This Year’s Most Popular IKEA Hacks Are All Storage Saviors

We always think we have seen it all in the world of IKEA hacks, from a Malm dresser transformed with reeded trim and teal paint to wall shelves spruced up with brightly colored climbing rope, but the DIYers never stop innovating. That’s not to say you didn’t have favorites this year. Here are the top three most-read IKEA DIYs of 2021, and we promise they’re all easier than they look.

Break Out the Molding

When Sarah and Kevin Reid-Morris moved into their new Victorian home outside of Toronto in 2020, they were severely lacking hanging storage (they lived out of garment moving boxes for months). Two IKEA Pax systems and a handful of molding later, the couple was able to stay true to the historic nature of their house and get “custom” built-in closets—while saving $10,000 in the process.

Not-So-Lazy Susan

Designer Malcom Simmons couldn’t find a nightstand he loved to fit in a tiny nook next to his bed, so he made his own out of three seemingly unrelated objects. Who knew a $20 brass tray from IKEA, a lazy Susan, and a utensil holder could combine to make a chic (and functional) table for nighttime essentials?

Bob and Weave

Rattan furniture is all the rage, but the woven pieces can easily bust your budget. Inspired by a $3,600 bedside table from Amber Interiors, designer Lita Lee achieved her dream aesthetic with an IKEA Nordkisa nightstand and a few rolls of hemp cord. All at a fraction of the price of the original—only $115, to be exact.