9 IKEA Hacks for Small Spaces

Photo by Patrick on Ikeahackers

It's a new year, meaning it's time for new resolutions and a happier you. Having a well-organized home is crucial to making us feel more zen about ourselves and more in control of our lives. However, this can be harder to achieve if you live in a cozy but tiny apartment. But fear not! To help you with this, we compiled a list of practical IKEA hacks to tidy up even the smallest of homes. So let your creative juices flow and try implementing at least one of these solutions in 2019.

1. Turn IKEA shoe cabinets into a headboard with storage.

If your bed occupies the whole room and you just don’t have space for anything else, you can use inexpensive Bissa shoe cabinets to build a headboard with storage. Ikeahackers offer step-by-step instructions with a list of all the tools you will need. If this project seems too challenging, you can purchase the Brimnes headboard with storage from and skip the DIY part.

Photo by Anna Y on Ikeahackers

2. Make a frame for your bed with built-in storage using Kallax shelves.

If your bedroom can only fit in your bed and not much else, you can buy one of those cool bed frames with built-in storage. However, they can get really pricey. But worry not, we found a great solution to your problem! Check out this cool hack by Christoph Bock from Ikeahacks. He used simple Kallax bookshelves to build a bed frame with storage, and white chipboard to create a headboard.

Photo by Christoph Bock on Ikeahackers

3. Use kitchen cabinets as a shelving unit.

One of the most basic things you can do to make your home look more spacious is to move most knick-knacks from tables onto the walls. To take advantage of the wall space in your living room, try using IKEA kitchen cabinets. In this useful IKEA hack by Nicolet Groen-Gras Vormgeving from the Netherlands, kitchen cabinets double as both shelving and storage units. The exact cabinets Nicolet used in her project were discontinued, but we found this great affordable alternative.

Photo by Nicolet Groen-Gras Vormgeving on Ikeahackers

4. Make space for your books.

If you are a bookworm like us, you know that a lack of space will never stop an avid reader from acquiring more books. Benjamin Ferger from Germany used Billy bookcases to create his own wall library. You are probably wondering how is it even a hack to use a bookcase for books - and so were we. But Benjamin found a creative solution to turn THE WHOLE wall into a library - even the entryway! If your New Year’s resolution was to stop books from piling up on all flat surfaces including floors, this should do the trick!

Photo by Benjamin Ferger on Ikeahackers

5. Hang your spices.

Big spice racks are great and almost always look good, but let’s be honest - they take up way too much of the valuable counter space. IKEA’s official website suggests mounting a basic rail onto your kitchen door or a wall. Forget about the bulky jars! Just fill plastic bags with spices and hang them on the rail using curtain hooks with clips. Another pro tip: buying spices in the bulk aisle is way more affordable.

Photo by IKEA

6. Take advantage of your under-the-counter space.

This is one of those obvious ideas that everyone wishes they’d come up with first. This IKEA hack from Apartment Apothecary proves that ingenuity can be simple. Just grab a magazine file, attach it to your under-the-sink cabinet wall, and voilà - you have a place to store cutting boards, saran wrap, and foil!

Photo by Apartment Apothecary

7. Keep your makeup out of the way using mounted wall containers

If after a long day of work, your favorite thing to do is to curl up with a video from one of your favorite Youtube beauty gurus, it’s likely you buy a lot of the makeup they recommend. And that makeup takes up space...a lot of space. Check out this awesome IKEA hack that suggests moving all your brushes, eyeshadows and creams onto the walls using Pluggis containers.

Photo by Fresh Crush on ByDawnNicole

8. Use Pluggis containers for tiny entryways.

If your entryway is barely there and your umbrellas, car keys and mail are scattered around your living room, you might want to consider using your walls to create space for your belongings. This IKEA hack suggests using a magazine rack for mail and Pluggis containers mounted onto the wall for both small and big items. What a great solution to reduce the time needed to get out of the house!

Photo by IKEA

9. Build your own bike mount.

Not every apartment complex has bike storage. The last thing you want is your precious bike to get stolen. Another genius IKEA hack uses stool legs and self-adhesive rubber pads to build a bike mount. And the stool legs are only $14.99! What a great alternative to buying an expensive wall mount!

Photo by Patrick on Ikeahackers