20 IKEA Malm Hacks That Will Take Your Furniture to the Next Level

The IKEA MALM range of furniture is beautiful, elegant, minimalistic furniture with clean lines designed to last and age well. The MALM range consists of multiple furniture types but is focused primarily on bedroom and home office furniture that look sleek and Scandinavian. 

      

The MALM range has good-looking all-in-one bed frames, side tables, multi-drawer dressers, well-designed desks, dressing tables, and even storage units on wheels. 

      

Let’s explore the home office and bedroom streams of the MALM furniture line a little deeper.

      

1. MALM Bedroom Furniture

MALM bedroom furniture is unique in the IKEA range and is significantly more minimalistic than most other furniture ranges. 

      

This design is robust and focussed on maximising storage. The result is no-fuss flat front dresser drawers, wide panel headboards with no trim or curves. It's plain but it plainly works. 

      

The range includes multiple bed frames for different beds, including single and queen-size beds. Customers have the option of getting low or high headboards for the bed, adding storage with under-bed storage units. And completing the bedroom set with a pair of 2-drawer nightstands, storage dressers and a dressing table.

      

A significant feature that defines the MALM range of bedroom furniture is that it is available in more colors than other furniture ranges from IKEA. 

      

Black and white are available options, but the MALM range is available in woodgrain finishes, gray, tan, and various other shades. 

      

This allows you to create your perfect bedroom without compromising on color or style. 

      

2. MALM Home Office and Storage Furniture

MALM Home Office and Storage Furniture from IKEA is simple, but it is very well designed. 

      

This range comprises a selection of desks and storage units. 

      

The desks are particularly well-designed with unique features such as pull-out panels that can extend your space significantly or desks that can be customized with glass tops or custom drawers. 

      

The storage units are the popular MALM chest of drawers that are available in different widths, heights, and drawer configurations to accommodate various spaces. These units are very practical and ideal for the home office or anywhere storage is needed.

      

IKEA recommends securing the taller chest of drawers to the wall to minimise any tip-over risk. 

      

IKEA Hacks for MALM furniture 

      

The MALM range is extensive, but here are some excellent IKEA hacks to explore when using this furniture in your home. 

      

How can you make the MALM look better?

      

The downside of clean design is it can get a boring. Using a furniture wrap designed for the IKEA MALM range is an excellent way to add some color, life, and unique flavor to your MALM furniture. Or wrap gold contact paper around the dividers between the drawers for an instant glow-up.

      

How to upgrade the MALM dresser? 

      

A foolproof way to upgrade the MALM is to install two or three chests together. Attach plywood or any type of wood board of your choice to the outer frame. Then paint the drawer fronts and stain the plywood. Finish with copper pulls or knobs and your MALM is elevated.

      

How to use MALM as a cat litter box? 

      

A useful hack for smaller homes is to turn the bottom two drawers of a large MALM chest of drawers a hidden cat litter box. The upper drawers can still be used as storage for pet food and accessories. 

      

How to use the MALM chest in a small space?

      

In a small space, you can have a dresser AND a desk. The trick is to slot in a desk between the drawers of a MALM dresser. You get a small desk for your laptop without sacrificing storage space. See the tutorial here. 

      

Can you use the MALM in a walk-in closet?

      

The MALM chests of drawers are also a popular choice for built-ins and are regularly hacked together with PAX wardrobes. Enclose the MALM frame with MDF for a built-in look. It's also very practical for storage under sloping ceilings.

      

There is so much that can be done with the MALM line. The only limit is your imagination. Scroll down for more DIY projects and IKEA MALM hacks.