She Recreated a $35,000 Designer Dresser with IKEA — for Just $335

Time and time again, I’m blown away by the upcycles I see on my FYP and — if I may say so myself — read all about here on Apartment Therapy. However, when I recently came across Kim Szeto’s (@iamkimszeto) IKEA MALM transformation I was at a total loss for words. And based on just how many other DIY fans sounded off in Kim’s comments, I know I’m not the only one who is going absolutely gaga for this breathtaking project.

Kim had been searching for five months for a dresser to add more storage space for her wife Michelle’s clothing. She was inspired by a designer dresser that cost over $35,000. While that piece wasn’t in the budget, that didn’t stop her from using it as a reference for her own dresser makeover, which, in the end, only cost her $335 (and not much time at all!). It all started with a Facebook Marketplace find that Kim had bigger plans for.

After spotting an IKEA MALM dresser (it’s since been discontinued, but the STORKLINTA is almost the same!) on Facebook Marketplace, Kim brought it home. Upon discovering stains within multiple drawers, she ordered blue plaid peel-and-stick contact paper from Amazon to place on the bottom. This hack gave the interiors a fresh new look that erased years of harder use.

Next up was the pièce de résistance of the project: Kim bought nine packs of blue peel-and-stick tiles from Amazon (her exact color isn’t available, but these light blue tiles look totally similar) and used a marker and a box cutter to apply the 12×12-inch squares directly to the dresser’s surface. She was unsure if the IKEA dresser could hold real tiles, but this was a much cheaper option that also didn’t require as thorough of a renovation. “The best part, other than finally having somewhere to put all our clothes, has been seeing people re-create this DIY and tag me in their versions,” Kim explains. “I never expected it to resonate with so many people around the world, and it genuinely puts a smile on my face every time.”

It took around 10 hours to finish the dresser in its entirety, but, to be fair, Kim documented a fairly straightforward process that you too could follow at home. The best part? You don’t necessarily need an IKEA dresser to complete the project. If you already have one you’ve grown tired of, don’t swap it out: Give peel-and-stick tiles a try.

“I’m so incredibly happy with the way it turned out,” Kim said in her Instagram video. “I’m so, so glad that I took the time to cover all of the depth of the drawers, and I love the way that the plaid contact paper looks with the blue tiles. I can’t believe this is IKEA.”