This Budget-Friendly IKEA BESTA Hack Proves that Two Credenzas Are Better than One

For me, the best IKEA hacks perfectly blend affordability and aspiration. You can find IKEA pieces in almost every home, no matter how luxurious, and that’s because the Scandinavian design principles IKEA applies to its products are almost universally appealing. When combined with a bit of personal style and a clever reuse or repurpose, IKEA hacks are a home run — be it a BILLY bookcase retrofitted with cane doors, an IVAR cabinet given a complete transformation, or even a kid’s play kitchen made modern. One of my recent favorite IKEA hacks? Artist Ben Cuevas‘ BESTÅ media cabinets, which are holding court in the work area of his Silver Lake, Los Angeles, apartment.

“My style is an eclectic mix of mid-century modern, Art Deco, Bohemian, and luxe influences,” Cuevas says. So he loves the idea of “lived-in luxury,” or in his own words, “using materials that feel rich but inviting, like worn-in leather or plush velvet.” This kind of high-low design philosophy lends itself perfectly to an upgraded IKEA piece, which in Cuevas’ case, is the project he’s probably most proud of in his whole apartment (save maybe the backsplash he installed in his kitchen): a Scandi modern credenza adorned with leather pulls that warm it up and give it some character.

If you’re looking to recreate this kind of piece yourself, Cuevas has shared all the details. “It’s two of IKEA’s BESTÅ cabinets,” he says, “which I attached together and added walnut/brass mid-century tapered legs from PrettyPegs and handmade leather/brass drawer pulls from Rowzec, a German leather artisan on Etsy.” The end result is a decidedly sleek, mid-century-inspired piece that looks like it was plucked from the showroom of a much higher-end store. In reality, it’s just two IKEA pieces given new life with handsome pulls, stylish legs, and a larger silhouette. This project, which was actually inspired by another blogger’s One Room Challenge post, further proves the point IKEA hackers before Cuevas have made: Sometimes just doubling up on an IKEA item can make it look more luxe. Upgraded hardware and fittings doesn’t hurt either, but you don’t have to spend a small fortune to switch out knobs and add new legs if you know where to shop.