You’ve Probably Seen Tina Le Mac’s Viral IKEA Hacks in Your Feed
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If you’re a fan of watching satisfying, seemingly instant DIY transformations, you’ve probably seen one of Tina Le Mac’s (@tinalemac) videos while scrolling TikTok or Instagram. With 81.7K followers on TikTok, 259K on Instagram, and 273K on YouTube, she’s known for turning simple IKEA aisle finds (and unassuming furniture pieces — think: wooden carts, frames, trays, and shelves) into one-of-a-kind pieces for her home or dupes from more expensive stores.
Take this disco mirror, for example. Le Mac took a PÄRLHAGTORN wavy chrome frame from IKEA — “it’s a newer IKEA item, and I just loved the shape,” she says — and she added disco tile stickers around the edges and cut an IKEA LÖNSÅS mirror to fit inside the frame.
“The frame was already chrome, making it the perfect base to add the mirror tiles without having to spray-paint,” Le Mac says. She didn’t have to spend a lot for this transformation: The frame cost $7, the mirror cost $4, and the stickers cost $12, with plenty left over for future projects.
Le Mac wants her projects to feel approachable. “Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, you can still take something away from my projects,” she says. “I am also a lazy DIYer at times, so I want my projects to be replicable without having to buy a ton of new tools to get the job done.”
Like here, she took an IKEA LOSHULT cart, stained it, painted the sides with her own folksy pattern, and reassembled it per the IKEA instructions.
She also transforms entire rooms, and has shared a renter-friendly kitchen makeover, bedroom makeover, living room makeover, balcony makeover, and more from her previous apartment. “I share full tutorials on my YouTube channel with a more behind-the-scenes look,” Le Mac says. “But sometimes all people are looking for is some quick inspo in a minute, so Instagram and TikTok are where I turn to share projects in a bite-sized format.” Her husband, Brian, is her business partner and edits the content.
Le Mac says the first time she felt truly “viral” was in February 2021 when she posted a video to her YouTube channel about tips for working with air-dry clay. “This was during the pandemic; I think a lot of people were just looking for crafts to do at home,” she says. “I’m really proud of that video because it reached so many people and gave them a new outlet to create.”
A 2025 fan-favorite on Instagram and TikTok is an IKEA VARDAGEN pie plate-turned-magnetic clock, inspired by Wallfleur. “Their pieces are amazing and constantly sold-out, so it inspired me to make my own,” Le Mac says. Almost all of her videos garner tens of thousands of views, but IKEA hacks tend to be the favorites on Instagram and TikTok, with hundreds of thousands of eyeballs watching. (The wall clock has just about 600K views on TikTok so far.)
On YouTube, “we take the viewer through the whole journey of sourcing the items, shopping around, and [we] go into detail on the project,” Le Mac says, whereas Instagram and TikTok are all about the transformation.
So how does the IKEA hack expert come up with ideas for her hacks? Lots of time on Pinterest, browsing stores like Anthropologie and Lulu and Georgia for inspiration, and browsing the IKEA website. She describes her current style as “a mix of Japandi and mid-century modern with a touch of warm modernism.”
She often starts with a vision and looks at silhouettes to see what could fit. “I always search for IKEA secondhand if I know exactly the item I want,” she says. “Sometimes I get lucky, sometimes I don’t, but it doesn’t hurt to look there first and save a piece!”
Sometimes, she doesn’t need to modify a piece at all. “I recently just did an IKEA glass cabinet hack,” she says. “I kept the piece as it was, spray painted it, and did a faux stained glass design, and it made all the difference.” (Now, it lives on her balcony.)
Le Mac doesn’t come from a home projects background. The disco mirror project, for example, marked her first time cutting glass. But she minored in studio art in college (which might not surprise you, given her exquisitely handbrushed IKEA cart flowers). “I think that helped me transition into making DIYs that were not just on paper,” she says, “but I was a true beginner to translating that skill to home decor, home DIY projects, and developing my personal style.”
She says when she was just starting out around 2020, she knew she loved YouTubers like Drew Scott of Lone Fox and The Sorry Girls and was an avid viewer, but she hadn’t necessarily pinned down a signature. “I was focused on achieving a ‘look’ like boho or mid-century modern, but now I feel more confident to create whatever feels right to me,” she says. “I’ve been honing in on what I like and combining what’s trending with my personal style, and that is always going to evolve.”
Her best DIY advice? “There is always something new to learn and try and you can’t be an expert on your first go; it takes lots of practice,” she says. “After I’ve accepted that fact, it’s allowed me to be more forgiving with my projects and focus more on the process.”