7 Best IKEA Hacks for Organizing Small Spaces

Even without the vast layout, incredible meatballs, and shockingly clean layout, IKEA is a godsend. The Swedish DIY furniture company is one of the easiest ways for beginners and pros to flex the LEGO-building skill they learned during childhood and apply them to real life.

Whatever you want, they have. And whatever they have, you want. But the goodness doesn’t end there. Did you know there are some pieces of IKEA furniture that you can hack and use beyond their intended purpose?

Oh yeah, it’s true. The best place in the world just got a whole lot better.

IKEA Hack #1: RÅSKOG Utility cart as a bar cart

Sure, “RÅSKOG” may be tough to pronounce, but that shouldn’t stop you from getting one into your apartment ASAP. It’s born as a portable utility cart/bedside table that lets you easily store books, towels, kitchen utensils, and trinkets.

Now picture this simple utility cart filled with booze:

That’s right, RÅSKOG makes the best bar cart you’ve ever seen. It’s sturdy, stylish, and will keep your liquor safe no matter where you roll this puppy to.Each tier has its own purpose that you can customize based on your preferences. Here’s how I do it: bottles on the top, bitters down below, and glassware on the bottom. Dear diary: jackpot.

IKEA Hack #2: Billy Bookcases as a sideways library

One book-filled bookshelf will make you look like a total class act, but a wall furnished with books is going to turn you into a legend. If you have the wall space to accommodate more than one BILLY Bookcase, put each one side by side to create a sideways library like Karl Lagerfeld’s:

There’s something inherently romantic and mysterious about a person who lives in a library. Set up a nice-looking leather chair nearby, grab a couple of expensive cigars, and enjoy reading the night away in your room full of paper.

IKEA Hack #3: LÄMPLIG Trivet as a tie rack

The LÄMPLIG Trivet can be used as a dual cooling rack and — wait for it — tie rack:

The masterful craftswoman theonlylady007 on Ikea Hackers put together a simple “Lamplig trivet into tie rack” tutorial. It only involves one extra step to morph something that was made for your kitchen into something that belongs in your bedroom. All you need to do is secure the LÄMPLIG on the inside of your closet, gather some of your favorite ties, and voila: a simple way to keep all your suit accessories in check.

IKEA Hack #4: VALBY RUTA Rug as a tapestry

What’s the main difference between a small rug and a tapestry? Easy, the placement.

While this idea requires a fair amount of wall space and a bit of ingenuity, bringing back the tapestry scene, so to speak, will more than make up for the bare floor you’ll be left with.

Choosing a smaller-sized rug is absolutely the way to go, as not everyone is blessed with enormous walls worthy of a tapestry. However, when that small rug is secured and adorned with a mid-century couch, you’ll feel like the king you never were in a kingdom that never was.

IKEA Hack #5: BEKVÄM butcher block as a bathroom organizer

A butcher block in the bathroom?! That’s right, so hear us out. Taking the BEKVÄM out of its natural kitchen habitat and sticking it in your bathroom willreturn the room to the glory it deserves. Why not use the BEKVÄM as a spot to keep your morning routine’s finest ingredients: cologne, shaving soap, combs, shaving cream, and more!

Your run-of-the-mill metal shelving unit doesn’t have the warmth and charm of solid wood. But it can. If you stick a BEKVAM in your bathroom and never look back.

IKEA HACK #6: RUNNEN floor decking as a bath mat

Why settle for a cheap bath mat when you can build your own spa-style mat for a cheap price? Forget the outdoors (which shouldn’t be too difficult if you’re on the East Coast), and focus on bringing RUNNEN floor decking indoors. Because once you fasten together the tiles and shear off the end-knobs, you’ve got a way to ensure that every time you step out of the shower, you step into paradise.

IKEA HACK #7: NORDLI dresser as a record player stand with storage

If you collect vinyl records with the same love and intensity that you collect clothes, then you should have no problem using the NORDLI to store your vinyl records. And since is a modular dresser that you put together, you can choose how many or little records you store inside its drawers.

Of course, on top of the dresser would go your record player and speakers instead of the pillows in the above image. Now, all you have to do is find a record player …

This article was written by Charles Adams, a Connecticut-born writer who currently resides in Brooklyn and has written for a multitude of men’s interests sites under a number of pseudonyms.