IKEA is a crafters dream. At the very least, it is an organized crafter’s dream! They offer so many functional and affordable options that help optimize a craft room to meet the needs of a maker. That being said, with so many crafters racing to IKEA to meet all their needs, it can be easy for your IKEA finds to begin looking very “cookie cutter”. I have found a few ways to personalize some of the IKEA pieces in my room, and I’d love for you to take these same ideas and personalize them for your taste as well!
These are such versatile (and cheap!) additions to any craft room! I use mine to display devotionals, traveler’s notebooks, and mini-albums. My craft room is a rainbow of color, so it was only natural to add another rainbow element! I was loosely inspired by the rainbow stairs found at the “Whatever Craft House”, and used cheap acrylic paint to give these a nice pop of color. Acrylic paint is probably not the most durable choice, so if you are planning on moving things around on your spice racks on a more regular basis, you may want to pick a spray paint followed by a clear coat for protection.
Using all the height available in your craft space is essential to really maximize storage and display area. I’ve had these two picture ledges in my living room years, but when we did a bit of redecorating last winter, they ended up without a home. They began as black ledges, and I tried spray painting them white to match the bright feel of my room. However, I did not prep the surface well, so the white constantly scratched and flaked off. So, my next step was to decoupage! I grabbed my favorite tissue paper of all time, a staple from “By the Well 4 God”. All of their kits are shipped out in this tissue paper, and I have hoarded it for over a year now! I love how the black and white floral pattern is fun and modern, but does not detract from the art books and other items I have displayed on them!
I am sensing a theme here, because the magnet board I use in my craft room also used to be located in another part of the house. For a long time, it was in our playroom and served as a fun toy for our little ones. But, when that play room was turned back into an adult space, this bright board also lost its home. The piece originally started out as just the magnet board. My husband was able to create a frame for it out of a piece of crown molding that I picked up at Lowe’s. A few 45 degree cuts, and mounting it on cheap plywood, and I was left with a beautiful framed magnet board. The idea is that this will eventually be where I store metal dies, but for now it holds sweet mementos! The bright yellow fits well with the cheery feel in my room!
I’m beginning to sound like a broken record, but this bookshelf also used to have another location in our house. I feel like this is how the majority of craft rooms are created though…a hodge lodge of leftover pieces that collect in one room and “voila!” a craft room is born! When we moved this piece up to my craft room, I originally wanted to add doors to hide some of the supplies. But, that solution didn’t work with the organization pieces I was using inside the shelving unit. So, instead, I decided to incorporate it into the style of the room. We removed the cardboard back and then lined the back of the shelf with old fence slats from the garage that my husband cut to the appropriate length. This tied the piece into my Ultimate Crafty Pegboard and created a cohesive look to the room!
The last truly custom IKEA piece in my craft room is my desk. It is actually made up of 6 different IKEA office pieces! I go into more detail on how this was put together in my Creating an Ideal Workspace blog post. Once again, it is a hodge podge of pieces left over from other parts of the house, but it looks like it was designed just for this space!
Taking the time to customize your items from big box stores like IKEA is very rewarding. It adds a personal touch to your craft room, plus custom pieces always feel a little more special and unique! To find out more info on how I worked to add a personal touch to my space, check out my previous post, Thinking outside the IKEA Box!
I'm a mom of 3 who loves all things creative! My current passion is bible journaling, a creative outlet that has really shaped my faith journey. I'm also excited about diving into some memory-keeping projects and dabbling in a bit of art journaling.
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5 thoughts on “Personalizing IKEA finds”
Love your beautiful and oh so organized room! Thanks for sharing!
The last truly custom IKEA piece in my craft room is my desk. It is actually made up of 6 different IKEA office pieces! I go into more detail on how this was put together in my Creating an Ideal Workspace blog post. Once again, it is a hodge podge of pieces left over from other parts of the house, but it looks like it was designed just for this space!
Love your beautiful and oh so organized room! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! And thanks for stopping by and reading!
Thank you for this post. I M scraplifting a few of your ideas. Thanks so much for sharing them