15 Genius IKEA Hacks To Turn Your Bathroom Into A Palace

It's easy to be intimidated by the way IKEA stages their perfect showroom bathrooms, but it's a lot simpler than you'd believe to transform your dull washroom into a spa-caliber sanctuary using their furniture just a little differently than intended. To help get you there, we've rounded up 15 spectacularly (mostly) simple hacks to give your loo a fresh look.
 

1. The butcher block vanity

Price: $160
Materials needed:BEKVAM kitchen cartTÖRNVIKEN countertop sink
While the BEKVAM may have been developed with kitchens in mind, it makes for a simple and rustic vanity too. You'll need to cut a hole out of the top to fit the bottom of the sink basin, and perhaps test your carpentry skills on the shelving below, depending on how the plumbing from your wall is aligned. [See more]

2. Toiletry spice racks

Price: $8
Materials needed:BEKVAM spice racks
Turns out, IKEA's handy wall-mountable wooden spice racks are perfectly sized to stash all the random hygiene products you've got squirreled away in all the vulnerable nooks and crannies of your bathroom. [See more]

3. Stacked side table storage

Price: $50
Materials needed: 4 LACK tables, brackets, wood glue
The ubiquitous LACK side table is good for more than holding stacked magazines in every twenty-something's tiny apartment. In fact, if stacked three-legged atop one another, they make a kickass corner shelving setup. To keep the whole rig secure, you'll want to fasten each top with the leg above it using metal brackets, and use wood glue underneath each leg as well. [See more]

4. Sink-side shelving

Price: $130
Materials needed: 2 KALLAX shelving units, 1 1" x 3" board, paint
If you're lucky enough to have some extra room on either side of your sink, these tall KALLAXs can provide some much-needed storage space. To give them that expensive "built-in" look, simply cover the the top and bottom with the 1" x 3"s you've cut to lay flush against them. [See more]

5. Throw blanket shower curtains

Price: $15
Materials needed:GURLI throw, grommets
To give your shower curtain some warmth and heft, hang a simple throw blanket—which you've fitted with grommets to slide onto the rod's rings—along the outside of the tub. Then use a liner to keep it from getting wet. [See more]

6. Rustic tub front panel

Price: $70
Materials needed:GORM shelves, metal brackets, anti-vibration rubber mounts, paint
Your inexpensive tub liner may work perfectly well, but it's nothing to look at. Give it an interesting rustic facelift by fastening a series of connected wooden shelves along the facade, painted whatever color best suits your existing decor. [See more]

7. Outdoor decking spa mat

Price: $35
Materials needed: 1 pack of RUNNEN floor decking
Ditch the dingy terry-cloth bath mat for something a little more sophisticated by creating a wood platform. Fasten six of IKEA's outdoor floor decking tiles together into a rectangle, shear off the nobs along the edges, and you've got yourself a nice new place to towel off when you step out of the shower. [See more]
 

8. Cover ugly linoleum with wood deck tiles

Price: $100, possibly more for larger bathrooms
Materials needed:RUNNEN floor decking
If you'd rather not stare at that cheap '60s-era puke-green linoleum or vinyl beneath your feet, cover up the whole thing with outdoor decking. Not only will it give the whole room a more natural feel, but it's a lot less clammy and slippery to stand on while you're doing your business. [See more]

9. Hang-anywhere toiletry caddies

Price: $25
Materials needed: 3 FINTORP flatware caddies, rope
For those who haven't been blessed with unlimited storage space for toiletries and the like, this is one plain and simple informal solution. Find the center of your rope, then fasten each's hooks at equal points along each side and hang it from a hook on the back of the bathroom door. [See more]

10. A privacy wall of stacked glass vases

Price: $1,500-2000
Materials needed: A sh*t-ton of REKTANGEL vases, paint, epoxy 
If you happen to find yourself in a setup where there's a large open space with a standalone bathtub and little privacy, this is worth looking into. First you'll want to coat the inside of each and every vase with a paint color of your choice, and let it dry. Then it's time to build your wall, stacking them ever so carefully in a brick-like pattern with clear epoxy between each layer, ensuring it's as secure and solid as possible. [See more]

11. Reverse-mounted shelving

Price: $70
Materials needed:KALLAX shelving unit, mounting brackets
Keep stacks of towels easily accessible and out of sight by mounting a KALLAX backwards wherever you have some narrow free space, securing it with brackets along each shelf as well as along the top and bottom. The above photo isn't actually an example of the hack, but rather illustrates what it would look like. For more info on mounting KALLAX shelves, check out this tutorial.

12. Clean and simple shower caddy

Price: $30
Materials needed:GRUNDTAL rail and containers
There's plenty of use for this handy storage setup outside the kitchen. Install the rail along the wall above your tub and hang your choice of soap or loofah caddies up along the edge. And if you have little kids running around, it also functions as a great spot to stash all their bath toys. [See more]

13. Shelf-packed vanity with salad bowl sink

Price: $150
Materials needed: RAST 3-drawer chest, BLANDA BLANK serving bowl, DALKSAR faucet
Fair warning: this one's a little more complicated. As you assemble the RAST, you'll want to drill an appropriately-sized hole along the top to fit both the faucet and bowl (which you'll also need to bore a drain hole in). If you're feeling especially ambitious, try adding an extension unit of shelves along one side, as illustrated in the above photo. [See more]

14. Industrial floating storage

Price: $140
Materials needed: 5 43.25" LACK shelves, 2 11.75" LACK shelves, galvanized pipe and fittings
Another more involved project, this shelving setup is the most impressive on the list. You'll need to whip out your tool belt to do some minor carpentry to construct the bottom shelf and coordinate the whole pipe frame, but just keep reminding yourself it's worth it. [See more]
 

15. The grown man's kitty litter box

Price: $65
Materials needed: BESTA shelf unit, cat flap
For those who'd rather not be subjected to the sights and smells of their feline friends' business, this tidy setup should serve you well. It's fairly simple, too, since all you need to do is add a hinge to the door, cut out a small section and install a cat flap. [See more]


Joe McGauley is a senior editor at Supercompressor who not-so-secretly hates cats.