IKEA Hacks: 5 Ways To Upgrade Your Living Space for $100 or Less

Anyone who’s ever walked inside an IKEA might have felt like they were passing through a portal into so many potential realities: Room after room staged to the nines, giving a sense of how decor can give a space its character.

If the immaculate staging of an IKEA showroom proves one thing, it’s that investing a little care and strategy can upgrade four walls into a work of art. While IKEA employs professionals to create these beautiful rooms, you can make your spaces so much more compelling — and save money — with the right IKEA products and a willingness to experiment.

GOBankingRates looks at some ways you can use IKEA furniture and decor to upgrade your space.

Part of showing your guests a good time goes far beyond the quality of the drinks you offer — it’s all about the elegant and cozy vibes of the space you’re sharing. With just a NISSAFORS cart and some spray paint, you can create a bar cart that belongs in the chicest speakeasy. 

At only $29.99, the cart is inexpensive enough to let you load up on multiple cans of spray paint to coat everything as thickly as you’d like. 

Technically, IKEA Hackers offered instructions on converting the MÖRKRÄDD night light into a model of the Death Star for a children’s bedroom. But there’s no reason that Star Wars fans of all ages can’t bring some movie magic into any room. 

All you need is a MÖRKRÄDD night light for only $5.99 and a 3D print of the Death Star. The IKEA Hackers website provides complete directions and a link to a free model.

Whether your bathroom is on the smaller side or you’re neatnik — or all the above — you can declutter your sink and drawers easily with the UPPDATERA set of three boxes.

Priced at only $8, these boxes should fit evenly in many bathroom drawers and cabinets, allowing you to store everything with a tidiness that helps you declutter your sink. 

For most working adults, your desk is more than just where you get in the zone during a workday — it’s also a repository for all the flash drives, wires, headphones, and other bric-a-brac.

Instead of cramming everything into coffee cups, or worse, leaving everything out in the open, why not use the elegant ÅKERBÄR greenhouse to store your supplies?

At only $22.99, you could also include a few fake plants or succulents depending on your space needs. 

A ton of muddy shoes strewn across a mudroom isn’t just visually unappealing, it can be downright unsafe as a tripping hazard.

However, there’s an easy and inexpensive hack for the KALLAX shelf unit: Just turn it on its side and use the shelf units for your shoes. At only $49.99, you could even pile up two and create a unit for backpacks, bags and purses. 

Editor’s note: Prices and availability are accurate as of May 23, 2025, and are subject to change.  

Heather Taylor contributed to the reporting for this article.