“What the blinking heck is an Ikea hack?” was the reaction of my better half when I told him the topic of my RMS post this week. If you too, like Rich, have been living under a rock and don’t know what an Ikea hack is, it’s where you buy something from Ikea and turn it from a piece of furniture that every man and his dog owns into a totally bespoke, one-of-a-kind item.

Now Ikea is the classic go-to store for hacks but it’s by no means the only one. As Lauren showed with her tray table from Argos which she transformed into a luxe gin bar. Let’s face it, Ikea can be hell on earth if you go there on a Saturday afternoon or, God forbid, a bank holiday. However, I do find their furniture pretty foolproof to put together and of course it is one of the more affordable home stores. And for any Midlanders that may be reading, Ikea have recently opened up an Order and Collection Point only store in Birmingham city centre. No more having to elbow your way through the crowds and bypass the kids section because you know your two year old will happily spend all day in there…

Anyway, on with the hacks.

1. The Hemnes Sideboard

I kick myself on an almost daily basis that I spent so much money on an Ercol chest of drawers when I could simply have hacked an Ikea Hemnes sideboard to create a similarly-proportioned unit for our master bedroom, as Lauren did in hers. Granted, I did manage to find our drawers on Ebay, but they were still a lot more than the £195 Hemnes price tag.

2. The Ribba Picture Ledge

As pathetic as it sounds, I was a bit sad when I googled ‘Ribba Picture Ledges’ only to find that Ikea no longer sell them! Charlotte introduced me to these and I now have them dotted around the house. They are brill if you, like me, are nervous about knocking numerous holes in walls and are prone to changing your mind about picture arrangements. Adam and Lizzie did a hack-of-sorts by displaying their aftershave and perfume on Ribba ledges in their last home. What better way to show off your smellies? (And I’m really not TOO sad about the fact that the Ribba is no more, apparently 2017 is all about the Knoppang and the Mosslanda).

3. The Hemnes Bedside Table

I do love the Ikea Hemnes range and with just the smallest touches you can make the items even more covetable, as rvk_loves showed us in her master bedroom, by replacing the knobs on her bedside table. It’s downright amazing what a difference a small change can make. (And if you have a soft spot for her copper desk lamps, they are currently in the Dunelm sales).

4. The Vittsjo Console Table

The first time I met Lauren I was despairing about not being able to find the perfect console table. She mentioned this concrete topped little beauty which she and James had created using the Vittsjo and although it turned out to be too wide for my hallway, I love it so much that I am still tempted to have a go at creating one and trying to find a spot for it in my house.

5. The Ikea PS 2012 Chest of Drawers

Ahh, revisiting Lyra’s nursery tour has made me so sentimental and excited to start decorating the new nursery for the impending arrival! I liked the unusual shape of this chest of drawers and using a lick of paint I was able to transform it into a piece of furniture that fit in perfectly with the pastel colour scheme.

So there you have it. Some easy and simple hacks as tried and tested by the team. You now have no excuse not to get your decorating hat on.

Are you an Ikea hacker? I would love to hear all about it…