In 2006 a Malaysian woman called Jules Yap needed decoration ideas for her new apartment. This was before Pinterest or Instagram existed, so Yap had spent hours browsing websites and blogs when she discovered a group of people sharing their DIY adaptations of Ikea furniture online.
She decided to have a go herself — turning a RIBBA picture frame into a watch case — and very soon she was hooked.
Nearly twenty years later, at a time when most digital trends become stale in a week, Ikea hacking might be the longest-running viral movement of all time.
“Back then, it was a niche corner of the internet, just a few of us tinkering with flat-packs and sharing our ideas. Today it’s global” says Yap, who has watched Ikea hacking grow and evolve with the birth of Instagram and TikTok.
“Early hacks were about simple necessity-driven modifications — painting shelves to suit your home decor, adding wheels to a LACK table” she says, but “now we’re seeing incredibly polished transformations that rival high-end bespoke furniture.”
The DIY movement has also given rise to a number of offshoot ‘hacking’ businesses, from bespoke kitchen doors which fit Ikea carcasses to slip covers for its sofas and chairs. Swedish brand Superfront sells new handles, fronts and tops for your Ikea furniture, while fabric brands such as Comfortly let you select your model of Ikea sofa or chair and select replacement covers from categories such as ‘pet friendly’, ‘natural’ or ‘luxurious’.
Swedish brand Superfront sells handles, fronts and tops for your Ikea furniture
Alexander Lagergren
Yap’s relationship with Ikea itself hasn’t always been amicable. In 2014 the company issued her a cease and desist letter over trademarking of the Ikeahackers name, which nearly drove her to close the website.
But following a backlash from the hacking community, Ikea contacted Yap and they came to an agreement.
Ikeahackers remains independent but Yap says her relationship with the Swedish interiors brand is now “collaborative and respectful.”
The flatpack store even tipped its hat to the movement with a Swedish exhibition of designer hacks in 2018, and it now frequently incorporates “hackability” into its designs, says Yap.
“They’ve recognized that customisation is part of what makes their products appeal to such a wide audience.”
Cheryl Brown @cb_loves_interiors_20 | Instagram
Is there anything Yap would never hack? “Some IKEA pieces are design icons in their own right and don’t need changing, like the DYVLINGE armchair. And the STOCKHOLM range — I wouldn’t hack a thing”.
Otherwise her philosophy is “never say never”.
“Every time I think something can’t be improved upon, someone in the community proves me wrong with an ingenious transformation.”
As Ikea opens its Oxford Street store on May 1, here are some of the biggest, best and most creative hacks.
The salad bowl side table
What looks like it was shipped straight from Milan Design Week is actually made from glued together Ikea fruit bowls. See also the salad bowl coffee table — for Soho Home vibes on a budget.
For every cash-strapped millennial for whom a built-in library wall seemed far out of reach, the BILLY hack gives bookcase credibility on a budget. This HAVSTA-BILLY combo hack went viral for its wheel-out bar.
Another clever way to get the stylish curved furniture look on a budget. This one is also practical for bedside storage.
It’s those salad bowls again. This time for a lamp with a Danish mid-century aesthetic.
The flower box foot stool
The caramel velvet cushion and stained wood makes this basic planter look like high design.
The embroidered storage table
A clever, beautiful twist on an ottoman.
Because the reeded trend isn’t going away, this is one way to do it on a budget.
The cutlery drawer dressing table
Bring a deeply satisfying Marie Kondo order to the bedroom via the Ikea kitchen department.
The drying rack sock drawer organiser
Another kitchen-wardrobe mashup to make your sock drawer look high end.
The bed with added panelling
LED-lit paneling gives this basic NEIDEN bed frame 1970s cool.
The glass cabinet greenhouse
Much like the BILLY library, the Ikea greenhouse hack has become so big it’s almost an entire subtrend of its own, with hackers adding hydroponic lights, humidifiers and shelving to glass cabinets.