10 Awesome IKEA Hacks for the Kitchen

Cambria Bold
Cambria Bold
Cambria Bold is the Executive Editor of Cubby, and one of Apartment Therapy Media’s first full-time editors from way back when. She was The Kitchn's founding Design and Lifestyle Editor as well as Managing Editor of Re-Nest, Apartment Therapy’s late '00s green living site. She now thinks a lot about design, kids, and designy kids' things. She lives with her two daughters and their father in St. Paul, MN.
updated Jul 25, 2023
pinterest
comments
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Post Image
(Image credit: IKEA Hackers)

Earlier today I showed you these glam IKEA shelf brackets, which were spray-painted gold to make them look much more expensive than they actually were. That got me thinking about other IKEA hacks for the kitchen, and let me tell you now… there is no shortage of ways people have manipulated IKEA furniture to suit their needs. Here are 10 particularly awesome versions, from a DIY pot rack made from IKEA components to a motorized kitchen island.

1 / 2
Ikea FAKTUM kitchen cabinets + NEXUS fronts turned “String” kitchen, via IKEA Hackers (Image credit: IKEA Hackers)

TOP ROW

1. IKEA FAKTUM kitchen cabinets + NEXUS fronts turned “String” kitchen, via IKEA Hackers: The savvy DIY’er of this gorgeous kitchens setup said his idea was to create a kitchen that “felt more like a piece of furniture” since the kitchen and living area were all one big room. So he paired IKEA’s FAKTUM and NEXUS kitchen cabinets with side string panels for a distinctly Swedish look.

2. IKEA FÖRHÖJA Kitchen Cart Gets Wine Crate Drawer Fronts, via The Hunted Interior: Not a fan of the open-finger pulls on the FÖRHÖJA cart, owner Kristin cut a few wine crates to fit the drawers and installed Martha Stewart hardware from Home Depot on the front for a custom look!

3. IKEA EXPEDIT Turned Kitchen Shelf, via IKEA Hackers: The owners of this EXPEDIT bookshelf constructed special shelf doors to hide a few of their messier kitchen items.

4. IKEA NUMERAR + AKURUM Cabinets Turned Wine Bar, via IKEA Hackers: This was an underutilized section of the kitchen before the owners turned it into a chic wine bar area by placing their wine fridge between two AKURUM base cabinets topped with IKEA’s butcherblock countertop.

5. IKEA Cooling Racks and Drawer Handles Turned Pot Rack, via IKEA Hackers: Need a pot rack? Turns out you can make out of a LÄMPLIG trivet and a couple drawer handles!

BOTTOM ROW

6. IKEA TARVA 6-Drawer Chest Turned Kitchen Storage, via Lucy Jane: In person IKEA’s TARVA dresser is nothing special, but painted white with some new knobs and it becomes an eye-catching storage piece that looks right at home in the kitchen.

7. IKEA Cutting Board Turned Crumb Catcher, via IKEA Hackers: Tired of getting crumbs all over the counter after cutting bread, this owner used a router to cut 1/2 inch grooves into his IKEA cutting board to catch the crumbs and make cleanup easier.

8. IKEA EXPEDIT Shelf Turned Rolling Island, via IKEA Hackers: Man, the EXPEDIT shelf works hard. With its top hewn off and rolling castors attached, it becomes a rolling storage island!

9. IKEA JOKKMOKK Table with Hairpin Legs, via Acute Designs: This traditional dining table gets a little mid-century lovin’ with hairpin legs!

10. IKEA Cabinet That’s Motorized, via Design Milk: And perhaps the most impressive hack of all, web developer Tim Thaler installed a hydraulic scissor lift to his IKEA cabinet so he could make it come and go as he pleased. So awesome.

See it in action here:


Do you have any favorite IKEA hacks for the kitchen, either ones you’ve personally done or projects you’ve got your eye on?

(Images: as linked)

Filed in:
Small Space Living