20 Eye-Catching Ikea Rast Hack Ideas For You to Try

20 Ikea Rast Hack Ideas You’ll Want To Try Right Away…

Looking to renovate your oh-so-basic Ikea Rast? I have just the idea for you! This list of Ikea Rast hack ideas includes something for everyone, so no matter what you’re looking for, you’ll find it below.

Recently, I’ve been on a major Ikea kick – and why not? I love the affordability and “hackability” of their furniture. Being able to buy a sturdy piece of furniture at a really reasonable price and then changing it up to make it personalized to your own tastes and home decor is my absolute favorite combination.

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If you’re already an IKEA die-hard (or even if you haven’t yet caught the bug), then grab this list of 25 IKEA must-have items for a stylish home on a budget! These are my favorite IKEA products as many of them can be used in amazing, outside-the-box ways, too.

The top 25 IKEA products list is free, just click here, or on the picture below to begin⤵️:

Seriously, does it get any better than that?

Today, it’s time to focus our attention on the Rast. The Ikea Rast dresser is a small, simple 3-drawer dresser that lends itself well to customizing into many different possibilities.

This small space favorite is a must-have for several reasons:

It’s completely affordable (at $40 you just can’t beat the price).
The piece is made of pine wood.
It’s very sturdy.
The compact size makes it handy for LOTS of different uses.
It’s only 12 inches deep, meaning it can fit in many different spaces.

Ikea markets the Rast as a dresser or a chest, but its size makes it perfect for SO MANY different uses. In no way are you limited to using this handy, compact piece of furniture as a dresser.

Here are other possible jobs for your Rast collection:

Table
Dresser
Nightstand
Desk
Toy storage
Kitchen island
Closet island
Console table
End table
And more!

I’m breaking down this list into three basic groups of hacks to help you find what you’re looking for a little easier: dresser (using the Rast as a dresser or chest), nightstand, and other hacks.

9 Ikea Rast Dresser Hacks

The Ikea dresser hacks you’ll find on this list are pure inspiration. No matter what style decor you have, you’ll find at least one hack idea here that will fit perfectly!

1. Mid-Century Flair | Reality Daydream

Bethany always has a way of making any piece of furniture better, and her Rast dresser hack is a case in point! Check out the mid-century spin she gives this dresser.

mid-century IKEA rast hack with mid-century flair and coral color accents

2. Diamonds in the Rough | Hawthorne and Main

An elegant stripe and diamond design take this simple furniture to another level.

The accents painted on this Ikea Rast dresser hack are not created from stencils by rather aided by tape. To re-create this hack, design your paint design then add legs and jewel knobs for a fun, versatile piece!

3. Eclectic Fun | Thrifty Decor Chick

Add a little color to your life with an eclectic hack like this one. Framing out the drawers to give them a shaker look gives the dresser and upscale look, and then paint any color to work with your decor.

thrifty decor chick navy shaker style IKEA rast hack

4. Clean & Simple | Sew a Fine Seam

Ikea hacks can look complex or can look simple and classic. This hack is the latter – it’s clean lines, fresh white paint, knobs, and casters elevate a simple pine dresser to a look that is deceptively simple but elegantly classy at the same time.

5. Rustic Elegance | House of Hepworths

Look at what can be done with some wood stain, and inexpensive wood shims to give your Rast some rustic charm!

House of Hepworths IKEA Rast hack with wood shims

And make sure you grab this list of 25 awesome IKEA products to help you create a stylish home on a budget! Click here or enter your email on that form right below⤵️

6. Boho Rast Hack | Build and Create Home

Ikea hacks can be amazing without being excessive. Sometimes, all you need to complete a terrific makeover is some paint and beautiful pulls!

This hack is a perfect example of turning an Ikea Rast into a stunning piece with just a little bit of work.

7. Make it Modern | Mad in Crafts

I love this Rast hack with a modern twist!

Here’s another example of how much some simple paint and hardware can transform a piece of furniture. For this hack, paint the entire unit, add nail heads for the trim, legs, and hardware of your choice. Super fun and thoroughly modern!

8. Architect Style Chest | Style Squeeze

This hack looks more simple than it is. While not complicated, taking a few extra steps can be all that you need to truly make this Rast dresser hack spectacular. I love the attention to detail in this hack…and that dark oak stain!

Stunning.

9. Coastal Charm | Atta Girl Says

Since Rast dressers are so affordable, they are a great way to add a little design flair into a space…in this case, some coastal charm.

coastal IKEA Rast hack, with light blue paint, Atta Girl Says

9 Ikea Rast Nightstand Hacks

Now, it’s time to look at a few Rast nightstand hack ideas. The Rast’s small, humble size makes it the perfect candidate for using it as a nightstand.

Take a gander at all these amazing ideas!

And don’t forget to grab your top 25 IKEA products list! Click here or enter your email by clicking the picture below. I’ll send your guide right away!

1. DIY Ikea Rast Nightstand | Paul Tran DIY

A good wood stain can go a long way, right? The dark oak stain use in this hack looks amazing, especially when paired with the hardware, tabletop with Roman edging and the curved footer.

You could use this piece in any room of your home and no one would EVER guess it came from Ikea.

2. Rustic Industrial Nightstand | Cherished Bliss

Love the plank look? You can fake it by cutting in lines at evenly spaced intervals. This hack would fool anyone into believing the drawers have plank fronts.

Add some amazing cup pulls and a layer of warm, dark grey paint and if you’re going for that rustic industrial look, this hack nails it.

3. Apothecary Nightstand | House By Hoff

I’m a sucker for cup pulls and contrasting color combinations. The white base with the stained wood tabletop looks amazing, but this hack had me at “cup pulls”.

I took one look at those in an apothecary style and instantly wanted to make this myself!

4. Anthropologie-Inspired Hack | Sincerely Sara D

See what a little trim can do? An inexpensive way to hack your Ikea furniture and make it look completely non-Ikea (is that a word?) is to add trim to it. Then, paint and adorn as your wish to achieve a much more custom – and expensive – look.

5. Farmhouse Nightstand | Dreaming of Homemaking

If you love the farmhouse look, this one is for you! Adding some trim, a tabletop, and a cutout footboard goes a long way to customizing this Rast unit. I just love that wood stain and the cup pulls!

6. Combine Units Together | Made Do And DIY

Nothing on the “hacking rulebook” says you can only hack one unit at a time! When you need more storage (or more shelf) space, combine units together. This Ikea Rast hack turns three separate units into one single unit and gives it a campaign-style makeover.

Now it’s a console, a long dresser, or whatever you need it to be!

7. Leather and Brass Campaign Hack | Vintage Revivals

It’s luggage-style with a splash of color! This Rast hack takes a chest and paints it a beautiful pink before adding brass brackets and pulls.

This particular hack also adds a piece of cut leather behind the pulls, and I just love the effect it creates.

8. Paint and Stain Hack | Brittany Stager

Instead of painting the entire dresser or staining the entire unit, you could mix and match like this Ikea Rast hack.

Paint the outside frame of the dresser while staining the drawers and adding antique pulls for a very chic and unique look to the piece.

9. A Rast Hack I’d Call Awesome | 2 Bees in a Pod

I think this has to be one of the coolest variations on a Rast hack in this whole group, right? I just love the creativity in this singular design!

2 Bees in a Pod IKEA Rast hack with old fashioned telephone theme

4 Other Ikea Rast Hack Ideas

Want to use your Rast somewhere other than the bedroom? Here are some eye-catching hacks for the rest of your house.

1. Ikea Rast Desk Hack | Addison Meadows Lane

This is seriously one of the coolest desks I’ve ever seen! And, you’d never know it was an Ikea Rast hack, would you? I love the creativity and the practicality of this desk idea for the space it is in.

I am inspired to create something just by looking at this!

2. Rast & Kallax Combo | The Handyman’s Daughter

Here’s a totally different Ikea desk hack that uses both a Rast dresser and a Kallax storage unit to create a functional desk unit with dons of storage. For the person who needs some serious storage and plentiful workspace, this will have you covered!

The Handyman's Daughter Kallax and Rast combo for a desk with lots of storage

3. Outdoor Storage Unit | Chatfield Court

An eye-catching piece to add to your living area, or outside, as done here! Those handmade drawer pulls are not only inexpensive and east to make, they create such a unique and one-of-a-kind piece of furniture.

IKEA Rast hack for outdoor storage with rope drawer pulls

4. Dog Bed Ikea Rast Hack | Our House Now a Home

This is definitely creative! I love this idea.

It may not work for a large dog, but a small-ish dog may really enjoy having a dog bed all their own – while you can also enjoy the functionality of still have storage in the upper part of the dresser.

There you go, friends! I hope you enjoyed seeing the creativity of these 22 Ikea Rast hack ideas and let yourself be inspired to upcycle one of your own pieces in a creative and eye-catching way!

Happy hacking!

Check Out Some More Ikea Hacks

If you love Ikea hacks too, then check out these recent posts:

Pin these IKEA Rast hack ideas for later! And if you make one, leave a comment (or better yet, a photo) on the pin! That helps others know whether they want to try this project, too!

Don’t leave empty-handed! Grab your free copy of our “25 Best IKEA Buys For A Stylish Home On A Budget” list! It’s the next best thing to an IKEA cinnamon roll (and if you haven’t tried one of those, you are missing one of life’s biggest joys)!