The Ikea Ivar cabinet is a fantastic piece of furniture for lots of Ikea hack creations. It is simply a blank wooden box waiting for your creativity! I think Ikea Ivar hacks are my favourite hacks due to the variety of ideas that people com up with.
Ultimately these Ikea Ivar hacks don’t change the function of the Ivar much, but it is they way they are painted, elevated, embellished and accessorised that make them all unique.
We’ve brought together all the best Ikea Ivar hacks from a range of budgets and with difficulties ranging from very basic to a little more involved.
The Ikea Ivar Hacks
Ikea Ivar with Cane Door Inserts
_
We love a bit of cane in our furniture at the moment, an have even talked about all the great Ikea hacks that involve cane that are out there right now.
This gorgeous Ivar hack from Hunker is a great way to add a bit of bohemian style to your home. They have cut out the middle section of the Ivar doors and added an insert of cane webbing.
Some hairpin legs to raise the whole thing up and the overall look is quite high end!
Gorgeous Kids Ikea Ivar Storage Hack
_
When it’s used as kids storage, the Ikea Ivar really comes into its own. You can paint the front of the cabinet any number of different patterns and colours.
We love this Ivar hack from Alli Hoppa that has cute semi circles painted on the front in different colours.
It’s a great way of adding some fun colour while still tying the cabinets into the scheme of the room. The legs from Pretty Pegs also add a little bit of whimsy to the cabinets.
Natural Look Ikea Ivar Cabinets
_
You don’t have to paint the cabinets for them to look great, they are still really good looking by themselves. This amazing closet by Josel.Chen on Instagram simply has two Ivar cabinets stacked and then some wooden legs underneath to give it a bit of elegance.
It you are leaving the wood grain to shine, you can always still stain, wax or varnish it to really bring out the wood grain look.
Accessorised as it has been in the picture, it can be a great base for a bohemian look.
White Stylish Ikea Ivar Sideboard
_
Ok, this isn’t an Ikea Ivar hack from House Updated, but it is totally achievable with the Ivar cabinet so it’s going in as an example of what you can do.
All you need to do is paint the whole thing white, add some leather strap pulls and some tapered legs. The wooden top is a great addition to break up all that white a little and tie it into the legs.
You could go with a totally different set of legs and knobs. Perhaps brass? Either way, it is easy to choose somthing that will go with the white.
Dark Green and Gold Ivar Cabinets
_
The combination of dark green and gold in this Ikea Ivar hack from Fixa & Dona is stunning and looks great against the backdrop of the wall in the same colour.
Don’t be afraid to use bold colours like this in your home, it really gives you that wow factor in a very easy way.
This would work really well as a drinks cabinet!
Ikea Ivar Cabinet with a Pop of Pink
_
We’re a big fan of pops of colour like the neon pink in this Ikea Ivar hack from Make It Yours. It’s just a little bit of fun that doesn’t detract from the rest of your scheme.
This is such a simpe hack too, with just four staircase spindles attached to the bottom of the Ivar cabinet.
You could obviously choose your own favourite colour to use instead of the neon pink, although you wouldn’t be going wrong with it!
Ikea Ivar Wall Unit Artwork
_
You can create a huge wall mural and have loads of storage at the same time with this Ikea Ivar hack from Ikea.
The Ivar cabinet is basically a big blank canvas and this stunning mountainous mural makes great use of this fact. It’s a great way to soften the look of a load of storage cabinets.
Why not have a play around on a piece of paper beforehand to come up with the perfect mural and then transfer it to the cabinets.
Dark Stained Ikea Ivar Cabinets
_
This gorgeous treatment of the Ikea Ivar cabinets by Nest.Out.West on Instagram completely transforms the look of the cabinets.
They have use a stained wax to give a darker, richer finish and added some suitable leather pulls.
It’s a more traditional look and looks great combined with the antique style accessories in the room.
Elegant Rib Fronted Ikea Ivar Sideboard
_
This amazing Ikea Ivar hack from Pretty Pegs takes things to the next level. They have elevated the Ivar cabinets on long, elegant legs (which you can get from Pretty Pegs).
The doors have been given a ribbed effect by routing grooves in the doors. The whole thing has then been painted to match the legs.
It has transformed the Ivar cabinets beyond recognition! The little bit of brass on the tips of the legs just adds a subtle extra elegance to the piece.
Mid Century Inspired Ikea Ivar Hack
_
With just a simple bronze washi tape, Paulsvera have created a stunning effect on the front of this Ikea Ivar cabinet. It looks like a bronze inlay in the wood, which is a very tricky and expensive thing to do so this is a great money saving hack!
The short legs are also from Pretty Pegs and just give the sideboard a bit of separation from the floor and extra height.
Dark Stained Wood Computer Cabinet
_
We love the clever design behind this dark wood computer cabinet by Jaymee SRP. If you need to house your computer somewhere that you also want to look great then this is a really good solution.
The dark staining of the Ivar shelving and cabinet combined with the brass handles give this a mid century modern look.
The use of the shelving as kitchen storage helps with the look as they have used mid century kitchen accessories.
Floor to Ceiling Pink Ikea Ivar Cabinets
_
Another Ikea Ivar hack from Paulsvera, this floor to ceiling bank of units is blended really well into the room’s scheme by painting it the same colour as the walls.
It’s a neat design trick that can make storage look less bulky in a small space. And there is a LOT of storage in those cabinets!
Scalloped Design Ikea Ivar Cabinet
_
The originality of the scalloped design on this Ivar cabinet from Rum Hemma is brilliant. It might be a little time consuming, but certainly a therapeutic exercise painting all the scallops on once you’ve marked them out with a template.
Of course, you could create any repeating pattern you like such as hexagons, clouds, chevrons, the list is only limited by your imagination!
The same goes for the colours. A great tool to use for this is coolors.co which allows you to browse pallettes of colours that work well together.
Retro Styled Ikea Ivar Cabinet Hack
_
I love the combination of waxed wood and pastel colours in this retro styled Ikea Ivar hack from Styled By Naomi.
The starburst pattern on the bottom half of the unit is so dynamic as it cuts across the wood grain of the Ivar doors.
The understated hairpin legs are perfect to give the cabinet some shadow definition by raising it off the floor.
Curved Rib Fronted Ikea Ivar Cabinet
_
Another ribbed effect Ivar cabinet hack from An Interior Affair. This time the ribs are created by gluing half-dowels to the front of the Ivar doors to give a tactile but smooth relief.
This cabinet is also using the design trick of blending into it’s surroundings, while giving a bit of texture to the room and a great base for displaying some awesome accessories.
We think this would look great with a gold effect wallpaper lining the interior to give a sumptuous surprise every time you open the cabinet!
Glamorous Ikea Ivar Sideboard
_
Another Pretty Pegs example of what you can do with an Ikea Ivar cabinet. This time they have used some stunning curved legs with brass tops to help create the sideboard style.
The doors are also ribbed on this hack to create some texture and in contrast to the last hack, this one is made to stand out. It really becomes a focal point in the room, even though is is made from simple Ikea Ivar cabinets!
Dark Ikea Ivar Cabinets with Leather Pulls
_
This Ikea Ivar hack from Livet Hemma is given a simple treatment of dark paint and leather pull handles.
They are hung from the wall to create a ‘fauxdenza’ look. The leather pulls can be bought from Ikea as well as the cabinets.
We think this would look even better with a wooden surround, such as this fauxdenza by Undeclared Panache to create a bit of uniformity with the units and soften the look.
Bright Ivar Drinks Cabinet Hack
_
Finally a drinks cabinet! This amazing, bright drinks cabinet from Melanie Lissack Interiors is a wonderful example of the variety of functions your Ikea Ivar cabinet can perform.
They have used a lovely bright turquoise to make the cabinet really stand out and teamed it up with brass legs and handles.
We love the mirrored back on the inside to add a bit of glamour!
The little detail on the front of the doors is a great touch to add a bit of interest to the design.
Bright Colour Block Ivar Cabinets
_
If you love colour then this great little Ikea Ivar hack from Trendshock is a lovely demonstration of how impactful it can be to colour block furniture.
The choice of colours here is inspired as there is only actually one colour that pops (the yellow), the others are quite neutral (peach and pink) but back the yellow up perfectly.
Again, you could consult the coolors.co tool for colour inspiration, perhaps choosing your pop colour and then browsing combinations to go with it.
There is so much inspiration here, I’m actually itching to get to Ikea and grab some Ivar cabinets for a TV unit project I have in mind.
Hopefully you’ve seen enough to get some great ideas for your own Ikea Ivar hacks. It is a brilliant piece of furniture to create some extra storage in a beautiful way!
We would really love to see your Ikea Ivar cabinet hacks. This is one where you can get so creative!