We all go through that “IKEA phase” in life, and to be honest, I have no intention of leaving that phase! Thanks to the amount of IKEA hacks out there and newer, unique pieces of IKEA furniture, it’s easier than ever to achieve a sophisticated look on a budget. If you’re in the market for IKEA entertainment center ideas to upgrade an IKEA sideboard, cabinet, buffet or TV unit into a chic centerpiece in your living room, you can hack it SO many different ways!
How to Hack Faux Built-ins from an IKEA System
The most popular IKEA entertainment center out there is one that creates a faux built-in entertainment center by combining a console or set of cabinets with shelving, like this all white example from Hey There, Home. Can you believe Corey’s bright white living room unit is actually made with IKEA kitchen cabinets?! The IKEA LACK shelves (old and no longer available) on either side were cut to size to create a ton of open shelving that still allow us to see that beautiful blue pop in the background.
When you’re searching for a way to upgrade your IKEA entertainment center or turn your basic TV stand into a real CENTER, faux built-ins are are great way to go! They’re budget friendly and customizable to your space with different levels of shelving, colors and my personal favorite – a pop of color on the background wall.
Want more built-in IKEA entertainment center ideas?!
Several IKEA BILLY bookcases made up with built-in entertainment center by Bless’er House! With the addition of wood trim around the bookshelves, they look like they were professionally installed and painted – not unpacked from an IKEA box.
It seems BILLY bookcases are everyone’s favorite way to create built-ins, like this version by Amanda Katherine. The entire system was completed for just $300!
Luckily, IKEA also has a BESTA planner so you can plan out your IKEA entertainment center before you buy. You don’t necessarily have to hack the whole thing yourself now that IKEA does part of the work for you! The Social Home showed her progress as she updated her home with a new BESTA entertainment center and pretty, minimalist accents.
These BESTA built-ins by A Kailo Chic Life pop with a blue ceiling! Oh, and seeing how she rearranges her decor over and over with the seasons is so gorgeous!
IKEA Entertainment System Faux Built-in Sources:
- BESTA planner
- BESTA individual storage pieces
- BILLY bookcases and shelving
- LACK shelving and TV stand solutions
Upgrade Simple, Stylish TV Stands
If you’re like me and live in a small space, you might not have room for a large entertainment center, so maybe a simple TV stand is more your style. Upgrading a TV stand could be as simple as updating the paint color, swapping out drawer pulls or adding a new top to bring a unique look to an otherwise plain piece of furniture.
This stylish tv stand upgrade by A Beautiful Mess is ideal for the mid-century modern decor lover. It’s amazing what pretty drawer pulls and a little gold paint can do to upgrade a piece of IKEA furniture! This plain IKEA BESTA unit (similar here) looks like a new, chic piece of furniture thanks to Laura’s gold makeover.
These stylish IKEA TV stands are perfect for small spaces (or large ones)!
Achieve that rustic-meets-modern look with this entertainment center idea from the Curbly archives. A panel of wood adhered to the top makes such a huge difference!
This EXPEDIT unit got a unique makeover with wood stained paint sticks! Amy Krist‘s unique TV stand idea (shown here as a sideboard) leaves a lot of cavities open for storage too.
Get this West Elm-inspired unit for an IKEA price! Place of my Taste DIYed this reclaimed wood buffet that would make a wonderful TV stand.
Since I LOVE color, this color blocked storage unit by Sugar & Cloth has my heart! Paint each door of an IKEA unit a different color that matches your decor for a fun statement piece you can use as a TV stand.
Combine three units to make an extra long IKEA entertainment center for storing everything you could possibly need! This DIY by Honeybear Lane shows how a little paint and a new wood top can give it a whole new look!
A floating sideboard like this version by Petite Modern Life can float beneath your TV for added storage! The levitating look also keeps the room feeling open.
Stand-Alone TV Stand Sources:
These IKEA TV stands are the perfect solution for small spaces as well as large spaces when you want a simple piece of furniture. Hack them different ways (or even leave them as-is) for stylish home decor updates.
- BYAS TV unit
- BESTA TV stand
- FJALLBO media unit
- MOSTORP TV stand
How to Incorporate an IKEA Entertainment Center around a Fireplace
Looking at the other IKEA entertainment center ideas, you can see that they aren’t really designed with a fireplace in mind. If you want to display your TV over your fireplace but don’t know how else to incorporate storage and shelving, these ideas for decorating around your fireplace will make you feel instantly inspired.
Rebecca of Infarrantly Creative documented her entire process of renovating her living room, installing IKEA faux built-ins and rebuilding her fireplace to make a cohesive entertainment center across the entire wall. Judging by her 6-part series on the reno, it was WORK, but look at the progress to see how natural it turned out!
This one is certainly more work, but retiling that fireplace with marbled tile makes such a huge difference! With BESTA units built-in on either side of the updated fireplace, you’d never be able to guess this entertainment center was made with pieces from IKEA.
If you already have a fireplace that you need to work around without a major update, try this idea!
Bring back those BILLY bookcase built-ins and measure the space carefully to box it around your existing fireplace like HeartHavenHome.
How to Hide TV Wires in an Entertainment Center
If you’re a renter, you might not have the luxury of hiding TV wires inside of your wall when you hang your TV (if only!) but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for staring at ugly wires. More on that below! If you CAN wide wires inside, Katie of HeartHavenHome shared how she hid the tv wires in molding above her TV in the reno above.
Get even craftier and hide tv wires inside trim work that surrounds your TV, like this tutorial from Sawdust Girl. It also creates a cool new backdrop for your TV!
Fuss-Free, Renter-Friendly Ways to Hide TV Wires
Go ahead, hang that TV! You can hide TV wires in an entertainment center using an IKEA cord cover that you can paint to blend in to your wall! By simply slipping it over the wires, it can blend in so that the wires don’t bother you every time you watch TV.
When in doubt, you can also get away with decorating in front of those pesky TV wires to hide them! Little changes like stacks of books will make you forget all about those cords, just like this simple wire-hiding decor by Me & Mr. Jones, and she even shows you how to make a decorative cable box cover.
Whether you’re a renter or owner, you can have a customizable IKEA TV stand or entertainment center that blends in seamlessly with your home decor. Taking the time to hide wires and build out large cabinetry can pay off big time, but a simple TV stand update can make just as big of a difference in your home!
