Freshen Up Flat-Pack Furniture With These 6 Smart and Stylish IKEA Hacks

There's no debate that when you're styling a home on a budget, IKEA's line of simple and affordable wares tick every box. Unfortunately, it's that very appeal that attracts millions of shoppers to the ubiquitous Swedish store, resulting in the same flat-pack dressers and coffee tables appearing in homes around the world. Yes, it's the home décor equivalent of turning up to an event in the same dress as your best friend—flattering that you share the same taste, but hardly preferred. 

We have rounded up six hacks to transform common IKEA furniture into a stylish, one-of-a-kind statement piece for any home. With just a few buys from your local hardware store, these smart DIY projects prove that a little effort and creativity can elevate almost any item, regardless of the initial price tag. Try these genius hacks to create a statement piece of furniture that you'll never find in a friend's home again. 

Black and Gold Entry Table

Skill Level: Intermediate 

Essentials: An IKEA desk, gloss black spray paint, gold leaf, adhesive, foam brush, painter's tape, and sealant

The Tricky Part: Style Me Pretty's desk transformation is surprisingly straight-forward, but affixing gold leaf can be a fiddly task. Use painter's tape to create a straight, even line and layer gold leaf for a luxurious finish. 

Gilded Vases

Skill Level: Beginner

Essentials: Glass vases, newspaper, gold spray paint, and double-sided tape

The Tricky Part: This smart hack by Kellie Van of Le Zoe Musings uses the torn edge of a sheet of newspaper to create a unique, uneven stencil. Be sure to carefully secure the newspaper stencil to the glass with double-sided tape, to ensure the gold spray paint leaves a precise mark. 

Dresser With Brass Details

Skill Level: Intermediate

Essentials: An IKEA wooden dresser, small foam roller, gold spray paint, brass knobs, and white, acrylic-based paint

The Tricky Part: Acrylic-based paint is thick and sticky, and can be an absolute pain to remove if you make a mess. Use a drop sheet when painting this dresser, and allow ample time for each drawer to properly dry before sliding it back into the unit. 

Floating Copper Shelves

Skill Level: Advanced

Essentials: IKEA floating shelf, copper foil roll, scissors, spray adhesive, and a hammer

The Tricky Part: Regular IKEA hacker Livet Hemma has concealed a common floating shelf with a roll of copper foil. Applying metal foil can be challenging—the thin sheets are very sharp so wear protective gloves when cutting the roll to shape. 

Metal and Acrylic Bar Cart

Skill Level: Advanced

Essentials: IKEA laptop table, spray paint, acrylic sheet, glass cutter, caster wheels, drill, and patterned paper

The Tricky Part: This IKEA laptop table comes without a base platform, so you'll need to cut a sheet of acrylic and drill it to each leg. Carefully read through Style Me Pretty's instructions before you start and practice drilling through an off-cut before trying the hack—every mistake is visible on clear acrylic board so you've only got one shot to get it right. 

Rustic Cutting Boards

Skill Level: Beginner

Essentials: IKEA cutting board, leather straps, rivets, and nailheads (optional)

The Tricky Part: It doesn't get much easier than this DIY hack by Livet Hemma. In fact, the hardest thing you'll have to do is braid the leather and affix a rivet.