IKEA mirrors are an inexpensive way to add depth and interest to a wall. Mirrors reflect light and movement in a room, they’re eye-catching, and they can make a space appear bigger than it is.
If you know us here at Curbly, you know we LOVE a good IKEA hack. While mirrors serve their purpose, many people look for ways to hack and personalize mirrors to make them unique and more fitting for their individual tastes and needs.
Whether in your entryway, bedroom, or bathroom, a mirror makes a great addition to any space. And luckily for everyone, hacking a one-of-a-kind mirror is easy, thanks to IKEA. Happy crafting!
Here we’ll create a unique mirror by transforming a cork trivet from IKEA into a wall mirror. Read on to check out this impossibly simple process.
Industrial IKEA Mirror Hack
This post features a creative and affordable solution for home decor enthusiasts looking to add a statement piece to their space—a giant IKEA hack mirror inspired by the latest TikTok trends.
A DIY Antiqued Mirror
This IKEA mirror hack goes back in time with an antiqued look. Believe it or not, to make this aged piece, you don’t need a mirror—it all starts with a picture frame.
Abstract Watercolor Mirror
Add abstract interest to any IKEA mirror (or any glass, period!) by adding some watered-down glass paint. Here they’re using an IKEA LANGESUND mirror (it costs $27.99), perfect for a small entryway.
West Elm Mirror Hack
In this post, Victoria walks us through, step-by-step, her process for making this gorgeous West Elm dupe from a much less expensive IKEA Hovet mirror.
Suspended Mirror Hack
This hack doesn’t use an IKEA mirror at all—it’s the tray that’s the hacked piece, paired with a few other simple supplies.
IKEA HONEFOSS Tiled Entry
This one is less of an IKEA mirror hack, and more inspiration. Check out how these HONEFOSS mirror tiles are hung.
Note: these mirror tiles aren’t available in the US anymore, but you can purchase them on eBay, details are at the end of the post.
IKEA HONEFOSS Tiled Ceiling
More HONEFOSS tile inspiration from Lauren’s Bold Chicago Apartment tour on Apartment Therapy. This time they’re adding height and interest to a dark ceiling.
Note: these mirror tiles aren’t available in the US anymore, but you can purchase them on eBay, details are at the end of the post.
Farmhouse Window Mirror Hack
Check out this tutorial for transforming an IKEA floor length mirror into a faux farmhouse window mirror on the cheap.
The Ultimate Gilded Mirror Hack
Donovan transforms a simple IKEA mirror into a gilded thing of beauty using little more than some wood appliques and some spray paint. Head over to Apartment Therapy for the details.
DIY Mirrored Secretary Desk
There’s no need to limit reflection to walls—check out this DIY mirrored secretary desk using a HEMNES secretary desk and some overlays. This treatment could be applied to all kinds of IKEA pieces, from nightstands to the back of shelving.
DIY Organic Mirror
This organic mirror is one of the more creative IKEA mirror hacks we’ve found and it all comes together with a simple mirrored tile and a little cardboard and clay. Head over to Isoscella for all the details and buy them a coffee while you’re there!
Ikea MONGSTAD Faux Grasscloth Wallpaper Mirror
Who would have thought coving a dark, drab mirror with a little wallpaper could completely transform a hallway from a black hole to a lighter and brighter space? In just a few hours, you could be there too.
Lighted Mirror With IKEA Nissedal
Add a little ambient lighting to your space with this clever mirror project from IKEA Hackers.
Mirrored Table Cubes
No need to keep mirrors on the wall! Add some light to your living room with this project from Easy Interior.
Star Mirror Project
Sure, this may look expensive, but don’t be fooled! This hack only cost a few dollars. All you need is a mirror, some wooden dowels, and a can of spray paint.
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There are many different ways to hack and personalize IKEA mirrors to make them unique and fitting for your individual needs and tastes. Whether you’re looking to add a touch of glamour to your space, or simply create a functional and stylish element, these hacks are a great starting point. So, try out these ideas and get creative with your IKEA mirrors today!
Sarah writes about all things shopping for Apartment Therapy, The Kitchn, and Cubby helping you find the best deals and the best products for you and your home. A Brooklyn-born Jersey Girl, she loves a good playlist, a good bagel, and her family (but not necessarily in that order).
Sarah is a staff writer at Apartment Therapy. She completed her MA in journalism at the University of Missouri and has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Belmont University. Past writing and editing stops include HGTV Magazine, Nashville Arts Magazine, and several outlets local to her hometown, Columbia, Missouri.
Sarah is a staff writer at Apartment Therapy. She completed her MA in journalism at the University of Missouri and has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Belmont University. Past writing and editing stops include HGTV Magazine, Nashville Arts Magazine, and several outlets local to her hometown, Columbia, Missouri.
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
We could talk about IKEA hacks all day, all month, all year… literally all the time. There’s always something new and creative that DIYers, designers, people on a budget, and Scandinavian design lovers are dreaming up, and more often than not, an affordable piece of unassuming furniture is transformed into a truly elegant piece. Whether it’s combining multiple IKEA pieces, swapping out doors and hardware, adding textural interest, or a few coats of paint, we’ve seen tons of impressive IKEA hacks this year, but here are 12 of our favorites we saw in house tours this year.
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1. From Gray IKEA HAVSTA Cupboard to Bright Red TV Cabinet
Hannah Drakeford produced a highly original and creative TV cabinet for her Southeast London home with an IKEA HAVSTA unit, which she actually scored for £20 on eBay. Her process was as follows: She knocked out the middle panels of the doors and removed the cabinet base, primed and painted all elements using Vintro Valentine chalk paint, added new feet, replaced the door panels with painted garden canes and glued them into place, and finally added semi-circular handles.
2. From Freestanding IKEA Bookcase to Space-Saving Built-In
One of the most unique ways we’ve seen an IKEA piece used? Scott Kangas had his KALLAX unit built into the wall of his entryway of his Chicago apartment. “When the developer was rehabbing the space,” Scott says, “I asked him if he could build my existing IKEA bookcase right into the wall between my kitchen and bedroom, I drew him a diagram on a napkin and he agreed. It’s accessible from both sides and is deep enough for a double row of books, much needed by me. It’s also great for displaying my antique clock that I bought myself for my 21st birthday along with some of my matte white ceramic collection.”
3. From Skinny BILLY Bookcases to Dreamy Green Built-In Showstopper
After months of searching for a bookcase that fit the exact space of her Roosevelt Island apartment, Sarah Jackson decided to DIY it herself with five IKEA BILLY bookcases. “Simply put,” Sarah says, “it’s constructed with five of the classic BILLY bookcases, with custom doors, hardware, and trim to give it a more refined, elevated look. The bookcase serves as not only much needed functional storage in an NYC apartment, but also a great way to display little artifacts from our life story and marriage. It represents a celebration of us and our journey as a couple, ranging with sentimental objects from our engagement in Cuba, elopement in Vegas, European travels together, and more, all within an earth-toned color scheme.”
4. From IKEA BESTA Cabinets to Custom Credenza
If you’re having trouble finding the media credenza of your dreams, take a page out of Ben Cuevas’ book and hack some IKEA pieces together, seen here in his LA apartment. “I love a good upcycled IKEA hack,” Ben says, and the credenza is “two of IKEA’s BESTÅ cabinets, which I attached together and added walnut/brass mid-century tapered legs from PrettyPegs, and hand-made leather/brass drawer pulls from Rowzec, a German leather artisan on Etsy.”
5. From a Plain Gray IKEA Chair to Hand-painted Floral Lounge
This one is as simple as it gets. In lieu of her dream chair (the Knoll Womb Chair) Meagan Jain added some life to a plain IKEA armchair in this sweet reading nook in her Brooklyn apartment. “I like to get creative with what we have,” Meagan says. “We have this plain IKEA chair I bought from Facebook Marketplace that I painted daisies on and even though it wasn’t expensive, painting the daisies on it made it one of my favorite pieces.”
6. IKEA MOPPE Mini Storage Chests Turned Floating Nightstands
For a colorful (and storage-heavy) alternative to traditional nightstands, Haley Boyko painted two IKEA MOPPE mini storage chests a bright kelly green, then mounted them on either side of the bed to act as floating nightstands in her Long Beach, California, loft.
7. From Plain IKEA Mirror to Gold-Leaf Vintage Vibes
For an IKEA flip that anyone can do, Roanna Cochrane upgraded an IKEA NISSEDAL mirror that lives in the bedroom of her Toronto apartment. “I took a plain IKEA mirror and made it into a gold leaf, vintage-looking mirror,” Roanna says, and “it turns out that the worse you are at applying gold leaf evenly, the better! Who knew?! It looks so authentic and I feel so proud when I see it.”
8. From Plain Round Mirror to Custom Ball Mirror
For a more whimsical IKEA mirror DIY, Megan Zietz added little balls around the outside of a round mirror for a bit more flair in her Astoria, NYC, office.
9. From IKEA PAX Cabinets to Custom-Looking Cane Storage
Leave it to a couple of artists and woodworkers to totally transform one of IKEA’s most iconic pieces into a completely custom wardrobe unit. Aleksandra Zee and Antrom Kury needed extra storage in their Oakland, California, home, so they decided to take a PAX unit and give it a makeover to match the rest of their decor, and stand out as a piece of art itself. “Making over IKEA furniture is a game changer,” Aleksandra says, “for me, as a maker, if I can’t find it sold somewhere I make it. I love that my hubby is always game for my wild ideas!”
10. From IKEA IVAR Cabinet to Custom Console
“Our living room is our family room,” says Momina of her Toronto, Canada home. “We spend all our time there with kids outside of work and school. So it was important to have their (painfully growing) collection of toys in sight but not really in sight.” So she decided to customize four IKEA IVAR cabinets into a TV console that actually hold all the kids’ toys. Using framing lumber, she built a base for the four cabinets to sit on so that the base and cabinets were secured and flush against the wall. Thinking ahead, she made sure to drill some holes on the insides of the cabinet sides so TV wires could be easily hidden later. Momina added half-round pine molding to form a border around the cabinet doors and painted the cabinet fronts a neutral beige-gray (Behr’s “Wheat Bread“), then finished off the DIY with grasscloth peel-and-stick wallpaper.
11. From Simple IKEA Dressers to Elevated Storage
“A little project that I’m fond of (and which actually inspired me to start an Instagram account),” says Josie of her Lower East Side apartment, “was the dresser stand. We have two black IKEA MALM dressers, which always looked a little like the kind of thing you would put in a kids room in a rental without a lot of thought. I felt like it needed some kind of legs. I love the project partially because it was so simple to construct, and partially because despite the simplicity of construction, it came out looking really beautiful, with the raw wood color working perfectly with the black and both physically and metaphorically elevating the dressers.”
12. A Custom Entertainment System
“I’m really proud of the entertainment center I built around my television,” says Grace Zhang about her Brooklyn apartment. “This was my first power-tool project, and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to pull it off. I ended up researching a few IKEA hacks and was able to make it look fully custom.” To us, it looks like a 3-section BESTA unit with two doors, sitting on a custom frame.
