The YouTube Star Behind Lone Fox Made an IKEA Staple Totally Luxe—Here's How

It's no secret that we're huge fans of IKEA. Their affordable, Scandi-chic furniture is a staple for us, but there's nothing better than when a talented DIYer transforms an IKEA item into a one-of-a-kind piece.

Nobody does this better than Drew Scott, the 25-year-old founder of the design and DIY YouTube channel, blog, and shop Lone Fox. Scott, who got his start making scrapbooking vlogs as a teenager, has seen tremendous growth on his YouTube channel in the past year, gaining about 800,000 subscribers over the course of 2020 and finally reaching over a million subscribers in early 2021.

Scott specializes in small room décor, incredible DIY transformations, and renter-friendly designs, two areas he felt lacked content on the web.

"A lot of these interior designers are doing million dollar homes and these crazy transformations which are just not attainable to the millennial generation," Scott tells MyDomaine. "That's why I really strive to make content for people that rent, because there's really not content for those kinds of people."

His keen eye and DIY skills led him to take the iconic IKEA BESTA TV unit and transformed it into a modern media console with beautiful cane accents.

"I honestly find a lot of inspiration through watching other people's content," Scott says. "I'm a very visual learner, so I love looking at Pinterest, and I love watching other people's YouTube videos. I never ever blatantly copy someone's project, but I love taking inspo from like, 'Oh, this is a really cool media unit, and I love how there's like these arch shapes in it. I'm going to do my own version of that and do my art shapes a little bit differently, and I think I can DIY that.'"

Keep scrolling to learn how Scott created this one of a kind piece and how you can build your own DIY confidence.

Many times, the best IKEA makeovers are born when a trendy style just isn't affordable.

"I was doing the living room makeover, and I was like we need a black media unit," Scott explains. "I came across the one online that I loved, but it was like [over $1,600]. So I ended up brainstorming how I could do it. I looked at IKEA and I think I ended up making it for like under $400 or so." 

In order to transform this piece, Scott started with the iconic BESTA TV unit from IKEA. Using a jigsaw to cut out arches in the cabinet doors, Scott then installed cane fabric he sourced from a local basket supply shop, and finished the piece by cleaning up the edges and installing gold cabinet pulls from Amazon.

If this project sounds too difficult to execute, Scott has some words of wisdom: draft out your project, write down every step, gather your materials in one place, and if you're using new tools, watch some tutorials before you begin.

"The first thing that I ended up kind of doing was just drafting out the full process," Scott explains. "I think a lot of times I'll jump into a DIY project and then halfway through it's like, 'Wait, how do I even attach this to this?' With any project, I need to know exactly what I'm doing from start to finish."

In this IKEA hack, Scott had never used a jigsaw before or worked with cane, but that didn't stop him from creating this piece.

"In terms of using new tools and such, I just honestly watched YouTube videos," Scott says. "I just find other people who have done in-depth tutorials on how to use a jigsaw or how to apply cane to the back of something. That's just how I learn when it comes to creating projects."

It also never hurts to buy an extra door to practice jigsawing on for this piece, Scott advises.

"It's so much simpler than it actually sounds," Scott expalins. "Cause a lot of people were like, 'I could never do this,' but if you wanted to, all you have to buy is the doors because they are sold separately. You can work on the three doors and see if you could do it and then go back and get the base if you feel confident with the doors that you created."

For any DIY project, Scott has two main pieces of advice: invest in good tools, and never rush your prep work.

"I think that you just need to make sure that you have the proper tools to start because tools are your best friend when it comes to DIY," Scott explains. "I know sometimes I've done projects where I've tried to do it without having to purchase something, but it really does help you in the end create a finished product, and most of the time you're going to use that tool again anyways."

For go-to DIY supplies, Scott recommends a good hot glue gun, quality paper and fabric scissors, a basic tool kit, and plenty of spray paint. And after a year in lockdown, Scott has definitely noticed that more people are gathering their own DIY toolkits.

"Everyone's home, so they're all looking at their space like, 'Wow, I need to like do something with my living room. I'm home everyday now. Let me go to YouTube and look up a living room makeover,'" Scott says. "Luckily for me, I just happen to like be in that industry during the time."

And don't expect his channel to slow down anytime soon. There are plenty more DIYs, decor advice, and styling videos to come.

"I love making videos," Scott says. "I think that's something that sets me apart from a lot of people, as a lot of people love the process of the design, which I love as well, but I also really, really enjoy filming it. I love camera equipment. I love editing. I love finding the music and coloring it and everything, so that's why I'm always cranking out new content because I'm like, 'I want to edit something new. I want to like make something new.'"