How to Change the Look of Your Living Room with Spruced Up IKEA Furniture?

Whether you live alone or with a big family, your living room is likely to be that one space in the entire house where everyone spends the most time. It constantly serves everyone’s comings and goings, and with time, you might notice that it all starts to show. And if you’ve ever tried to decorate and stage a room to make it look not only beautiful but also cozy and inviting, you surely know that this uneasy task can get pretty expensive.

Luckily, there are many ways to achieve the desired look without breaking the bank. For instance, you already might have some IKEA furniture in your house – many of their products are extremely affordable and versatile, so you can easily change their look.

Once you’ve decided which of your pieces could use a makeover, it’s time to unleash your creativity and put your DIY skills to the test. In the article below, we will guide you through a few brilliant ideas you can feel free to steal and use to give your beloved living room a trendy and refreshed look!

Replace Solid Doors with Rattan

In the past few years, rattan furniture has quickly found itself to be one of the hottest trends in the world of home décor, and for a good reason. However, rattan furniture can get pretty expensive. That’s why you can limit the amount of rattan you use by only replacing the solid door panels in your IKEA furniture, such as the Hauga wardrobe or the Ivar cabinet.

Materials:

• Cane webbing
• Jigsaw
• Power drill
• Screwdriver
• Scissors
• Staple gun
• Measuring tape

Instructions:

The process of replacing solid door panels with rattan is relatively straightforward but will require you to use a few tools, so make sure that you’re familiar with a power drill or a staple gun before taking this project on. If you don’t own them, check out Coupon Ninja to get the best deals.

You will need to start by removing the doors. If they come with wooden battens fixed across the back, you’ll need to get rid of them using a simple screwdriver. Take off the doors and lay them on the floor to measure a rectangular panel in the center. It can be as big or small as you want – we recommend that you leave about 2 inches from the side.

Next, use a power drill to make a hole in each corner of your rectangle. Make sure that your holes are located inside the lines that you sketched. Once you’re done, place the jigsaw blade through the hole in the corner and start cutting. Work slowly and carefully – you want a clean edge. If your lines are rough from the jigsaw blade, you can sand them.

Now, cut the cane webbing, so your sheet is slightly bigger than the rectangular hole you just cut out in the doors. Stretch it well and start stapling it to the wood. Be careful not to cover up the holes for the hinges; you’ll need them to install the door hardware back. You can simply assemble the cabinet or wardrobe back when everything is ready and enjoy your new, trendy furniture.

Make Your Furniture Look Luxurious with Paint and New Hardware

Most of the IKEA furniture comes in neutral colors that are easy to style in every space. However, if you’re bored with your pieces’ generic white or natural light wood color, you can give them a quick facelift by painting them and replacing the hardware. Choose dark paint colors such as black, navy blue, eggplant, or deep crimson for a unique and luxurious look. Replace the hardware with gold handles or knobs, and the result will amaze you.

Materials:

• 80 grit sandpaper
• Shellac-based primer (it will stick to every surface)
• Paint of your choice (we recommend latex, acrylic, or chalk paint)
• Paintbrushes
• Foam rollers
• Gold hardware

Instructions:

Before painting, disassemble the furniture. Use the sandpaper to scuff up the surface, then wipe off all the dust. Apply a coat of shellac-based primer. Don’t skip this step or your paint won’t stick later. Once the primer is dry to touch, apply another coat.

Using your brushes and foam rollers, apply two coats of paint, allowing it to try in between coats. Let the final coat dry for at least 24 hours before sealing it with wax or a sealer of your choice. For a luxurious matte finish that will go well with your gold hardware, we recommend that you use a clear wax. Don’t worry if the wax looks blotchy after applying. Let it sit for a few hours, and then wipe any excess with an old clean sock.

Now you can assemble the furniture, screw on your new hardware, and you’re done!

Use Contact Paper

Using contact paper is one of the easiest and quickest ways to change the way your IKEA furniture looks completely. Whether it’s a desk, a coffee table, a dresser, or a TV console, you can make it look insanely good in just a few effortless and straightforward steps.

Materials:

• Marble contact paper
• Fine grit sanding sponge
• X-Acto Knife

Instructions:

Depending on the furniture you want to cover, you might need to take it apart, so it’s easier to work with. If it’s a coffee table or a desk, you can skip this step, but if there’s any hardware or screws involved, try to disassemble it. For better grip, lightly sand the surface you want to cover. Wipe the dust off and make sure that your surface is clean and dry.

Next, take your contact paper roll and start sticking it to the surface of your furniture. Don’t cut it off the roll. Instead, work by peeling it off slowly over the furniture so it can stick to it right away. You can use something hard and flat, like a credit card, to push on the contact paper, so there are no air bubbles.

When you get to any holes for the hardware, a corner, or the point when you need to stop, cut the paper using an X-Acto Knife, flatten it out with the credit card, and continue working until the whole surface is covered.

Final Word

As you can see, it’s incredibly easy to breathe some new life into your old IKEA furniture. While some of the projects require a little more skill than others, you should be able to tackle them on your own with enough patience.

So, what are you waiting for? Take a look at your plain cabinets and consider giving them a complete facelift with the help of the trendy rattan, paint your furniture a beautiful deep color and accessorize with gold hardware for a luxurious look, or use marble contact paper to refresh an old coffee table. With the right mindset and some dedication, you can DIY everything you want and make your living room look brand new without spending a dime on expensive furniture!