Sometimes finding the right storage solutions for your home can be hard. So many factors to consider, usually the main one been budget. I’m a budget conscious sort of gal’ and I’m guessing if you’ve clicked on this post you are too. The Ikea Kallax cube shelf has to be the most versatile and functional item Ikea sells. Though fabulous for organizing, it can look quite plain and boring when you’re trying to personalize a room in your home.
That’s why these Ikea Kallax Hacks are not only brilliant for organizing your entire home but they also add a personal touch to suit your unique taste and style.


The great thing about these Kallax ideas are that they are quite easy to create. Replicate a look or be inspired to create your own hack. The opportunities to drastically change this fun piece of furniture are endless.
But first, let me reiterate my point about how awesome Ikea really is! Ikea furniture is possibly one of the most fun, affordable and adaptable brands out there and with good reason. Ikea creates their furniture to look great, be completely functional and simple enough that it allows us, the buyer to change and modify pieces as we please to suit our individual style. With a little imagination and the right supplies, you will be well on your way to becoming an expert Ikea Hacker!
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20 of the best Ikea Kallax Hacks to Organize your entire home
RUSTIC CUBE SHELVES
When it comes to customizing your Ikea Kallax, the possibilities are almost endless. Get some reclaimed wood and get your hands working! Who would have thought such a modern piece of furniture could be transformed into a Rustic beauty! An Ikea Kallax hack at its finest!
DIY Rustic Cube Shelves by AKA Designs
READING CORNER WITH STORAGE
This Kallax Ikea hack is the perfect solution to getting your kids to read more. Honestly, who wouldn’t want their own personal reading nook? Better yet, look at all the added storage space you get as a bonus… perfect for extra bedding or off-season clothing.
Teddy Cubby and Reading Corner from Ikea Hackers
LIVING ROOM STORAGE UNIT
Just think of everything you can organize and store in this long Kallax storage unit. It’s so spacious, chances are you’ll have room left over. Change the look completely with different styles of baskets, galvanized tins and seasonal decor.
Ikea Expedit Into Long Storage Unit from honeybearlane.com
FARMHOUSE LOCKERS
These lockers have to be one of the coolest Ikea Kallax hacks we have ever seen! Wouldn’t it look great in a rec room or basement? Better yet, in a large entranceway where your family and guests have plenty of space to store jackets, shoes, bags and more! Do you love this Ikea Kallax DIY as much as we do?
Ikea Hack: How To Turn A Bookcase Into Lockers from littlehouseoffour.com
A MID CENTURY MODERN BEAUTY
This Ikea hack is great for smaller spaces. Give any space mid-century modern elegance in a few easy steps. Decorate with books, collectables and other decor and you can use this in any room in your home. It would be perfect as bedside tables, for the living room or even a smaller entrance.
Mid-Century Modern Kallax from hawthorneandmain.com
KIDS WINDOW BENCH
Have you always wanted a window seat but money is tight or you live in a rental and can’t make large changes? This project can transform wishes into reality. Ad storage and comfort into a special spot in your home. This Ikea Kallax hack doesn’t have to be for a kids room. Take inspiration and create a stunning bench for any adult space in your home too.
Ikea No Sew Window Bench Tutorial from mommyvignettes.blogspot.com
DIY IKEA KALLAX
INDUSTRIAL IKEA KALLAX HACK
Kallax IKEA hacks come in all styles and this Industrial hack is simply fabulous! Check out the clever kallax DIY tutorial on how to get this faux metallic look without adding extra weight or spending a fortune on materials and tools!
Ikea Kallax Industrial Storage Hack from grillo-designs.com
DIY Kallax Hacks for the Garage!
Let’s talk garage storage for a moment! There’s never enough of it. Am I right? Open IKEA storage cubes and pegboard is what makes this hack so simple yet so genius! Just think of how great it would be to never have to blindly search for your missing hammer or flashlight again. This has to be one of the most functional Ikea Kallax ideas I have seen, a fabulous Kallax workstation hack.
Ikea Garage Storage Solution from Polished Habitat
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A Beach Style Kallax
Love beachy decor? How about this unique etched octopus hack? This piece really is a statement in any coastal style room.
Etched Octodraws For Expedit/Kallax from ikeahackers.net
VINTAGE CUBBY HACK
Speaking of vintage, the look is obviously here to stay. A great place to display your glassware and vintage decor, it is a perfect addition to any kitchen or dining area. Aren’t the label holders a fabulous touch? You honestly won’t believe how inexpensive they are!
Ikea Vintage Cubby Hack by Petal and Ply
RUSTIC BEDSIDE TABLE
This is another example of a fairly simple rustic shelving unit that fits in with all types of decor. The Ikea Kallax really is a perfect option for cheap bedside tables. Wrapping wood around the cube itself is a fantastic idea, don’t you think? See the tutorial for exact details!
Rustic Ikea Shelf by Making It In The Mountains
CHIC STORAGE UNIT
It’s hard to believe that this beauty is the result of an IKEA hack. In this case, all of the doors are store-bought. But, that doesn’t mean you couldn’t make them yourself. The simple overlays only add to the piece’s overall appeal. This is style and elegance of a small budget!
Ikea Kallax Storage Unit Hack from thepinkdream.com
ENTRYWAY TABLE
Looking for more unique Ikea Kallax hacks? Create a unique design on the surface of your Kallax cubes for an original design. Add cute storage boxes for closed storage, which keeps things looking all the more tidier.
Transforming Expedit Shelves With Paint Sticks from amykrist.org
Ikea Kallax TV Stand Hack
(MAKE A TV STAND)
This Kallax tv stand hack is self-explanatory but we had to include it here. Yet another great way to use an Ikea Kallax in your home and another way to make it personalized.
Shelving Unit To TV Stand from infarrantlycreative.net
FROM KALLAX TO KITCHEN ISLAND
If you’ve priced kitchen islands lately or ever, you’re probably aware that they’re quite expensive. But, there’s no need to panic! This particular island might be just what you’re looking for. Thanks to the Kallax, it’s affordable to put together, provides lots of storage for your kitchen goods and works well in small spaces.
Ikea Kallax Kitchen Island Hack from jenloumeredith.com
Changing Table with plenty of storage
I remember looking at change tables for my son’s nursery and noticing how expensive they are if you want a really nice one and the storage options were not great. WHY not make your own? Plenty of storage, it looks super cute and you can completely personalize it to suit your baby’s room theme and decor.
Bookcase To Wood-Wrapped Changing Table from younghouselove.com
Cocktails Anyone?
Like kitchen islands, bar carts can be on the expensive side. This one, on the other hand, will cost you a fraction of the price. Since it’s on casters, it’s easy to serve drinks inside or out. The choice is up to you.
Ikea Hack Bar Cart from sugarandcloth.com
CRAFTROOM STORAGE
( Kallax Workstation Hack )
I’m totally in love with this craft room worktable. It’s just the right height and has scads of storage space. There’s no need to worry about ruining the work surface. Why? It’s easy to replace, if and when the time comes. It’s also a fabulous kallax desk hack if you want a big office desk with plenty of storage and space!
Ikea Hack: Craft Room Work Table from landeeseelandeedo.com
SIMPLE KALLX SHELF HACK
Don’t you just love the legs attached to this bookcase? They give a basic piece of furniture a mid-century modern look, without even trying. Whether you use it for books, photos, plants or collectibles, you won’t regret the very minimal amount of work you put into creating this beautiful piece of furniture.
Kallax Expedit Hack from deliacreates.com
CONVERTIBLE TOY STORAGE
And lastly, the Ikea Kallax is PERFECT for all things kids storage! I hide most of my kid’s toys in Kallax Cubes around the house. If you’re looking for a convertible toy storage option then this one might do the trick. It features both open and closed storage, which makes it easy for kids to quickly locate what they’re searching for.
Quick And Convertible Toy Storage from themakerista.com
So next time you see a plain Ikea Kallax think of ALL the possibilities this one item can have! I hope these Ikea Kallax hacks have inspired you today and you find new purpose in your Kallax!
Here are our top picks to help you recreate one or more of these Ikea Kallax DIY ‘s !

Enjoyed these Kallax Ikea ideas? Pin it so you don’t forget it!

Wow, this is definitely making me look at the KALAX in a different light. Loving the lockers.
Yes Claire, they really are so versatile and love that you can think up so many ways to make them unique! The lockers would have to be my favorite I think!
Maria, this is a great post on tips for Ikea hacks. I know my room above the garage is going to need some easy ideas for storage once its finished. I’ll save this for my project that starts in a few months. I start renovating it.
Maria
Maria, Thanks so much for sharing our updated IKEA cubbies.
You may want to consider changing out the image though. The image you used was our inspiration image, one I found on PInterest, which I believe was originally from a Pottery Barn catalog. It is not an image of our actual project.
Oh no. I will get on to changing this asap Jessica! Thanks for letting me know! x
Wow. Loving the lockers. I know my room is going to need some easy ideas for storage once its finished. Happy weekend!
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for featuring my hack! 🙂
Love the rest of the hacks too! Great post 🙂
Jen xx
jenloumeredith.com
You’re very welcome Jen! 🙂
Some great ideas and a couple that I’m going to try in my next apartment.
Glad you like these ideas Debrah! Keep an eye out as I have a lot more Ikea Hack posts coming soon! 🙂 Have a great day!
I loved these ideas! We have several of these units in different sizes and have moved them around and used them in many different ways. We’ve been hesitant to permanently alter them as we are not yet settled in a house of our own. All the units are black/brown. If you have any ideas/tips to lighten them up and add a slightly more shabby chic look, I would be very excited to have them.
Hi Dana, so sorry for late reply! I’m glad you like this roundup of fabulous Ikea Hacks! We love them also. As for adding shabby chic touch to your Kallax units, this can easily be done. You will need to sand them so they have a rough texture then paint over with white chalk paint (or even latex paint without a shine) then use some sandpaper to distress. I would suggest looking for tutorials on Google and practicing on a cheap piece of furniture before attempting. Remember preparation is key so that the pain doesn’t just peel off ones it dries. This is a great tutorial over at Grillo Designs to help you get started on painting Ikea furniture. She is the queen of painting Ikea and you can always send her an email if you’re still confused. https://grillo-designs.com/paint-ikea-furniture-easy/
Good luck 🙂
I looked at this pin with the blue shelves and went straight to IKEA, I found the Kallax, but the two bookshelves on either end didn’t seem to exist. I’m super bummed. I totally just wasted a weekend trying to find this configuration at IKEA. More details included with the pin would have been nice. Where can I find the two shelves on either side of the Kallax? My husband might kill me as I’ve already had him put together 3 Kallax in my effort to replicate this pin, but it’s not the right size now, and I can not find any information on what was used in the picture.
Hi Mimi, thanks for your message, I will also email you with this same response in hope you receive this response. I am glad you liked the Ikea Hacks featured on this post. This post I have written is a blog post featuring different Ikea Hacks, since they are projects created by other bloggers I can not provide the tutorials and if you wish to know exactly how the projects were created, then I provide a link to each project under each image so you can read how to recreate every project. Here is the link to the project you are wanting to replicate: https://www.honeybearlane.com/2016/06/ikea-hack-expedit-long-storage-unit.html . If you have a read she does state that the ends are bookcases she got given for free that happened to be the perfect height, but she does link to bookcases similar height. I would suggest you have a read over her tutorial and see what other solutions you can find to replicate the look. Since it is DIY it won’t always look exact but hopefully, you can find something that will work well and match. Unfortunately, with DIY projects it can take time to find the right pieces and when an Ikea item is hacked not everything used is from Ikea, it comes down to the creativity of the person who has hacked the item, in this case the Kallax. I hope me providing this link helps a little and you find use in heading over to the step by step tutorial. Thanks for writing and I wish you all the best! Maria.