Materials and the sequence of the job sit together on this page.
Which are the best IKEA method furniture pieces? Our top 6 method-able choices are sturdy and versatile so you can Handmade an upgrade to make custom storage and furniture on an IKEA modest-cost!
See all of our IKEA method tutorials here and our go-to straightforward (faux) built-in IKEA shelf trick here.
The Best IKEA method Furniture for DIYers
IKEA has some great furniture pieces that are clearly versatile… but can IKEA furniture be modified? YES! Many IKEA products are well fitted for making your own statement piece with straightforward IKEA hacks.
Looking for good IKEA furniture to method is different than just looking for good IKEA furniture. DIYers, you know what I mean!
If you are new to hacking IKEA pieces or a veteran, you will want to look at these 6 best IKEA method furniture pieces to get some inspiration.
These sturdy dressers, tables, shelves, and more have great bones to become fabulous and luxe semi custom Handmade furniture pieces for your home. A little glue, some new hardware, mwah, it’s striking!
Our go-to IKEA pieces to method are solid and square.
Solid wood or solid IKEA “cardboard” style makes it straightforward to adapt pieces to fit your style and aesthetic. The solid structure makes it sturdy enough to cut to modify or to drill through as needed.
A basic square shape to a piece of furniture gives you a great blank slate to add different shelves, hooks, or organizers, plus is a great surface for paint or spray paint, wallpaper or contact paper, or other decorations.
Read More: Our Top 3 Must-Try IKEA Hacks
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For these reasons, our top 6 Best IKEA method Furniture Pieces are:
- RAST small wood dresser
- KALLAX cube shelf (formerly EXPEDIT)
- INGO small wood table
- BILLY bookshelf
- TARVA wood dresser chest
- RASKOG metal cart with wheels
We’re also big fans of IKEA’s outdoor patio furniture and their kitchen cabinets — no hacks required! (look at Whitney’s striking IKEA kitchen here, too.)
But for these best IKEA method furniture picks, let’s discuss why we like each — and give you lots of options for how to method it!
Never underestimate the power of paint and new hardware — or an extra board and a few screws!
Plus, don’t pass up the very method-able shelf brackets and table legs as you wander the IKEA maze!
Newbie IKEA hacker? Read these tips for a successful method furniture project.
Hacks for IKEA Rast Dresser
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IKEA AMAZONThe Rast dresser is direct with lots of clean lines, making it the well fitted dresser to method.
Legs can easily be added, paint or stain it any color you like and add some new knobs. A little trim, a little paint, and before you know it this low-cost dresser is turned from direct to wow.
look at these memorable IKEA RAST dresser hacks & transformations.
Madeline turned an awkward nook into a built-in media center and TV console for her living room using 2 inexpensive RAST dressers.
This mirrored turned leg dresser method that Sarah completed looks nothing like its humble RAST chest beginnings!
See more High Class IKEA Hacks that don’t look anything like flat-pack furniture!
Double the fun… 2 small RAST dressers, a bit of lumber, and a couple legs made for this well fitted nursery storage dresser with storage and changing table for Betty’s home!
And 6 more memorable IKEA RAST dresser hacks:
- Dresser into Potato and Vegetable Bin by Show and Tell
- Industrial Shiplap Night Stand by Cherished Bliss
- Apothecary Cabinet by What Rose Knows
- Two-Tone Mid-Century Modern Chest by Midwestern Girl
- Custom Closet RAST Wardrobe method by Homemade by Carmona
- RAST as Storage Desk method by Addison Meadows Lane
Hacks for Expedit/Kallax Shelving Unit
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IKEA AMAZONThe IKEA KALLAX cube shelf unit (formerly EXPEDIT) looks like a funky and fun piece without any hacking involved, but wow there are so many ways to spice up these basic square shelf storage units to look high-end.
Want to build your own large cube storage shelf? Use our plans to build this cubby shelf as an entry table or changing table.
Add doors, flip them on their side to make a bench, create a faux built-in. And don’t forget the possibilities with spray paint (use the right primer!), a new desktop, or a little bit of creativity.
You can also find similar large 13″ cube shelves at Target, Walmart, Home Depot, and other retailers, woohoo!
IKEA Tip: You might also want to look at the TROFAST series for different size/shape configurations for your shelving and storage solutions, like this straightforward Handmade Lego table.
plus, see more IKEA hacks for toy storage and playroom organization
look at these memorable Kallax hacks & transformations.
One of our favorites: how to fake an IKEA built-in! A bit of extra baseboard makes this cube shelf look built-in and permanent but it’s totally moveable — well fitted for renters.
Wrapping a cube shelf with wood and adding legs like Corinna did takes the KALLAX from basic to mid-century striking.
We saw a similar look at a homeshow — so straightforward to just add a solid wood top and sides to several cube shelves for a long cubby organizer!
See more Rustic Industrial IKEA Hacks.
Honey Bear Lane hacked the KALLAX and a couple of bookcases to make this memorable long storage console for under her TV to hold media and toys.
Bettina turned a KALLAX cube shelf into flat file drawers — well fitted for art or large papers, and it looks memorable!
A bit of plywood backing and some inexpensive furniture legs make this cube shelf a striking freestanding display for books and decor at Delia Creates.
A bit of pipe and Handmade barn door hide the TV perfectly in this large EXPEDIT unit turned tv console via IKEA Hackers.
Turn an IKEA cubby shelf into a Pottery Barn console with this method:
It only takes a bit of ingenuity and a few materials to turn a cube shelf into a play kitchen:
- Storage Cubby Craft Table by The Family Handyman
- Standing Cube Shelf IKEA Desk by Apartment Therapy
- Cube Shelf Dollhouse by The Land of Nod Blog
- Platform Bed by Vanilla Joy
- Laundry Room by Six 2 Eleven
Hacks for IKEA Ingo wood table
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IKEA AMAZONThe Ingo small table!!! I mean it looks like just a table, right? Wrong!!!
Paint it, stain it or cut right into the table top for some notable changes that will make you think this is more than just a table.
We also love the versatility of the LACK table for hacking and the solid wood HEMNES desk.
See some of these fabulous INGO Ikea table hacks.
- Kids LEGO Table by A Little of This a Little of That
- Tiled Table Top by If you Want to Be
- Farmhouse Table by Eastcoast Creative
- Sewing Table by Make it Handmade
- Fancy Desk by Matsutake
- Gold Dipped Table Legs at Dig Digs
Hacks for Billy Bookcase
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IKEA AMAZONI adore bookshelves, because I love books. And the Billy bookcase is a winner in my book, whether you just need a solid decent-looking bookshelf or you’re hacking it into a new look.
Again, the direct lines on furniture pieces lend themselves to be manipulated into something so much better.
Add some molding, doors and more for a new look that isn’t just a plain bookcase like these Billy makeovers.
BILLY is a standard because it’s been around for so long. But depending on your size needs, the GERSBY bookcase, BESTA unit, BRIMNES shelf, or EKET storage system can also be great options.
You might also consider using the inexpensive HYLLIS metal shelf or the affordable IKEA IVAR cabinets and wooden shelf system pieces to create open shelving solutions like these:
look at these memorable uses for a hacked Billy bookcase!
Marianne turned an outdated nook into a great desk with storage using a few Billy Bookcases.
Tamara build her own custom built-in TV console with plenty of storage!
Turn a bookcase into a storage hutch by adding a custom base:
For a dressed up look, grab a set of Billy bookcase doors and add some caning! (This picture is actually an IKEA cabinet, Brimnes, but the concept is the same.)
More memorable IKEA Billy hacks:
- Built-Ins by Scrap Hacker
- Kitchen Island by Golden Boys and Me
- Library Wall by Bliss at Home for Better Homes and Gardens
- Castle Bed by IKEA Hackers
- Mudroom Lockers by The Polka Dot Chair
- Pantry Shelves by My Sweet Savannah
Hacks for Tarva dresser
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IKEA AMAZONThe Tarva series offers some great wood chest dressers (as well as a nightstand and bed frames).
Three, five or six drawer dresser varieties give lots of possibility for hacking and areas to put them in your home.
The legs on the Tarva chest (and the rest of the line) are nice because you can wrap them with slats of wood for a more solid look, or cut them into a more interesting shape like this.
Related Reading: How to Taper Furniture Legs on an IKEA Sofa
Change out the hardware for pulls and instant apothecary chest. Or go modern bohemian and use leather drawer pulls.
We added this built-in closet using a TARVA dresser and an older IKEA wardrobe.
(We also love the new PAX wardrobes we used here!)
For a dresser or nightstand, a bit of paint and stain and a quick cut to the legs gives it a mid-century look:
BONUS: For a quick and straightforward update, add peel and stick wallpaper to the flat drawer fronts of Ikea’s Hemnes or Tarva or Malm dresser. For a more modern look, marble contact paper will update any dresser or table, too.
Here are plenty more options to method a Tarva chest.
- Built-In Closet by Bekob
- Apothecary Cabinet by Everyday Enchanting for Bekob
- Mid-Century Modern Dresser by A Vintage Splendor
- Media Center on Hometalk
- Honeycomb Dresser by Simply Designing
See 25 More IKEA TARVA hacks here.
Hacks for Raskog cart (also found on Amazon)
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IKEA AMAZONSimilar carts are also available at Michaels craft store, Walmart, Target, Amazon, and other retailers.
One little cart. So direct. So adorable. So many possibilities.
Hacking a RASKOG cart is more about how you use it than cutting it up like some of these other hacks.
This little rolling cart can hold spices, beauty supplies, art supplies, cleaning materials… anything you can think of! Plus, the wheels make it clearly straightforward to move around and you can easily find accessories like hooks and organizers.
Look at these Raskog cart hacks and pick your go-to one so you can bring home this fun cart next time you head to IKEA.
- Rolling Vanity by The Polka Dot Chair
- Homework Station by Smashed Peas and Carrots
- Lunch Cart by How Does She
- Succulent Garden by Succulents and Sunshine
- Cleaning Cart by Homedit
Runner-Up: Hacks for the Bekvam Line
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IKEA AMAZONThe BEKVAM spice rack and step stool are both solid wood and ripe for hacking!
Honorable Mention: Hacks for the Lack Table and Shelf
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IKEA AMAZONThe little ol’ LACK tables and shelves are great pieces for beginning DIYers who don’t want to build a side table or a floating shelf from scratch.
What are your go-to pieces to method from IKEA??
More IKEA Hacks
We’ve got 70+ more great IKEA projects here to inspire you!
We’ve got 70+ more great IKEA projects here to inspire you!
See more of our best IKEA hacks:
- How to Tuft IKEA Couch Cushions or Get a Custom IKEA Slipcover
- IKEA kitchen cabinet method for over the fridge cabinet organizing + 10 more IKEA kitchen hacks
- low-cost Large Picture Frames Using an IKEA FISKBO Frame
- Build a Small Bathroom Storage Vanity, or an Open Vanity, or a Floating Sink Vanity with an IKEA Sink
- Build a Metal Bucket Organizer + 15 Ways to Use the IKEA SOCKER low-cost Metal Buckets
First Published 30 Mar 2016 // Last Updated 20 Apr 2023
