April 18, 2019

7 Different Ways to Style Ordinary Ikea Cabinets with Budget Friendly Decor

Mood boards, Shopping, Styling

 If all else fails…Ikea always has our backs. Right? When it comes to finding the perfect bookcase, armoire, or a vintage cabinet, things can get kinda pricey. Of course, unless you’re like me and would prefer to spend months first trying to find the perfect secondhand or vintage piece of furniture. But sometimes time just isn’t our friend. So what store do thousands and thousands of people go to in order to find an affordable piece of furniture? Yep, you guessed it…good ol’ Ikea! I wanted to show you that there are literally SO MANY DIFFERENT ways in styling an Ikea cabinet! Think about it this way – a bookcase does’t have to be a bookcase, just like a file cabinet doesn’t have to be a file cabinet! Confused? Well below, I rounded up some different mood boards, each featuring a different Ikea cabinet, with products you can use to style it. 

You might be wondering,

 “But Gloria, didn’t you say that thrift stores have the best little, decor pieces?” 

And yes, I still stand by that, but it doesn’t have to be everyone’s cup of tea. It’s also always a hit or miss but you may find awesome vintage and one of a kind pieces at a thrift store with a killing price that would create an awesome story piece on a  bookcase or cabinet. These mood boards below are to give you an idea of what you can use to style each different Ikea cabinet and just in case you eye something you want, I linked everything! Just keep in mind that I did not measure if a certain product fits in a certain cabinet.  

*Most of the links are not affiliates but are there for your help only! 

1.

For this piece, I had the printable art set the design for the rest of the cabinet. I used neutral pieces like the baskets to hide the random things because lets be honest, if a cabinet has clear doors that everyone can see into, its gotta be pretty inside! So not only is this cabinet a storage piece, but you can go nuts with showing off your vases, dishes, candle holders, etc! Another thing that I love about this Ikea piece? You can build it into a wall, as if it’s a built in. Wouldn’t it look beautiful against a contrasting wall? 

Billy Ikea CabinetVasesArtBaskets, Candle Holders, Bowl

2.

This is a simple black cabinet but if you dress it up with the perfect lamp and some art around it, man can it become a beauty! I paired it with a non-traditional floor lamp to create a visual interest, instead of having everything be “one traditional style.” It also goes so well with the two pieces of printable art that I chose to style this cabinet with. Both prints are so different but that’s what makes it look great together! It ties everything else in perfectly. 

 Malsjo Ikea CabinetFloor LampArtCandle HolderWooden BowlFaux Plants

3.

My favorite. At first glance this cabinet doesn’t look too appealing because well, it looks like a filing cabinet. But glance again and imagine what a fun piece it can be in a kid’s room! It can also be styled in an office but for this design specifically, I went for the fun, teen look. The art print and the record player look fun but the lamp and the plant make everything feel a little more sophisticated. Like you can have fun and dance every now and than, but don’t forget to stop and water that plant! Because you gotta teach your kids to have some responsibilities, right? 

Idasen Ikea CabinetArtLampPlant HangerRecord Player

4.

This is definitely another one of my favorite ways to style a cabinet. For this design, I created it specifically for more kitchen storage. Kinda like a modern china cabinet, if you will. Since the Ikea cabinet is a white shade, I wanted everything styled in this piece to be black. It creates an unusual design piece and a lot of visual interest because of the contrast between the black and white (but you can style with red. or yellow. or green. Whatever your heart desires! Or with the dishes you have, hah). So in here I have things like candle holders, a watering can, table covers, a pitcher, some dishes, a bread basket, etc. I styled this piece with art to place inside too so that it creates some height dimension with all the dishes. And it’s also two more pretty things to admire! 

Regissor Ikea CabinetArtCandlesticksWatering CanBowlsTable CoversCandleBread BasketPitcher Lidded Jar

5.

I placed this glass Ikea cabinet as if it goes into a bathroom or powder room. It’s small enough to go in most bathrooms and the perfect amount of extra storage that you probably were dying to have! I chose the unusual blue color for the cabinet instead of the gray or white one, because I wanted to show that a little color never hurt anyone! The terrocotta-colored towels bring another pop of color but then I went for simple colors with everything else to bring in some balance. I thought the terrazzo jar and soap dispenser looked awesome and actually goes really well with the blue cabinet since it has hints of blue and gray/black in it! The wooden boxes create some extra organization for a cleaner look and the gold stand is actually something I’ve been eyeing because it would look so darn good on top of a toilet! Am I the only one to think that? Either way, the different styles and colors surprisingly create an awesome way to style a bathroom. 

Fabrikor Ikea Cabinet,  Soap Dispenser and JarBath Mat, Gold Footed Bowl, Bath Towels, Wooden BoxesHanging Planter

6.

Ah, this is the two in one design! It’s actually the same cabinet as the first one I styled but instead of one, it’s two. And a dark blue. For this style, I also added a wallpaper design that you can add to the back of the cabinet for a whole new look. I went for lots of gold and black with hints of brown so that it kind of flowed with the wallpaper design. The baskets and boxes are smart ways to create more storage for random knick knacks that you otherwise don’t want seen. Vases, pots, books, and frames are not just cabinet fillers, but the perfect way to display your vases, pots, books, and frames! 

Billy Ikea BookcaseWallpaperArtCanvas Line ArtGold BoxBasketsWire BasketGold FramePotBlack Vases

7.

This might be another one of my favorite designs but to be honest, I said that with most of them! This Ikea cabinet is a simple white cabinet that seems to be the perfect office piece. In order to jazz it up a bit, I came across this oh so good wallpaper to put on the back of the shelves! It creates a fun element and all the filing folders can’t even kill that vibe. The modern floor lamp can be placed beside the cabinet (and possibly beside a cool place to sit) and the blue record player creates an eclectic look to an otherwise what used to be a boring and dreadful office? 😉 

 Galant Ikea Cabinet, Floor Lamp, WallpaperVasesRecord Player, File Holder

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