I recently created this IKEA hack as a commission for The Telegraph but I was so happy with the outcome, I thought I would share a few pictures of it here on the blog. If you want to see the full step-by-step DIY process of creating this hack, click here to be taken to the piece on The Telegraph website where there is both a video and picture tutorial. Otherwise, here are a few ‘before and after’ pictures of how it started and how it ended up.

This old IKEA METOD kitchen wall unit was on its way to landfill, but I knew I could transform it into something useful. I needed a bit more space at home to store towels outside our bathroom, so my plan was to turn it into a pretty cabinet. 

I’d seen a few materials recently that I really wanted to try out: this buttercup yellow paint shade that was new as part of the Little Greene ‘Sweet Treats’ collection; floral wallpaper, also by Little Greene, as well as this scallop trim that I discovered at the Dunelm SS24 press show. My idea was to line the inside of the cabinet with the wallpaper as the cabinet would be storing fabrics, as well as making the most of the inset detailing of the doors by applying the scallop moulding.

To raise the cabinet off the floor, I purchased some furniture legs from Screwfix which were only a few pounds each; as the cabinet had exposed fixings on the top, I cut a piece of MDF to size and applied Fablon vinyl over it. I think this was the only part of the cabinet I wasn’t overly happy with at the end - for other IKEA hacks I’ve had real marble cut to size from worktop offcuts and that has looked a whole lot better than the Fablon, which I found hard to secure onto the MDF without the edges lifting. 

Overall, I was so happy with this hack. The scallops were so easy to apply and they could be cut down with scissors, making them easy to use for even the most novice DIYer. I also adored the paint colour - it’s the perfect shade of summery yellow that isn’t too mustard or creamy. I’ll definitely be using this hue somewhere else in my home this year!