5 IKEA BESTA hacks that will transform your basic storage cabinets into stylish pieces with a high-end look

Who doesn’t love IKEA and its signature pared-back, minimalist but also budget-friendly flatpack furniture? I sure do, as do millions of others whose homes feature at least one of the popular furniture pieces from the Swedish retailer. The IKEA BESTA cabinets are the perfect example – a design that lends itself perfectly to customisation, which is where the IKEA BESTA hacks come in.

The majority of IKEA’s flatpack furniture - the BESTA storage system included - works perfectly as a blank canvas ready to be personalised with some clever and creative IKEA hacks which are becoming increasingly more popular, both on social media and in people’s homes.

I personally own a set of four IKEA BESTA cabinets which are lined up against my home office wall, housing my collection of magazines, along with some more boring paperwork. But I’d be lying if I said I was happy with the current look of these cupboards which I haven’t touched since putting them in place last year. So let’s find out what you and I can do to give our BESTA cabinets a little (or a big) makeover to elevate our homes.

IKEA BESTA alternatives

If you’re looking for some BESTA alternatives that aren’t from IKEA for whatever reason - whether that’s because there isn’t a store near you, you don’t want to put so much work into an IKEA hack or you simply prefer to shop from other brands - then I found some similar-looking alternatives for you. They’re not by any means identical but they have the BESTA spirit.

1. Create a storage bench

If you really want to transform your BESTA unit beyond recognition, then turn it into a storage bench, similarly to one of the most popular IKEA KALLAX hacks. For this purpose, you will need the lower BESTA TV bench or shelf unit, rather than the full-sized storage unit.

And if someone’s mastered the look, it’s Charlotte Simpson, founder and creative director of Lotte Studio, whose project is pictured above. ‘I had seen a BESTA hack by Claire Kennedy on Instagram. My boyfriend is a vinyl collector and we struggle for space so I figured it would be a great storage idea for that whilst also utilising a dead bit of space in the loft. It quickly escalated to having an upholstered back on it that I drew out free-hand and cut with a jigsaw.

'Once I was on a roll with it, it wasn’t as challenging as I thought. The biggest consideration was ensuring the priming was good enough to prevent chipping. I used my go-to Zinnser Bin (available at Amazon), I then caulked to make the BESTA look fitted and cut out to accommodate existing skirting.’

2. Adorn with a fluted finish

Some IKEA hacks are more complex than others. But very often, all it takes to makeover a piece of IKEA furniture is some paint (just make sure you know how to paint IKEA furniture because it requires a couple extra steps compared to painting most pieces of furniture), a set of new, stylish handles and perhaps some textured finish.

In the case of content creator Melanie Lissack’s IKEA BESTA panelled cabinet hack, the texture was provided in the form of fluted panelling and finished with some lovely lilac paint. The IKEA BESTA collection is vast and there are versions that even come with a ready-made reeded finish. But there are none with a fluted one – and it looks a lot more sophisticated, if you ask me.

3. Build a media unit

Many IKEA hacks provide the perfect budget alternative to large-scale, built-in joinery. And while it’s mostly IKEA BILLY bookcase hacks that fall into this category, you can utilise multiple BESTA cabinets to build a media unit, similar to the one created by Clare Bolger of No Space Like Home pictured above, too.

‘Storage is really important in a smaller property that doesn't have much dedicated storage space,’ Clare says. ‘The client's budget wouldn't stretch to bespoke joinery so the IKEA BESTA TV storage combination was perfect for what we needed. I got a joiner to build a base, add a skirting across the front and a frame around it to give the appearance of a bespoke, built in unit without the price tag.

'I used paint to zone each area so the TV cabinet needed to be the same colour as the walls for a cocooning, seamless feel. First, we sanded and primed it with Zinsser BIN primer and then gave it two top coats of Benjamin Moore's Aura Eggshell in Knoxville Gray. The end result provides a lovely focal point and incorporates plenty of storage, both in the closed cupboards and the open shelving on either side.’

4. Add glass or cane inserts

Similarly to adding fluted panelling to elevate your IKEA BESTA cabinets, you can also make it your own by adding cane webbing or reeded glass inserts to the cabinet doors. This look will work as a living room IKEA hack for a sideboard but it also makes for an excellent toy storage idea.

‘Swap the doors for cane webbing or fluted glass and add some wooden legs,’ suggests Alex Stubbs, Flitch interior stylist. ‘You’ll end up with toy storage that blends beautifully into adult spaces, which is perfect when your living room serves more than one purpose.’

5. Turn it into a bathroom vanity

There are several places where you can utilise a floating BESTA cabinet attached to the wall, whether that’s as a console table in the hallway or as a sideboard in the living room. It creates storage space without appearing too bulky as the floor space remains clear.

But perhaps my favourite way to utilise this BESTA method is turning it into a bathroom IKEA hack in the form of a vanity, much like in this green spa-style en suite loft conversion. Of course, the world is your oyster in terms of the colour you paint it or the finish you add to it, just as long as it’s in harmony with your bathroom’s style.

Many of these BESTA hacks would also work as IKEA IVAR hacks – or any other similar-looking, basic flatpack cabinets from IKEA for that matter. So which one are you going to try out first?