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50 Incredible Ikea Hacks for College Kids

February 15th, 2010

If you’re like most college students, you don’t have a huge budget to decorate your apartment or dorm room. That’s where a great budget retailer like Ikea can come in handy. But what happens when you need something a little more custom? You hack it, of course. These great Ikea hacks will show you how to make speakers from salad bowls, create cheap CD storage, and give yourself a little privacy in cramped spaces.

Living Room

Make your living room the envy of all your friends with these great ideas.

1. DIY Coat Rack: This coat rack is a cheap way to make space for all your coats and jackets.
2. Sexy End Tables: In this particular project, a pin-up is affixed to an end table, but you could dress up yours however you like.
3. Charging Station: Keep all your cords in one easily-accessible and organized place with this project.
4. Baseball Card Table: Use those old cards you’ve kept hanging around for something creative with this great decorative hack.
5. Room Dividers: If you need a little more privacy or just want to break up the space, consider this project using bookcases to divide a room.
6. Mosaic Coffee Table: Try out this hack to make a coffee table that’s totally unique.
7. Lack TV Unit: Transform this inexpensive object into something totally functional for storing your TV and all its components.
8. Sleek Plant Stand: If you can actually keep a plant alive, you may want to try out this project for creating a beautiful, stainless steel plant stand.
9. Patchwork Armchair: Got a grubby old Ikea chair lying around? Use this idea to give it a facelift.
10. Super Stylish TV Center: Make a great place for your TV and other forms of entertainment by using the ideas found here.
11. Homemade Tiffany Lamp: If you’ve got Tiffany taste on a Cracker Jack budget, this project is for you. It turns an inexpensive lamp into a stained glass masterpiece.

Bedroom

Make sure your bedroom is a great place to rest and store your stuff by trying a few of these amazing Ikea hacks.

12. Jewelry Plate: Create a place to put your jewelry or other small items with this incredibly simple idea.
13. Elevated Bed: If you’ve got some tools and a little ingenuity, you can build this storage-friendly elevated bed.
14. Comfy Headboard: This hack will show you how to create a seriously expensive looking headboard for very little.
15. Under Bed Storage: If you need a little extra storage space, try out this project that installs bookshelves under the bed.
16. Swankier Bedside Tables: Give your bedroom a little pizzazz with some help from this project.
17. Classy Shoe Storage: Whether you need to store shoes or something else entirely, this solution makes it easy to do it in style.
18. Dressed Up Dresser: This hack shows you how to take one dresser and one marker and make something entirely unique.
19. Jewelry Cabinet: Create a beautiful place to store your valuables with this project that uses ordinary desk organizers to create something extraordinary.
20. Bed Canopy: Make your bedroom into a romantic, relaxing getaway with this simple hack.

Workspace

Every college student needs a place to sit down and do homework. These projects help make it more fun to be in that place.

21. Budget Desk: If you need a really big desk but don’t have the budget for a desk of that size, try using a door instead, as this hack suggests.
22. iMac Computer Desk: Create a sleek and stylish place for your Mac using this project.
23. Mobile Desk: Put your desk on wheels so you can work and play from anywhere in your place.
24. Laptop Desk: Keep your laptop cool and off your lap by turning this stepstool into a laptop desk with this project.
25. Pencil Cup: This hack lets you turn your spare pencils into a cute and creative desk item.
26. Foldaway Desk: If you don’t have room for a permanent desk, no problem. Follow the instructions in this hack for a great foldaway option.
27. Custom Desk Seating: Make your desk chair coordinate and stand out from your room with this simple project.
28. LED Laden Desk: Like the look of LEDs? Add them to your desk with this hack.
29. Cutest USB Drive: Give up your old, boring USB drive and make one that’s totally adorable by following the instructions found here.
30. Monitor Stand: Get your monitor elevated and easier to look at for hours on end using this helpful hack.

Entertainment

From unforgettable parties to everyday entertainment, these hacks will help you create an amazing living space.

31. Entertainment Unit: Give your entertainment equipment a place to call home by undertaking this project.
32. CD Storage: If you need a cheap but efficient way to store CDs, try out this clever hack.
33. Wine Rack and Bar: Whether it’s wine or something a little harder that you’re storing, this hack will let you do it with the maximum amount of style.
34. Customized Magazine Storage: Keep all of your reading material looking pretty while it’s on the shelves with this hack.
35. Salad Bowl Speakers: This hack is one of the coolest on this list, transforming everyday salad bowls into super sleek looking speakers.
36. DJ Console: Create the ultimate place to play music at a party using this project.
37. Kegerator: If you’ve got the budget for a refrigerator, consider this amazing hack to ensure you have the coolest parties around.

Kitchen

Even if you don’t spend much time in the kitchen, you can help it look nicer with these hacks.

38. Kitchen Bar: Give your kitchen a little extra storage space and create a great place to serve food and drinks with this hack.
39. Stylish Kitchen Storage: With this hack you’ll be able to cram more into your kitchen without spending a fortune.
40. Pot Rack: Your pots will finally have a place to call home with this innovative pot rack project.
41. High Traffic Rug: If you need a rug for your kitchen or entryway, this hack lets you create one that suits your needs and will stand up to abuse.
42. Cool Clock: Try out this hack to create a clock that’s not only functional, but completely customized as well.

Miscellaneous

From tricking out your bike to staying warm on the couch, these hacks have got all your needs covered.

43. Allen Wrench Drill Bit: If you’ve ever assembled anything from Ikea you know how tedious using a little Allen wrench to screw in all the components can be. With this hack, you’ll be able to seriously speed up the process and get back to doing something more fun.
44. Bike Rack: With a few spare parts and a little ingenuity, this project will create an easy way to store two bikes without eating up all of your floor space.
45. Cinema Rails: Film students will appreciate this project that turns spare parts into an amazingly useful tool for cinematography.
46. Storage Locker: Create a space for you and your roommates to store coats, hats and other things while still looking stylish with this Expedit hack.
47. Pillow Cover Handbag: If you’re sick of your throw pillows, don’t throw them out. Use this hack to turn them into something else entirely.
48. Pizza Bike: If a bike is your only means of conveyance and you need to carry around pizzas, this hack will ensure you do it with much more easily.
49. Polarvide Snuggie: Why buy a Snuggie when you can make one yourself using this helpful hack?
50. Tricked Out Terrarium: Whether you have snakes, lizards, or turtles, this hack will help you build them the ultimate home.