This Simple Hack Instantly Elevates a $30 IKEA Living Room Staple (It’ll Double Your Storage!)

When you think of floating shelving, your mind probably pictures wall-mounted shelves that fall at eye level, or maybe are even placed above your couch or bed for added vertical storage. Instead, Instagram user Nick Laciok just flipped traditional floating shelf placement on its head with a simple IKEA hack that uses one of the brand’s popular storage pieces.

In the below Instagram video, Laciok installed an IKEA LACK shelf in his living room less than a foot off the floor for what he described in the caption as “a floating sideboard effect.” He grabbed one of the longer LACK shelves (it measures 74.25” by 10.25”), but you can use the size that best fits your space. Laciok then screwed the floating shelf hardware into studs on the wall fairly low to the ground. 

From there, for added personalization, he also trimmed a few wooden dowels and attached them to the edges of the LACK shelf with construction adhesive for a rounded “molding” effect. Finally, he painted everything the same color as his wall to match, but he noted in the caption that this “would also look bomb in a fun color!”

The result is a piece that could pass as a modern, trendy sideboard, rather than just a regular floating shelf, and it can become the centerpiece of any room. Plus, Laciok now has so much more storage for books, lighting, decorative objects, and even drinks — because it’s coffee-table height, this shelf can double as a side table if it’s near your sofa, too! 

You can play around with placement (like even further up the wall for a minimalist TV stand alternative), but Laciok’s works especially well for propping up large-scale artwork or grounding the space beneath a gallery wall. “Very clean,” one person commented on the video tutorial. Another said, “So sleek! Love the result.”

And because the LACK wall shelf is under $30, you can complete this entire project (including the molding and paint) for under $50. You just might find that your living room feels so much more modern, mature, and functional with this one storage-friendly addition.