7 Easy Ways to Make Ikea Furniture Look More Expensive Than it is

This one’s a no-brainer. If you leave your boring, white Malm dresser white, it will look like a boring Malm dresser that is white. Enter: color. Brush up with our four-step guide to painting furniture, then go to town transforming cookie-cutter pieces into one-of-a-kind masterpieces.

Use fancy wallpaper like a yellow leaf by Burke Décor or this woods design by Cole & Son to give the standard Billy an original look. Just apply the wallpaper before assembly for a surprise pop of pattern or color.

Ikea sofas don’t look terribly chic on their own, but one super-easy and inexpensive way to up the wow factor is to swap out their legs. Swedish company Pretty Pegs sells adorable ones (all made to fit Ikea pieces) that take any item from meh to midcentury modern.

Want a preppy vibe? This kinda genius company makes easy-to-apply geometric decals that glue onto the front of Ikea furniture, mirrors--and even your walls.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: The easiest, cheapest way to make any piece of furniture look like a million bucks is to replace the hardware. From vintage glass and porcelain to patterned, polished pewter, a whimsical pull can add a sleek or feminine touch. We’re coming for you, Hemnes three-drawer chest.

Speaking of that Hemnes chest, won't it make you infinitely happier if you open it up and see a hint of gold? Just choose a paper that has some weight to it (fine, delicate ones won’t hold up), set inside and secure with double-sided tape.

These Trones shoe storage cabinets cost $13 each. Affix them to the wall, then head to Lowes, pick out a piece of lumber that you like and get it cut to size. Gently set atop your wall unit (you don’t even need to glue it down.) Gorgeous upgrade: complete.