6 IKEA Hacks for the Most Disorganized Among Us
You’ve watched every episode of Marie Kondo’s Netflix show, said goodbye to anything that doesn’t bring you joy, taken a well-earned cleansing breath, and… there’s still SO. MUCH. LEFT.
Sometimes life is hard to contain in a small space, especially when you have an equally small budget. For the fix, we turned to—where else?—IKEA. Read on for some of our favorite organizational hacks for the space- and stuff-challenged among us.
Create multi-purpose bedroom furniture
When you’re living with roommates, it can be tricky to maximize your personal space without feeling overwhelmed by stuff. Marlene of Idle Hands Awake has a smart fix: After moving in with roomies, she used IKEA’s ELVARLI shelves as part dresser, part display, and part vanity to make her bedroom a functional retreat. Check out her full room reveal to see how she managed to sneak a full workspace, crafting table, and of course, bed, cohesively in one space.
Sneak storage into slim spaces
My last home didn’t have any closets near the bathrooms for linens, so I subbed in sleek HEMNES shoe cabinets. Each compartment holds 3-4 rolled up towels, and at less than 9 inches deep, it hardly takes up any space.
Corral cleaning items using bag dispensers
The VARIERA bag dispenser is meant for plastic grocery bags, but its form lends itself to so many more great uses. Earlier this year we shared our four favorite ways to hack this $3 find, including the cleaning supply storage shown above—but I particularly love the VARIERA as a yoga mat wrangler.
Use storage benches to make a more functional mudroom
Amy made her original mudroom bench using two STUVA storage benches three years ago and happily reports they still look brand new. The benches help keep her family of five organized by giving them an easy-to-access spot to hide coat, boots, and backpacks.
Hide clutter with modified cubby shelving
The KALLAX bookshelf is a classic that’s only made better by a custom twist. Katie worked some DIY magic and transformed her standard cubby bookcase into a beautiful set of clutter-concealing faux lockers that you’d never guess are from IKEA.
Squeeze extra shelving in tight spots
Picture ledges’ small size makes them perfect for squeezing extra storage in small nooks, like Shannon’s gorgeous spice rack, over vanities, and even the backs of doors to hold cleaning supplies.