Hacking Ikea products has been a passion for many (including us!) for a while. Get yourself a cheap piece of furniture as your base and then create something a bit more upmarket (or just embellish it). A simple but effective idea.
But are there some IKEA products that deserve a little bit more respect? Perhaps these products have a bit of pride and say “Don’t replace my knobs with dinosaurs and paint geometric shapes all over me, I’m special!”.
We’ve had a good look through what’s available right now and picked out some that we think are just, plain good as they are. We also own a few of them as you might see in some of our home renovation project updates.
Don’t forget to follow us on Pinterest to see tons of great Ikea Hack ideas as well as home decor inspiration.
This post may contain affiliate links. See my full disclosure here for more info.
NYMÖ Lampshade
We have this in our bedroom and it casts a gorgeous panorama of light flecks, while the brass inside glows. It comes in a range of sizes and this 59cm one would be a great, low centrepiece for a living room. Just remember to get the lampshade adapter ring with it so it can be fitted to UK light fittings.
Price £18-£35
JOHANNE Throw
I’m thinking of using this in my loft room makeover (Catrin and I are doing our own Interior Design Challenge between us in the two new loft rooms). Geometric patterns are very much in, and I’ve always loved them anyway from my engineering background. Black and white will go with a lot of colour schemes too.
Price £25
ODGER Chair
This chair looks like it should be a design classic. If you have an amazing table, these would sit around it saying “I’m not taking any attention away from the table, but I still look good, don’t I?”. Additionally, they are made from wood and recycled plastic, so environmental conscience appeased!
Price £65
SMÅTÖREL Cushions
These cushions are currently holding pride of place in Catrin’s loft room. They look far more expensive than they are and you can pick out several colours to link in to a scheme from it. They are also really comfy (although I’m not supposed to lay on them apparently! Shhh!).
Price £15
OMEDELBAR Wall Clock
The OMEDELBAR range has a lot of good stuff, but I’m picking out this pocket watch style brass wall clock. This would look great against a dark blue wall or on top of a dresser.
Price £35
EKENÄSET Armchair
The STRANDMON is the armchair IKEA really push, but I think this one is far superior. Would look great in a mid-century style interior if you can’t find an original piece. We need an armchair to complete our living room and this is on the list of options.
Price £170
TVILLING Posters
Botanical art is very popular right now, and it follows a general trend for more indoor plants in an interior scheme. Have a look at my post 8 indoor plants that will transform your home and wellbeing. Obviously a print of a gorgeous plant involves much less maintenance!
These posters of an artichoke and monstera leaves would look wonderful in a variety of schemes. You could put them in the very reasonably priced FISKBO frame.
Price £5
TJENA Desk Organiser
I love the simplicity of this desk organiser, which also comes in white and pink. I know a lot of people will customise this and there’s nothing wrong with that, but it also stands up by itself (I reserve the right to use this in an IKEA hack post of the future though!). Furnish it with some gold, wood or copper accessories and you’ve got a stylish desk already!
Price £4!
GLADOM Tray Table
Yes, I know it’s another one that opens itself up to customisation with copper or brass spray-painted legs. I stand by my selection though as this is also strong by itself (even if it’s as a backdrop for other accessories). Some white and gold ceramics would look great on this.
Price £20
LILLÅSEN Desk
I love this desk. It’s so elegant and yet the wood top gives it just enough masculinity (he says in a deep voice, realising he needed to say that). If you work from home occasionally, or a lot, this would be an ideal place to do it. Dress the table with a few small, stylish accessories to make the work less of a chore.
Price £120
IKORNNES Table Mirror
This simple little mirror has lovely clean lines and will fit into any minimalist decor. It can be hung on the wall which is what we have done in our downstairs cloakroom. With the mirror on the wall, the back rest acts as a towel rail which is really useful. This would work really well on a dressing table with some other accessories to accentuate the stylish look. There is also a full length mirror in the same style.
Price £20 (£95 for the full length mirror)
ÄPPLARÖ Sun Lounger
And finally, it’s a garden classic that will never fade. The wooden sun lounger with wheels will always look good in any garden. The only hack you need to do to this IKEA product is adding your own pad or cushions (if you don’t want the IKEA KUNGSÖ pad!). Just imagine those mojitos in the summer, lounging on this bad boy!
Price £80
Looking back over the products I’ve listed here I’m just amazed by how far IKEA has come from the BILLY bookcase. The prices are also still incredible. These products would look great in any home.
I’m not suggesting we stop hacking the odd IKEA product, especially when you realise how many people will own some of these things! But I think IKEA is raising their own bar a little and if they can produce items like these then long may it continue.
Are there any IKEA pieces that you think fit into this category?
