With Just $130, This IKEA Cabinet Now Resembles a $7K Brutalist Masterpiece
It probably goes without saying, but yes, you can hack IKEA products in a bunch of different ways to make them unique and more fitting for a given aesthetic. Case in point: One Instagrammer completely transformed an IKEA IVAR cabinet into a piece of antique-passing Brutalist furniture using wood glue, stain, and wooden half-beads from the hardware store — with absolutely no tools! The result is a piece that looks like it set her back thousands, but she only spent about $130 to bring it all together.
“Wow, one of my best DIY results yet!” Rahel Brhane wrote in the caption of a recent Instagram post. Brhane was inspired by another Instagrammer, Jenn Osias, who brought a similar DIY to life back in 2023 on a larger scale.
A Basic IKEA IVAR Cabinet Got a High-End Makeover
Both projects began with the same basic IKEA IVAR cabinet. Then, using some math, wood glue, and half beads, which Rahel found on Amazon, the interesting Brutalist shape begins to take form.
First, Rahel assembled the cabinet according to IKEA’s directions. She decided to hack the inside a bit, too, at this stage for extra storage space. “If you want to add more shelves (cabinet comes with just two) I found that the IKEA Billy shelves 30×10 fit perfectly in the cabinet,” Brhane wrote. “I just asked for more pegs to uphold shelves at customer service. Pegs parts No 101532.”
Brhane then used a small bit of wood glue to attach her half-dome beads, which she evenly spaced across the surface of her cabinet using a ruler. She used 2-inch half domes, but you can choose larger or smaller beads depending on the look you’re going for.
Once the glue was dry, Brhane chose a red oak-colored stain and then coated the entire piece with polyurethane to achieve a high-gloss shine. The final result resembles a high-end vintage piece you’d find on 1st Dibs for $7,500 (which you can see below).
You don’t need to be a whiz with tools or a woodworking expert to give a piece of furniture an entirely new look. Simply use a bit of wood glue and some creativity to create a totally custom design that suits both your aesthetic and budget.