7 Brilliant Organizing Hacks Made Possible Thanks to IKEA Finds

Geraldine Campbell
Geraldine Campbell
Geraldine Campbell was the Managing Editor at The Kitchn. She loves semi-colons, em dashes, and serial commas. She lives in Brooklyn with her dog, Charlie.
updated Dec 17, 2019
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: Joe Lingeman)

You may have noticed by now: We love a good IKEA hack around here. The very best ones are not only stylish, but they also create extra storage. Because who among us can’t use some extra storage — that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg? For no reason (other than the fact that it’s Thursday), we decided to round up some of the best storage-related IKEA hacks that we’ve seen recently. So here you go! And happy Thursday.

1. Turn LUROY bed slats into wall storage.

Okay, how clever is this idea from Kristina Steinmetz? All you need are bed slats and some hooks to turn that blank wall into a totally functional storage space.

2. Or repurpose a garden bench.

Similar idea, different IKEA product — this wall storage system was hacked from a garden trellis. As a side note, we just love the colors in this nook!

(Image credit: Tara Bellucci)

3. Clean up your cookbooks with MOSSLANDA picture ledges.

Cookbooks are both practical items that should be easily accessible and sentimental things that deserve to be on display. That’s why we love this use of MOSSLANDA picture ledges to hold your most-used tomes.

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

4. Use a VARIERA bag dispenser for cleaning supplies.

Our friends over at Apartment Therapy came up with this smart way to use IKEA’s Variera bag dispenser as a holder for all sorts of cleaning supplies. By hanging the holder on its side and using its holes as hooks, you get all sorts of new uses.

Buy: VARIERA bag dispenser, $3 at IKEA

5. Turn a plate holder into an adjustable shelving unit.

We don’t understand the caption on this Instagram post, but we understand what’s going on: Stylist Janneke Peters hung the OSTBIT plate holder on the wall and used the rungs to hold lightweight shelves. So adjustable! So smart!

6. Get creative with the BEKVÄM spice rack.

Look closely. This Instagrammer turned one spice rack upside down to turn it into a more traditional shelf — and then hung things from the rail that would usually keep bottles in place. (In another photo, the same Instagrammer used S-hooks to added more storage.) We love that she also used the racks like a little book display, too.

7. Turn a KALLAX shelf unit into a kitchen island.

This Minneapolis-based duo just needed one KALLAX shelf unit and some extra wood to build the most perfect kitchen island. You can make your own, thanks to their super-helpful video.

Buy: KALLAX shelf unit, $79

Have you seen any smart IKEA organizing hacks lately? Tell us about them in the comments below!

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)