I have been decorating small apartments with IKEA furniture for eight years. In that time I have made every IKEA mistake possible — bought things that did not fit, assembled products incorrectly, and chosen pieces that looked great in the showroom and wrong in my actual apartment.
But I have also discovered the IKEA products and combinations that genuinely transform small spaces — the hacks that professional interior designers use, the combinations that look custom-built at a fraction of the cost, and the affordable solutions that have made my small apartments genuinely beautiful.
Here is everything I have learned — the ten IKEA small space hacks that I actually use and genuinely recommend!
1. The PAX Wardrobe — My Single Most Impactful IKEA Purchase
I have owned a PAX wardrobe for five years. It is the single piece of IKEA furniture I would buy again without hesitation.
Why PAX transformed my small bedroom: Before PAX I had a freestanding wardrobe that was too small for my clothes, too short for my wall height, and wasting approximately 40cm of dead space above it. After PAX — floor to ceiling, wall to wall, with sliding doors — I had more wardrobe storage than I have ever had in any home, in the same footprint.
My specific PAX configuration: Two 100cm wide frames in the maximum 236cm height. Sliding doors in a light oak effect. Inside — a combination of KOMPLEMENT double hanging rails on one side, KOMPLEMENT shelves and a drawer unit in the middle, and KOMPLEMENT pull-out shoe shelves on the other side.
What it holds: Every item of clothing I own, all my shoes, my bags, my accessories, spare bedding, and still has room to spare.
The custom-built illusion: When PAX is installed floor to ceiling and wall to wall, with doors that reach the ceiling, it looks remarkably like expensive custom-built joinery. Multiple visitors to my bedroom have asked who built my fitted wardrobes. The answer — IKEA and me, one Sunday afternoon.
Pro Tip: Always order PAX in the maximum height available and use a ceiling trim strip to fill any gap between the top of the wardrobe and the ceiling. This creates the fitted, floor-to-ceiling look that makes PAX look like custom joinery. Use the online PAX planner to design your exact configuration before ordering — it saves expensive mistakes. For wardrobe organization ideas check our guide on small closet organization ideas.
2. KALLAX — The Most Versatile Piece of Furniture I Own
I currently have two KALLAX units in my apartment. They are doing very different jobs.
KALLAX as a room divider: In my previous studio apartment, a 4×4 KALLAX unit placed perpendicular to the wall between my sleeping and living areas created two distinct zones from one open space. Open side facing the living area for display and book storage. Back side facing the sleeping area — I attached simple doors to create hidden storage from that side.
KALLAX as a TV unit: In my current apartment, a 2×4 KALLAX laid horizontally houses my TV on top and provides eight cube storage spaces below — four with insert drawers for hidden storage, four open for display and easily accessed items.
What makes KALLAX genuinely versatile: The consistent cube size means any KALLAX insert — doors, drawers, baskets — fits any KALLAX frame regardless of orientation or configuration. And the units stack and combine in multiple ways, allowing configurations that look genuinely custom.
My KALLAX styling tip: Add insert doors to approximately half the cubes and leave the rest open. The combination of hidden and displayed storage looks more designed and more intentional than either all-open or all-closed configurations.
Pro Tip: Paint the interior back wall of your open KALLAX cubes in your accent color before assembly — the pop of color visible through the open cubes adds a designed, intentional quality that makes a KALLAX look significantly more expensive and more custom. For room divider ideas check our guide on studio apartment decorating ideas.
3. LACK Floating Shelves — The Best Value IKEA Product
At under $10 each, LACK floating shelves are the best value IKEA product I have ever bought. I have installed fifteen of them across various apartments over the years and the impact-to-cost ratio has never been matched by any other product.
Where I have installed LACK shelves:
- Three above my desk — for books, plants, and office supplies that would otherwise be on my desk surface
- Two on either side of my bed — replacing bedside tables and freeing significant floor space
- A row in my kitchen — for herbs, ceramics, and everyday items
- Two in my bathroom — for plants, rolled towels, and small accessories
The staggered arrangement I love: Instead of installing shelves in a straight horizontal line, I install them in a deliberately staggered arrangement — different heights, slightly offset from each other — that looks architectural and designed rather than utilitarian.
The installation reality: LACK shelves must be properly anchored to wall studs or with appropriate wall anchors. Improperly installed LACK shelves fail — sometimes dramatically. I use a stud finder for every installation and always verify the anchor strength before loading shelves. This is the one LACK caveat I always share.
Pro Tip: Style LACK shelves using the rule of odd numbers — group objects in threes and fives, vary heights within each group, and leave deliberate breathing space between groups. This simple styling principle transforms a functional shelf into a beautiful display. For shelf styling ideas check our guide on how to style bookshelves in small spaces.
4. HEMNES Daybed — The Genius Studio Apartment Solution
When I lived in a studio apartment I needed my bed to function as a sofa during the day. Most sofa beds I tried were uncomfortable as both sofa and bed — a compromise that served neither function well.
The HEMNES daybed solved this completely.
What the HEMNES daybed does: It functions as a single bed pushed against the wall — with the back wall as a visual headboard. It pulls out to a full double bed when needed. And it has three large storage drawers underneath — one of the most useful storage additions in any small space.
How I styled it as a sofa: Three large back cushions arranged along the wall side to create a sofa back. Two smaller cushions as armrests at each end. A beautiful throw draped across the front. From every angle it looked like a beautiful intentional sofa. The fact that it was also a double bed was completely invisible.
The guest accommodation solution: When friends stayed, I pulled it out to a double bed in approximately thirty seconds. No assembling a sofa bed mechanism. No uncomfortable fold-out mattress. Just pulling out the second bed frame and adding a second mattress — IKEA sells the HEMNES mattress specifically for this purpose.
Pro Tip: The quality of your HEMNES daybed styling determines whether it looks like a beautiful sofa or an obvious bed. Invest in three proper back cushions — not small scatter cushions — and a beautiful throw. The styling investment makes the difference between a piece of furniture that looks like a clever compromise and one that looks like a deliberate design choice. For studio apartment ideas check our guide on studio apartment decorating ideas.
5. BESTA — The Living Room Storage System That Looks Custom
I resisted the BESTA system for years — it looked too obviously like flat-pack furniture in the showroom. Then I saw a floor-to-ceiling BESTA installation in a friend’s apartment and genuinely could not tell it from custom joinery.
What makes BESTA look custom: When you combine BESTA base units on the floor with BESTA wall-mounted units above — all in the same finish, all with the same door style — and install them floor to ceiling, the result looks remarkably like expensive built-in cabinetry.
My BESTA installation: A 3-wide base unit on the floor with push-open doors in a warm grey. Three wall-mounted units above in the same finish, filling the wall to the ceiling. A floating TV shelf between the floor and wall units. The total wall installation hides every source of living room clutter — media equipment, cables, books, everyday items — behind beautiful uniform doors.
What it replaced: A media unit, a sideboard, and two freestanding bookcases — four separate pieces of floor-standing furniture replaced by one wall installation that takes up zero floor space.
Pro Tip: Use BESTA push-open doors rather than handle doors throughout — the absence of handles creates a cleaner, more seamless appearance that looks significantly more custom and significantly less flat-pack. For living room storage ideas check our guide on small living room storage ideas.
6. ALEX Drawer Unit — The Most Organized Storage I Own
The ALEX drawer unit is the IKEA product I recommend most consistently to people who ask about small space organization — because it provides more organized, accessible storage per square centimeter than almost anything else IKEA makes.
Where I use ALEX:
- Inside my PAX wardrobe — it fits perfectly inside a PAX frame and provides nine drawers for folded items, underwear, socks, accessories, and everything that would otherwise live on shelves
- Under my desk — as a combination filing cabinet and office supply storage, it keeps my desk surface completely clear
- In my bathroom — a slim ALEX unit fits between my sink and the wall and provides drawer storage for every bathroom essential
The ALEX desk hack I use daily: My desk surface is a LINNMON tabletop — warm oak effect. My desk legs are one ALEX unit on the right providing nine drawers of storage, and one KALLAX 2×2 unit on the left providing four cube storage spaces. The total desk has eighteen drawers and four open cubes of storage — more than most professional office desks — at a fraction of the cost.
Pro Tip: Choose ALEX in white if your walls are white — it blends into the wall and appears to take up less visual space than it actually does. Choose it in a wood effect if you want it to function as a visible piece of furniture. Both look beautiful — the choice depends on whether you want the unit to disappear or to be seen. For desk storage ideas check our guide on home office decor ideas.
7. SKADIS Pegboard — The Most Flexible Wall Storage
I was skeptical about the SKADIS pegboard before I tried it. It looked like functional office storage — the kind of thing you put up because you need to, not because you want to.
I was wrong. Installed correctly and styled thoughtfully, a SKADIS is one of the most beautiful and most functional wall storage solutions I have used.
Where I use SKADIS:
- Above my desk — for cables, headphones, small plants, frequently used supplies, and a small shelf for my phone and a candle
- In my kitchen — beside my stove for utensils, small pots, herbs, and kitchen tools in a magnetic container
The styling transformation: I painted my SKADIS the same warm white as my wall before installing it. The pegboard almost disappears into the wall — only the hooks, shelves, and items stored on it are visible. The result looks like a designed wall installation rather than a functional storage solution.
My SKADIS accessories: I use a combination of SKADIS hooks in different sizes, one small SKADIS shelf, one SKADIS container, and two non-IKEA additions — a small rattan basket that fits perfectly on SKADIS hooks and a small terracotta pot for my pencils.
Pro Tip: Mix SKADIS accessories with non-IKEA items — a small rattan basket, a ceramic pot, a small plant — for a more personal, less obviously flat-pack appearance. The SKADIS system accepts a wider range of accessories than the official IKEA range, which allows genuinely creative and personal configurations. For pegboard ideas check our guide on home office decor ideas.
8. RASKOG Cart — The Most Mobile Organization Solution
The RASKOG cart is the IKEA product that surprises me most consistently with its usefulness. It looks simple — just a three-tier rolling cart — but its mobility makes it genuinely more useful than any fixed storage solution for certain purposes.
How I use RASKOG in my apartment:
Kitchen RASKOG: My mobile pantry. Holds frequently used ingredients, oils, vinegars, and cooking supplies. Rolls to wherever I am cooking — beside the stove when I am cooking, beside the counter when I am prepping, under the counter when not in use.
Bathroom RASKOG: My bathroom storage. Holds towels, toiletries, and cleaning supplies organized on three tiers. Rolls out from its usual position beside the toilet when I need something from a lower tier, rolls back immediately after.
Craft/hobby RASKOG: When I was going through a watercolor phase, my RASKOG held all my supplies — paints, brushes, paper, water containers. It rolled to wherever I wanted to paint and rolled away when I was done.
Pro Tip: The RASKOG cart is available in multiple colors — I use the white one because it disappears into my white walls, but the black and terracotta versions are also beautiful. The color choice significantly affects whether the cart reads as a design element or a functional tool — choose accordingly. For mobile storage ideas check our guide on small apartment organization hacks.
9. VITTSJÖ — The Most Stylish Lightweight Shelving
VITTSJÖ is an often-overlooked IKEA product that I discovered accidentally and have since recommended to dozens of people. It is a slim, open shelving unit in black metal and glass that looks significantly more expensive than its affordable price.
What makes VITTSJÖ work so well in small spaces: Its open, airy structure means it adds storage without adding visual weight. The slim black metal frame is nearly invisible — only the items displayed on the glass shelves are visually prominent. And its industrial-meets-contemporary aesthetic works in almost every decorating style.
How I use VITTSJÖ:
- As a bathroom shelf unit — holding plants, rolled towels, skincare products, and small accessories on its open glass shelves
- As a small space home office — laptop on the middle shelf, books and supplies organized above and below, small plant on top
My VITTSJÖ styling approach: I use the same container style on every shelf — all white ceramic, all rattan, or all clear glass — so the unit looks like a curated display rather than miscellaneous storage.
Pro Tip: VITTSJÖ works particularly well in bathrooms — its glass shelves and metal frame are unaffected by bathroom humidity, it takes up minimal floor space, and styled with plants and beautiful containers it looks genuinely spa-like. For shelf styling ideas check our guide on how to style bookshelves in small spaces.
10. The LINNMON + ALEX Desk Combination
This is the hack I am most frequently asked about — because my home office desk looks like a custom piece of expensive studio furniture and people are always surprised when I tell them it is IKEA.
My exact combination:
- One LINNMON tabletop 150x75cm in bamboo effect — $50
- One ALEX drawer unit on the right — nine drawers, $120
- One KALLAX 2×2 unit on the left — four cube storage spaces, $60
- Total cost including all assembly hardware: approximately $230
What it replaced: A dedicated writing desk ($180) with no storage, requiring a separate filing cabinet ($90) and a separate bookcase ($75) for all the storage the desk lacked. My IKEA combination provides significantly more storage in less floor space for less total cost.
Why the bamboo effect LINNMON: The bamboo effect tabletop looks significantly more expensive and more intentional than the standard white or birch effect options. It reads as a genuine wood surface rather than obviously laminate — which makes the whole desk look more like custom furniture.
Pro Tip: Add cable management immediately when assembling this desk combination — before the desk is in position and loaded with equipment. Routing cables through the ALEX drawer unit and securing them with cable clips creates a genuinely clean, professional desk setup that makes working from home significantly more pleasant. For home office ideas check our guide on home office decor ideas.
My Final Thoughts
Eight years of decorating small apartments with IKEA furniture has taught me that the quality of your IKEA small space is determined not by how much you spend but by how thoughtfully you choose, combine, and style what you buy.
The PAX wardrobe, BESTA wall system, LACK floating shelves, HEMNES daybed, and LINNMON+ALEX desk combination have had the biggest impact in my own small spaces. But every product on this list has earned its place through genuine usefulness and genuine value.
Start with LACK floating shelves — they are the lowest cost, most immediately impactful IKEA small space hack available. Install two above your bed this weekend and see what a difference properly used vertical space makes.
Which of these IKEA small space hacks are you going to try first? Tell me in the comments — I would love to know which products are going to transform your space!
For more small space inspiration explore all our articles on Tiny Room Style!