A friend recently remarked that she felt better about buying something from IKEA when she realised that the gold rails in my kitchen were from there. She had this impression that I would never set foot in one because my style is decidedly not even remotely ‘Swedish’ and my place doesn’t really look like anyone else’s.
That was a fabulous compliment of course (at least I think she meant it as a compliment) but I had to correct her and say, ‘Actually I have quite a few things from IKEA in my home!” so I thought today, I would share some of my favourite IKEA hacks from around my home.
Glammed Up Grundtal Gold Rails
I’ll start with the obvious – the gold rails my friend was surprised were from IKEA. They were simply spray painted in Montana Gold Gold Chrome and mounted beneath the cupboards in my kitchen rather than on the wall. It completely changed the vibe in the kitchen and they are still holding up rather well!
Campaign Style Rast Hack Bedside Tables
These were so simple to do as well. I simply primed and spray painted the really inexpensive and perfectly sized IKEA Rast drawers in a bright blue paint, added hardware and corner bracesΒ and called it a day.
Converting Senela Curtains to a Pleated Header
These thick velvety curtains come with grommets originally but it was so easy to change them over to a pleated header for a little more of a luxury look. I’ve since moved the last curtain ring over so they cover the edge of the window completely – silly error.
A little more than a few hours of work but totally worth it for the result. With some simple trimming out with wood, an oil-based paint and some fancy wallpaper, my minty green wonders are still looking great in my dressing room.
In my office, again, I pulled out my trusty gold spray paint and turned what would normally be a pretty boring industrial shelving system into something a little prettier.
“Replanting” Fejka artificial plants
Not much of a hack really but worth mentioning. I always remove the little plastic holders from these artificial plants (I have a few of these with different leaves) and stick them in an interesting pot – you can see another in the bedroom picture above. If I don’t have to water it and fear killing it, I’m happy. My Mother-in-Law (who is a master with house plants) thought it was real. If it can fool her,Β job well done.
And finally from long long ago…
IKEA kitchen cabinets resprayed white (with new handles)
Yes, these are due for another makeover soon but considering they started out in a laminate wood finish, they have held up rather well over the last 4 years and have never yellowed or chipped. They are starting to look a little worn now and I want to get new handles for them but the fact that we were able to essentially ‘recycle’ our units meant we saved a ton of money.
So those are all my various IKEA hacks around my house as well as having quite a fewΒ randomΒ bits and pieces from there anyway. I am lucky in that I have a store only 15 minutes away but I actually avoid going there simply because I know I always end up spending way more than I intended to! My wallet thanks me.
What IKEA pieces have you hacked? Any favourites of the ones I’ve shown? Or maybe you’ve seen some other amazing hacks on other sites (some of them simply blow me away) and you want to share? Go for it. The comment box awaits!
Love them all! I’m considering painting my dark brown laminate Ikea besta unit in the basement and was afraid it wouldn’t hold up well. Good to know that your kitchen cabinets did
I found with painting laminate, that it’s best not to sand at all but to spray it with a plastic adhesives primer – it will make paint stick better! I did this with the Billy bookcases and they came out great. Use oil-based paint and it just doesn’t budge ;) xx
Hello! Your house is beautiful and very inspiring! Can you tell me if you use primer before spray painting anything gold?
Aww thank you! It really depends upon the material you are spraying but I would say, when in doubt, use a primer! It will help the paint adhere to whatever it is you are spraying. There are all different types of primers out there (metal/plastic/wood) so just make sure you use the right one! xx
So cool Kimberly! I love the Rast makeover, that blue is immense. I’ll admit I got completely side-tracked by your kitchen cupboards though and have ended up spending my entire lunch break re-reading the whole of your kitchen renovation. Now I’m wondering if the ideas for our kitchen were logged in my subconscious from the first time I read those posts a few years back! We also have a false ceiling, want to change worktops and add tiling (most likely white metro with grey grout, I know it’s kinda become everywhere since you guys did it but presumably it’s because it looks good!). You make it look so easy whereas we seem to be good at the destruction part, not so much the ‘making good part’ after. When you plasterboarded the ceiling and did the tiling – how did you know what to buy and how to do those jobs? My boyfriend is convinced we need to hire a team in to do a job lot whereas I’m desperate to give it a go ourselves! (apologies for the epically long comment btw, I’m just super hyped up to go and DIY!) X
Aww thanks so much Lucy! Wayne did it all himself without much experience at all. It was simply a matter of removing the ceiling and seeing what was underneath. In this case, we ended up putting plasterboard over what was there, filling in any gaps to create a smooth surface and then plastering over it. He’d never plastered before and it took 2 tries to get it right but it looks as good (if not better) than any professional job. We google and research a LOT before tackling anything but the job is certainly not impossible for an experienced DIYer! Hope that helps and good luck! xxx
Great ideas. I still covet your fiddle leaf fig. :)
Aww thanks Sheran! xxx
Brilliant! The blue paint and corner hardware on the Rast drawers is so effective, you’d never know it came from Ikea. The industrial shelving looks so much better sprayed gold too.
Thanks Rachel! People are always surprised when I tell them those drawers are an IKEA hack ;) They were such a perfect size and the price couldn’t be beat! xx
Some of them you would never even know they were Ikea! I’m a big fan of their kitchens, the standard units do the job and for me have lasted really well, then there’s loads of different companies such as Superfront that do different doors and handles that can transform a kitchen x
Oh I’ve seen the Superfront products before and they are stunning! These have held up really well – I mean, they aren’t perfect but certainly do the job :) xx
Hi Kimberley, following reading about Montana gold spray paint on your blog I used it to spray the glass jars I used for tea lights and flowers at my wedding last summer (I did hundreds of them and they looked fab, so thanks!) but I did find that the paint did scratch off a bit in transit. Maybe that is just the glass? Or do you find this with the metal rails in your kitchen too? I’m interested to know as I have some spray paint left over and am thinking of doing exactly the same thing in my kitchen.
Thanks
Jo
I would expect that’s because it’s on glass – should I guess you didn’t use a primer? I think without any primer, it has more of a tendency to scratch. The metal rails really haven’t scratched at all surprisingly but I don’t slide the hooks around on them all that much so that might be why! And I let them dry for a good 24 hours before even rehanging them so you really need to wait longer than even what’s recommended on the label! xx
I refer to Ikea as the motherland. I’m always bloody going. I too have one about 20 minutes away, so i’m a happy shopper. They have such good, affordable stuff that is so easily hackable or can be repurposed in another room for a completely different job. Love your hacks, Ms Duran. All very you obv. Do you find the spray paint chips on the Omar unit? Or has it held up ok? I fancy doing something like this myself!xx
Thanks darling! The paint has actually held up really well on the Omar unit (and I didn’t use a primer on that because it was a quicky job) – no chipping or scratching at all so far! Go for it! xxx
Its great what a good imagination, and a tin of spray paint can do, and as long as you dont pay alot for the item in the first place (which Ikea is a great place to go) it is win win all the way xxx
Exactly! Thanks so much Pauline! xx
The gold rail idea under your cabinets is genius. The thing I love most about your home is how “Non Swedish” it looks. Lots of color, pattern, and texture. Perfect!
Aww thanks Cheri!! :D Mwah! xxx
I have three rasts working as a dresser done much the same as yours but in white in my bedroom, my couches are from there (washable covers-essential!) and pretty much all my shelving is too! I love Ikea, I think an awful lot of their stuff really lends itself to customization, which I love. Plus it’s cheap and decent quality-perfect for those of us who like to change things up pretty regularly!
It really does lend itself so well to customising! There is just so much there that’s so affordable, it’s almost silly to discount it just because it’s ubiquitous! Just gotta make it your own ;) xxx
I love all your IKEA hacks, none of them are easily recognisable as IKEA and you’ve made them fit so well with your style, especially the curtains, bedside tables, BILLYs and office shelves. I’ve just done a IKEA hack myself, and so far everyone who has seen it has been surprised to learn that it started as an IKEA product, so I’m happy there’s nothing about it that screams IKEA! Now to just find some time during good light (so rare these days!) to photograph and share it.
Hi! I absolute love the pendant lights in your kitchen. Where did you get them?
Ahh thank you! They were a DIY of sorts! Here’s the post about them :)
http://www.swoonworthy.org/2015/05/my-new-diy-brass-and-glass-kitchen-pendants.html/
HTH! xxx
Love the light fixtures in kitchen! Will you share where you found them?
Ahh thank you! They were a DIY of sorts! Hereβs the post about them :)
http://www.swoonworthy.org/2015/05/my-new-diy-brass-and-glass-kitchen-pendants.html/
xxx