IKEA Hacking: 11 Budget Transformations

IKEA is a behemoth of modern, affordable furniture with clean lines and good design. To take an IKEA staple up a notch, customize it with one of these budget transformations.

By: Ellen Foord

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Raise your hand if you love IKEA. We have something from the Scandinavian retailer in almost every room in our house, so my devotion to the hallowed ground of IKEA runs deep. IKEA may have a budget price point, but good design is good design, period. They do modern-beauty-on-a-budget right. What do I love even more than IKEA? The amazing ways in which savvy DIY-ers have customized the furniture. This weekend, I hacked my own BOKSEL Coffee Table. When we bought ours, it looked like this.

But unfortunately, the wheels were non-locking. So any toddler/dog/sleepy adult could end up taking the coffee table for a ride with the least bit of effort. Aforementioned toddler and dog did this with relish many, many times. So often was our coffee table rolled around the room that the toddler stopped being careful and then very quickly learned how ouchy it can be when a coffee table rolls over your toes.

The coffee table was too short to sit on the ground, so I needed some new legs. I wanted something with a hint of Mid-century modern, and found these at my local Lowe's.

I added an element of retro texture with some gorgeous smock wrapping paper under the glass pane, installed the legs with flat brackets and stepped back to admire my first honest-to-goodness IKEA hack.