12 Hacks To Make Your IKEA Furniture One-Of-A-Kind

As much as IKEA can save your ass after a big move, odds are you'll end up decking out your place with the same old EKTORP sofa and KALLAX shelving found in approximately 97% of all twentysomethings' apartments. Don't let that happen.

Instead, drum up something one-of-a-kind on a budget and try your hand at these 12 awesomely unique IKEA hacks.

1. Copper barn pendants

Price: $40 each
Materials needed:Ottava pendant lamp, metallic copper spray paint
How it's done: Before assembling the lamp, coat each aluminum part with an optional base coat of metallic paint and primer (carefully avoiding the cord and hardware), let dry, and add a final coat or two of copper metallic spray paint. [See more]

2. A one-of-a-kind couch

Price: Varies
Materials needed: IKEA fabric sofa or chair, Bemz slip cover
How it's done: Slip one of Bemz's wide selection of fabric covers over practically any of IKEA's plush sofas and chairs to trick people into thinking you paid a lot more for it than you did. [See more]

3. Built-in bookcases

Price: $250
Materials needed: 1 31-inch Billy bookcase, 2 15-inch Billy bookcases, lumber, wall-mounting brackets, paint, rolling ladder & railing (optional)
How it's done: Once you've assembled the Billys, bookend the smaller two on either side of the large one and construct a lumber frame around them, mounting the entire rig to the wall. Paint the entire installation white to match or complement your existing wall color, and if you're feeling ambitious, add the rolling ladder. [See more]

4. Marble-patterned magazine holders

Price: Under $15
Materials needed:Knuff magazine holder, paint, newspaper
How it's done: First coat the holder in a white primer and let dry. Next, sloppily apply a second color of your choosing and blot it with crumpled newspaper while it's still wet. Again, while the holders are still wet, drag the blunt end of a paintbrush (or a similar object) across to create fracture lines (it helps to have a photo of real marble to model it after). If you're feeling lazy you can always just opt for the simple Pollockian splatter with the second color. [See more]

5. Custom woodgrain-finish shelving

Price: $8 and up
Materials needed: IKEA piece of your choice, custom cut peel-and-stick Panyl paper
How it's done: Browse Panyl's variety of woodgrain, color, and patterns, pick your piece of furniture, peel, stick, and voila. [See more]

6. A mid-century modern corner shelf

Price: $65
Materials needed:Vittsjö shelving unit, metallic gold spray paint, primer and shellac
How it's done: Out of the box, spray paint the whole frame with primer, let dry, and coat with a gold metallic paint, followed by a coat of shellac. Once it's dry, assemble the frame, plop in the tempered glass shelves, and you're done. [See more]

7. Leather and brass nightstand

Price: $60
Materials needed: Rast 3-drawer chest, paint, leather strips, 3 brass handles and screws
How it's done: Assemble the Rast as normal, filling the pre-drilled knob holes with putty to create a flush surface. Next, paint the whole thing in the color of your choice and let dry. Lastly, glue leather strips to the center and corners of each drawer and fasten the handles and gold screws. [See more]

8. Floating modern cabinets

Price: $600
Materials needed: 3 Sektion base cabinets, long sheet of poplar wood, wood stain, brass cabinet pulls
How it's done: Assemble each Sektion and mount flush against the wall eight inches off the floor. Attach the pulls of your choice, and top with a long strip of poplar that you've stained dark. [See more]

9. Custom kitchen cabinets

Price: Varies
Materials needed: Any number of IKEA shelving systems, a set of Semihandmade's doors
How it's done: One of the great things about IKEA's kitchen cabinets is that you can actually purchase them without doors. That's where Semihandmade comes in. They produce a whole line of incredible (and affordable) custom door options to create a look unlike anything in IKEA's showroom. [See more]

10. The faux Hicks pendant light

Price: $110
Materials needed: Väster pendant light, frosted glass spray paint, metallic dark bronze spray paint, metallic gold spray paint, 1 vertical blind slat, 8 1/2-inch wooden furniture plugs, thin brass wire
How it's done: To get the look of a $700 lamp for a fraction of the price, you'll want to frost the glass portion first, then spray the top part with dark bronze. Next, cover the blind slat in gold paint and glue on the furniture plugs (which you've also painted bronze). The final step is to wrap the blind slat around the seam, and fasten it with wire stitching. [See more]

11. Retro-modern upholstered chairs

Price: $255
Materials needed:Karlstad chair, 150 feet of 1/8-inch black paracord, upholstery thread
How it's done: Unfortunately IKEA no longer makes the exact model chair shown in this photo, but the Karlstad is a fine surrogate. To achieve the piping effect, sew the paracord to every visible edge. [See more]

12. The belted wall mirror

Price: $70
Materials needed:Grundtal mirror, 3 cheap dark leather belts
How it's done: First, mount the mirror to the wall as you would normally via its back hook. Then, clasp the three belts together and wrap them around the mirror edge, resting it on a nail up top so it's taut and looks to be holding up the whole rig. [See more]


Joe McGauley is a senior editor at Supercompressor and once accidentally assembled an IKEA bed frame upside down.

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