4 Ingenious IKEA Furniture Hacks That Save Major Space

By
Deirdre Sullivan
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Deirdre Sullivan
Deirdre Sullivan is an interior design expert and features writer who specializes in home improvement as well as design. She began her career as an assistant editor at Elle magazine and has more than a decade of experience. Deirdre contributes content for brands including The Spruce and Realtor.com, and has been a featured speaker at various conferences.
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Updated on 08/12/19

How can you create more space for your life and stuff in a super small dwelling? Four words: Just hack more space. To get you inspired, we rounded up our favorite room expanding IKEA hacks. Each one of these stylish ideas shares how you can maximize a tiny footprint with space maximizing features.

  • 01 of 04

    How to Build a Murphy Bed Desk

    Ikea Murphy Bed Desk Hack

    Vanessa Shaffer Designs

    Perhaps you need a home office that moonlights as a bedroom. If that's the case then you need to get a Murphy bed desk—but the ones sold in stores can cost $5,000 or more. Vanessa from Vanessa Shaffer Designs and her hubby saved a bundle by building their own out of plywood and parts from a discarded IKEA table. It’s a double-duty solution that maximizes floor space. The best part? It's practical and stylish.

    The Murphy Bed Desk from Vanessa Shaffer Designs

  • 02 of 04

    MALM Console Table

    A console table that expands

    IKEA Hackers

    Do you wish you had a dining table that would disappear when it's not needed? If so, build a double-duty console. Chiara, an IKEA aficionado, created an expandable dining table out of two slim MALM tables. 

    Just fold the table and presto—it's now a console, desk, or an entryway landing strip. Then, when it’s time to entertain, it magically expands into a dining table that seats up to 10 people.

    While this hack seems complicated to DIY, it's not. To put together all you need is a power drill and a couple of door hinges.

    MALM Console Table from IKEA Hackers

  • 03 of 04

    LACK Tables Shoe Shelves Hack

    Corner Shelving Shoe Rack

    Planq Studio

    If you need a place to stash shoes in your small entryway, upcycle old tables. When the mysterious blogger behind Planq Studio couldn’t find a small shoe rack for her abode's entryway, she repurposed three Ikea LACK tables that someone kicked to the curb. Ingenious right?

    We love any idea that keeps useful stuff out of landfills. Even better, this project took less than two hours to build. That's insanely speedy! You can also use these shelves to park house keys, mail, and grab and go accessories like hats and sunglasses.

    LACK Tables Shoe Shelves Hack from Planq Studio

  • 04 of 04

    TROFAST Storage Boxes Bookshelf

    Ikea Wall Storage Hack

    Mommo Design

    If you're looking for an organized and beautiful way to show off your treasured book collection we've got the best hack for you.

    IKEA’s TROFAST storage boxes are usually used to store toys and assorted odds and ends. But Rosandra, the crafty design enthusiast behind Mommo Design, enlisted them to organize her messy home library.

    This floor to ceiling idea allows books to shine while avoiding the visual clutter a standard bookcase can create. Rosandra designed built-in lighting by putting LED light into closed TROFAST boxes. This gives the book display a bright and airy appearance.

    TROFAST Storage Boxes Bookshelf from Mommo Design

Watch Now: 3 Ways to Make Your Small Space Appear Bigger