7 of the Best IKEA Hacks to Do if You’re Hosting for the Holidays
If you’re having company over between now and New Year’s, it’s the perfect time to assess your hosting situation. You might already have extra sheets, fluffy towels, and a coffee station on lock, but one area you might be overlooking is storage. With more people comes more stuff, so storage is the name of the game. Luckily, IKEA has tons of affordable, hackable options that will make squeezing in those extra storage moments not just effective, but stylish, too.
Here, seven IKEA hacks worth making time for this holiday season — but don’t worry if you can’t get to them. All of these are year-round projects, equally practical in June as they are in December.
Hack a daybed.
Daybeds are the perfect sleep solution for multi-use spaces. Dress a daybed up with back cushions and it becomes a couch, or toss on sleep pillows and it’s your guest’s new digs. The IKEA BRIMNES is a workhorse that can go from a twin to a pull-out king easily and has ultra practical built-in storage. Take a cue from Kelly of Studio DIY and upgrade yours with trendy rattan and new pulls to make the BRIMNES feel custom.
Make a window seat.
One area that is usually overlooked at home? The space under windows. Take advantage with an IKEA hacked window seat that provides extra spots to perch as well as storage. April of Hydrangea Treehouse made use of the entire span of wall underneath her window using NORDLI drawer units as a base for her window seat hack. Over on her blog, April has tips for how to modify the NORDLI to work for your room and make it look built-in (such as the addition of the small bookshelf at the end).
Build a floating vanity.
Keep bathroom traffic to a minimum by giving guests their own “get ready” station in their room. Ashley of Sugar & Cloth created a slim-profile vanity in her home that uses floating EKET cabinets to create plenty of space for stocking essentials that guests might forget.
Take advantage of hall space with narrow cabinets.
The HEMNES shoe cabinet is a practical pick for squeezing storage into tight spaces like entryways and hallways, but it can be a little boring on its own. But the plain HEMNES shoe cabinet is unrecognizable with this makeover from Annie of Champagne Chaos. The added curves and texture give it more presence while not taking away its ability to fit in the narrowest spaces. Don’t forget that this shoe cabinet can hold more than just shoes: Try it for storing linens or stashing away extra wine bottles.
Create a “fauxdenza.”
The Marcums (aka Chris Loves Julia) love hacking SEKTION cabinets to create “fauxdenzas,” or floating, fake credenzas. They topped their dining room fauxdenza with butcher block and finished it with brass hardware. Follow their lead and you’ll have a piece that’s ready to hold all your hosting supplies and help serve buffet-style dinners.
Add built-in bookcases.
Leverage awkward walls — like the one by your staircase, for example — and build out closed storage with classic BILLY bookcases. Jen of City Farmhouse made them feel custom to her home with new paint, pulls, and styling that turned this once awkwardly long, narrow wall into a fully functional space. You could also use IKEA’s PAX for a closet system that can handle bulkier coats.
Hack a valet shelf.
Flip the BEKVAM spice rack upside down for a slim-profile valet shelf that comes together in just a few minutes. It’s just wide enough for a few hangers, glasses, and keys. Here, Ayla of Happy Ayla uses her BEKVAM in her daughter’s room to display art and showcase the outfit of the day.