9 Super IKEA Shelf Hacks Anyone Can Pull Off

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For every item IKEA brings into this world, there’s at least 10 ways to improve upon it, or make it your own. Some hacks are laboriously complicated and too involved for most humans, other projects are easy for just about anyone to pull off. If you’re looking for some super simple ways to tweak, alter, improve, or upgrade your shelving, here are nine ways to hack those BILLYs, EKBYs, EVETs, and LACKs.

This hack from VT Wonen starts out with a series of basic OSTBIT wood plate racks, which are mounted on the wall to become customizable shelving.

These shots from Brigitte Franziska show what looks like KALLAX units fitted with cut pieces of unfinished wood, which are used as shelf dividers.

Here’s very simple way to make shelves and brackets work harder in your home. Sir Henry’s inserted a wood dowel through an EKBY shelf, slide on a roll of paper, and created an instant memo board.

By painting the wall the same color as an IKEA MOSSLANDA picture ledge, willmjn made the shelf look more intentional and substantial.

If you have a little sliver of wall where nothing else fits, combine a couple different modular EKET units to fit the space exactly and squeeze in a little storage. We love this simple idea from Stilleben_no.

Stacy has a trick for customizing closets, and it involves IKEA’s BILLY series, which she’s used to outfit both her kids clothing storage spaces, and make them more functional. She starts with a standing shelving unit, and works out from there.

In a small space, stacking is essential. Small Footprints used two shelving units on top of each other, but cleverly divided them with some furniture legs, which also creates a bedside surface in addition to closed storage.

It doesn’t get much easier than this project from laalegriademicasa. Take a store-bought LACK shelf and use some books (or anything else you’ve got lying around) to create a low-lying display table.

Lisa Villaume used some living room built-ins seen on The Sweetest Digs as inspiration, and rigged some similar shelving for her own home. Painting the back a dark charcoal color takes the project up a notch.