You won't believe the IKEA cabinet transformation!
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IKEA is known for offering affordable and modern furniture options that are stylish, comfortable, and easy to assemble. (Okay, that last point is debatable, but it’s still somewhat manageable for DIY beginners, right?)
However, one DIY enthusiast is proving that once you peel back the layers, there’s even greater potential underneath.
DIY enthusiast and furniture flipper Ebony Basten changed things up with her newest project. She shared a video of a Hemnes television cabinet (which she purchased from IKEA) with her 85,000 followers on TikTok.
‘I bet a lot of you are recognising this right now because it’s IKEA, but maybe you didn’t know that a lot of IKEA products actually have solid pine underneath,’ she said in the clip.
‘This makes them a great blank canvas for all sorts of designs.’
The exact Hemnes television cabinet shown in Ms Basten’s video cannot be found on IKEA Australia’s website, however, the Hemnes television bench seems to be a close alternative. The only difference is that the bench has three drawers, meanwhile, Ms Baten’s cabinet has two.
According to the product website, the television bench is made from solid pine and painted with clear acrylic lacquer.
‘Sustainable beauty from sustainably-sourced solid pine, a natural and renewable material that gets more beautiful with each passing year,’ the website claimed.
In her video, Ms Basten used a sander to strip the original white paint off the cabinet. This left the pine exposed. Then, she stained the top drawers and legs and added textured paintable wallpaper. She also included some geometric patterns in the finished design to give it a more ‘modern’ look.
Ms Basten also added that while she knows her followers love to see her transforming mid-century furniture, those products are hard to come by in the Gold Coast.
‘Flatpack furniture is prevalent worldwide, and I don’t think we should discount flipping it. Most of us probably have had something similar and as soon as it got a bit discoloured or ratty, we just chucked it out, adding to landfill’ she said in the caption.
Ms Basten suggested that cheap furniture can be revitalised and ‘fallen back in love with’.
Fans of Ms Basten were stunned by her revelation, and many praised how she designed the ‘cheap’ furniture.
‘Making IKEA look unique is always cool, no matter if it's white or not,’ one said.
‘Looks 10,000% better,’ another declared.
‘Me staring at my Hemnes TV stand that’s all beat up…me and my sander will see you later,’ a third commented.
You can watch Ms Basten’s video below:
While someone asked: ‘How are people so clever and creative? I can’t even hang a shelf.’
Some people, however, ruined their furniture by trying to sand non-solid wood.
‘Mine was cardboard and I was very upset when I found out,’ one shared.
‘Now everyone’s going to ruin non-solid wood IKEA furniture,’ another stated.
A word of caution before trying a DIY project: It is important to check the model of your furniture online and read the material list. Otherwise, you might ruin your furniture by trying out this hack.
For Ms Basten, she claimed that she has developed an instinct to figure out if the furniture she’s flipping is solid wood or not.
‘I tend to have an eye for it now, but the super glossy finishes usually have medium-density fibreboard (MDF) underneath. The more matte finishes are where you find wood,’ she explained.
A spokesperson for IKEA told reporters: ‘At IKEA, we want to create a better life at home by inspiring our customers to create a space which reflects their personality and style.’
They added that sanding back products that are solid wood and re-finishing them is a great way to breathe new life into used solid wood furniture. However, they did advise that before trying anything, it’s important to know the materials you’ll be working with.
‘Pine and other solid woods can change colour over time, especially when exposed to UV so if you choose to sand back, a tip is to ensure you cover with a solid lacquer to protect the wood and stop it from fading,’ they explained.
Here at the SDC, we love writing about cleaning hacks or other tips and tricks for beautifying your homes. However, we also advocate for your health and safety. Stories like this one, or this one can be quite scary or cause significant damage to your belongings.
And so before trying out anything you read online, make sure you’re aware of what you’re working with, read the manual that comes with your furniture or appliance, and if in doubt, call in the pros.
Do you have any furniture transformation tips or stories? We’d love to hear them! Tell us in the comments below.
However, one DIY enthusiast is proving that once you peel back the layers, there’s even greater potential underneath.
DIY enthusiast and furniture flipper Ebony Basten changed things up with her newest project. She shared a video of a Hemnes television cabinet (which she purchased from IKEA) with her 85,000 followers on TikTok.
‘I bet a lot of you are recognising this right now because it’s IKEA, but maybe you didn’t know that a lot of IKEA products actually have solid pine underneath,’ she said in the clip.
‘This makes them a great blank canvas for all sorts of designs.’
Ms Basten revealed a detail in most of IKEA’s furniture. Credit: ebonybasten/TikTok
The exact Hemnes television cabinet shown in Ms Basten’s video cannot be found on IKEA Australia’s website, however, the Hemnes television bench seems to be a close alternative. The only difference is that the bench has three drawers, meanwhile, Ms Baten’s cabinet has two.
According to the product website, the television bench is made from solid pine and painted with clear acrylic lacquer.
‘Sustainable beauty from sustainably-sourced solid pine, a natural and renewable material that gets more beautiful with each passing year,’ the website claimed.
In her video, Ms Basten used a sander to strip the original white paint off the cabinet. This left the pine exposed. Then, she stained the top drawers and legs and added textured paintable wallpaper. She also included some geometric patterns in the finished design to give it a more ‘modern’ look.
The finished product looks amazing. Credit: ebonybasten/TikTok
Ms Basten also added that while she knows her followers love to see her transforming mid-century furniture, those products are hard to come by in the Gold Coast.
‘Flatpack furniture is prevalent worldwide, and I don’t think we should discount flipping it. Most of us probably have had something similar and as soon as it got a bit discoloured or ratty, we just chucked it out, adding to landfill’ she said in the caption.
Ms Basten suggested that cheap furniture can be revitalised and ‘fallen back in love with’.
Fans of Ms Basten were stunned by her revelation, and many praised how she designed the ‘cheap’ furniture.
‘Making IKEA look unique is always cool, no matter if it's white or not,’ one said.
‘Looks 10,000% better,’ another declared.
‘Me staring at my Hemnes TV stand that’s all beat up…me and my sander will see you later,’ a third commented.
You can watch Ms Basten’s video below:
While someone asked: ‘How are people so clever and creative? I can’t even hang a shelf.’
Some people, however, ruined their furniture by trying to sand non-solid wood.
‘Mine was cardboard and I was very upset when I found out,’ one shared.
‘Now everyone’s going to ruin non-solid wood IKEA furniture,’ another stated.
A word of caution before trying a DIY project: It is important to check the model of your furniture online and read the material list. Otherwise, you might ruin your furniture by trying out this hack.
For Ms Basten, she claimed that she has developed an instinct to figure out if the furniture she’s flipping is solid wood or not.
‘I tend to have an eye for it now, but the super glossy finishes usually have medium-density fibreboard (MDF) underneath. The more matte finishes are where you find wood,’ she explained.
A spokesperson for IKEA told reporters: ‘At IKEA, we want to create a better life at home by inspiring our customers to create a space which reflects their personality and style.’
They added that sanding back products that are solid wood and re-finishing them is a great way to breathe new life into used solid wood furniture. However, they did advise that before trying anything, it’s important to know the materials you’ll be working with.
‘Pine and other solid woods can change colour over time, especially when exposed to UV so if you choose to sand back, a tip is to ensure you cover with a solid lacquer to protect the wood and stop it from fading,’ they explained.
And so before trying out anything you read online, make sure you’re aware of what you’re working with, read the manual that comes with your furniture or appliance, and if in doubt, call in the pros.
Do you have any furniture transformation tips or stories? We’d love to hear them! Tell us in the comments below.
