12 Ingenius Ikea Ivar Shelves Hacks

We’ve only just bought our first Ikea Ivar shelves (shock-horror!). Primarily because we only just made space for them. But it got us thinking on what ingenius Ikea Ivar shelves hacks we could come up with.

In the meantime, we found inspiration from all of the following Ivar shelf hacks. There is more you can do with the Ivar shelves than just… shelves!

Although, I have to admit, most of these ideas are shelves, but just done it a brilliant way!


Rustic Ivar Shelves Hack

Yes, those are Ikea shelves! This is a minimal treatment to the shelves, but a fantastic transformation from My Divine Home.

They have added a dark walnut wax to the plain pine Ivar shelves which gives it such a gorgeous, rustic look.

It works perfectly with all the white accessories and plants they have added.

Cane Headboard From Ivar Shelves

Source: Burkatron

You see, they don’t have to be shelves! This brilliant Ivar hack from Burkatron makes great use of one side panel as a headboard.

All they have done is staple some cane webbing to the frame and then hang it behind the bed.

If you don’t want the frame on show you could use this example from September Edit:

They have wrapped the cane webbing around the frame to give it a more vintage feel.

It’s the perfect look against the all-white bedroom, here.

Upgraded Ivar Storage System

I love a good bit of storage and this excellent, super organised storage system by Carla Sonheim is one the best I’ve seen.

They have upgraded the Ivar shelves by adding some custom-made plywood boxes to hold the mess in!

I want some of these in my garage!

Ivar Shelf With A Belt

Source: Nur Noch

We like simple ideas at James and Catrin and this Ivar shelf hung on a wall by leather straps is brilliantly simple.

What the individual Ivar shelves do offer you is a solid sheet of wood that can be used for almost anything. It’s pretty inexpensive for what it is too!

The contrast of the light grey the shelf, from Nur Noch, has been painted against the brown of the leather is beautiful.

Butcher’s Bench Ivar Hack

What a transformation these Ivar shelves have been through at the hands of Remodelaholic!

This is a truly ingenious way to use them. They have created three butcher’s style benches or side tables.

You could get two side tables out of one Ivar shelf unit!

Ivar Shelves With A Roof

Source: Hunker

I don’t where this obsession with putting a roof on furniture came from, but I love it!

This brilliant Ivar shelf unit with a roof is from Hunker and they have done a great job.

It’s a simple addition that instantly turns the shelves into something with loads of character, expecially for a kids bedroom.

Built In Ivar Shelves Hack

Source: Ikeahackers

I don’t think this post would be complete without a built-in shelving system!

This great example from Ikeahackers uses the Ivar shelves to achieve a gorgeous built-in effect at low cost.

They simple had to add trims to the sides and bottom and paint the whole thing white. To get the full built-in effect they could have added some shorter Ivar units to the top. or gone for a taller unit from the start.

Leaning Ladder Shelf Hack

Source: XOXO Jackie

Leaning ladder shelves are a nice easy way to add a bit of height to the furnishings in a room as well as a place to put textiles for more texture.

This great hack from XOXO Jackie uses a side panel from an Ivar Shelf to create an instant leaning ladder shelf!

We love the simplicity!

Black Framed Ivar Shelves Hack

Source: My Divine Home Blog

A bit of paint and wax can go a long way to transforming a simple shelf into something stunning!

This Ivar upgrade from My Divine Home Blog (sadly no longer going) is very easy to do. You just need to get some black wood and metal paint and paint the frame. Then rub some walnut wax into the shelves.

They have added some wooden strips as braces at the back instead of the metal ones it comes with.

Gold Framed Ivar Shelves Hack

For a bit more of a glamorous than industrial look, you can paint the frame gold and the shelves white, just like Landee See Landee Do.

They have used a paint sprayer to make the whole job so much easier, but if you don’t have one of those then a can of spray paint will do just as well.

Tap into your inner graffiti artist and spray that shelf!

Bear On A Box Shelf

Who doesn’t want a giant picture of a bear on their cupboard?

Well, my son probably wouldn’t be a fan, but this still looks great! They have created a cupboard/wardrobe from Ivar shelves and added a print of a bear to the doors.

One trick they use here, that would be useful for other Ivar shelves hacks is that they fill all the little holes in the frame with caulk to give a smooth finish.


The Ivar shelves are a fantastic piece of furniture for storage, but they can be so much more than just plain old wooden shelves.

Using any one of these great Ikea Ivar shelves hacks you can have a stunning set of shelves for very low cost.

Let us know if there are any we missed, or if you’ve created one yourself!