materials: IVAR shelving units Description: We wanted to build a library in the short part of our L-shaped living room.…
Materials: Ivar – shelf, Nobro-folding table Description: Since space is very rare in my flat I made a small workbench…
Materials: Ivar chair, Ivar shelves, Bekvam shelves, cantilever Description: I repurposed this Ikea Ivar chair as a playkitchen. Simply painted…
Materials: Ikea IVAR Description: I built this shelf more than 3 years ago, but it’;s still in use. I had…
We wanted a modern-looking shelving for our study but the IKEA IVAR shelving looks too boring — like straight from…
Seeing the fabulous results of using IVAR modules as a base frame, I’m planning on doing something like this, an…
Materials: BORGHAMN-TV bench, 2 IVAR-Cabinets white paint with STRECKET-Handle, VARDE wall cabinet, 2 VYSSA SLUMMER-Mattress for cot + SOFIA Fabric…
I would never recommend trying this. Because it drove me nuts. The end result is kind of cool though. Whose…
Art studio desk + cabinet — the IVAR combo that IKEA didn’t think of We live in a tiny apartment,…