Interior styling | IKEA Besta unit hacks

This week I've been working with two design clients who have both asked me to find inexpensive storage options for the spaces we are working on. One of them didn't want to build in anything too expensive as she isn't sure whether she will do a full renovation in the near future. The other is on a tight budget for restyling the bedroom for her two adorable girls. The latter wants a storage solution that can hold the girls' (already large!) shoe collection as well some toys. For both clients I immediately thought of IKEA's Besta storage solution, which can be custom designed to fit a variety of styles and spaces. I love how much inspiration there is for how Besta can be 'hacked' by adding custom tops or shapes, and today I thought I would bring you some examples of this. Stay tuned over the next few weeks as I show you the before and after shots of the two design clients and how we end up using Besta in their homes.

How beautiful does this marble top look (above). You wouldn't even guess this unit had come from IKEA. 

For a less expensive version of the same look, try styling a vignette on top of a slab of marble. Country Road currently have great marble platters in black and white that would work really well for this.

I really love how this Besta has been customised using different depths of the cabinets. It has such a dramatic look that appears far more expensive than it really would be to create.

Simple and effective black and white styling - I love the look of these spaces (above and below)

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So if you need to find a relatively inexpensive storage solution that can be customised to suit your style and space, then you can't go past IKEA's Besta (they even have a planner on the website so you can design before you go and battle the IKEA store!). Once you've designed your system you can go to town with the styling to really customise it to your tastes. Below are some of the products I would choose if I were styling the Besta in my home. Would love to hear what you think!

01 Tom Ford book
02 Tinto platter by Country Road
03 Pia Wallen tray
04 Little concrete house by Bloomingville | available from Jamie kay
05 Milk Lamp | available from Great Dane Furniture
06 Paper bag vase from Have you met miss jones
07 New York vintage style poster from GeoArtShed on Etsy
08 Coffee poster from LatteDesign on Etsy
09 Bloomingville vase