I’ve always had a soft spot for a clever Ikea hack, and this one is a favorite because it’s delightfully simple. With just a few small changes to a basic $99 Malm dresser, it now reads like a custom built-in at the beach house. It fits perfectly in the little nook at the top of the back staircase in the beach bedroom and feels both practical and intentional.

rug / striped towel / leather hardware / gold mirror / bathroom table 

One of our go-to Ikea tricks is to make inexpensive pieces feel built-in. Years ago we used Pax wardrobes to create a sleeping nook and added crown and a header to make them look like custom cabinetry. That project required only a few trim additions and curtains instead of doors. We’ve done other, more involved builds too, including turning solid wood dressers into floor-to-ceiling bookcases, but this Malm conversion is deliberately easy: trim, a thicker top, leather pulls, and a little caulk were enough to make a big visual impact.

The back bedroom at the beach house used to be open to the staircase and, by extension, to the kitchen below. Adding a wall with pocket doors gave us much-needed privacy without blocking daylight from the bedroom window. The doors stay open most of the time, but closing them at night makes the space feel like a proper bedroom. Creating that wall also formed a small nook that naturally became the ideal spot for the Malm dresser.

Because the nook was almost exactly the width of a Malm, the dresser fit snugly once we removed the baseboard and quarter round molding around the floor. That extra thickness was preventing the dresser from sliding flush to the walls, so popping off the trim was the first step. After assembling the dresser and sliding it into place, we added painted filler strips on either side to bridge the gap between the dresser and the wall. I nailed those strips through the dresser sides into the wall and later smoothed any small gaps with caulk.

Note: in addition to nailing through the sides, we used the supplied hardware to anchor the back of the dresser to the wall. Like most dressers, the Malm can tip if it isn’t secured, so wall anchoring is essential.

We reinstalled baseboard where needed so the filler pieces had a finished base to rest on and added quarter-round around the dresser’s perimeter so it met the dresser edge. Running the quarter-round along the front helps sell the built-in look and gives a neat transition to the floor. Small details like that make a huge aesthetic difference.

We didn’t plan to add a wood top at first, but the factory top felt too thin, so we used a leftover butcher block counter from the kitchen as a thicker, warmer-looking surface. Because the walls aren’t perfectly square, we made a cardboard template first to ensure the butcher block would fit precisely before making any cuts. That extra care paid off: the finished top fits beautifully and ties the dresser into the house’s existing wood tones and finishes.

Leather pulls are another small upgrade that make a big difference. We picked up leather strap handles while grabbing the Malm, and for a modest cost they add a custom, warm detail that elevates the plain drawer fronts. When installing hardware on Ikea’s painted finishes, take precautions to avoid chipping: put painter’s tape over the drilling spot and clamp scrap wood inside the drawer to support the exit side of the drill bit. That prevents flaking and keeps the finish tidy.

Caulk was the unsung hero here—it blended seams in the baseboard and sealed gaps between filler pieces and the wall so the whole assembly reads as one built-in unit. We hung a round gold mirror above the dresser to reflect light and balance the wood tone; mirrors are always a great choice in small spaces because they open the room up visually.

We usually leave the top clear because for short trips we keep our suitcase there and live out of it, but for longer stays it’s been lovely to unpack and use the drawers. The built-in look gives the bedroom a more finished feel without taking up additional square footage or closing off the narrow landing. There’s ample floor space behind the dresser to stand and access drawers safely, which was important because the stairs are narrow.

If you like Ikea hacks, here are a few of our past favorites: built-in Pax wardrobes in a bedroom, a wood-wrapped Expedit that became a changing table, Fjell dressers turned into built-in bookcases, a Pax used as a mudroom closet, a customized Vittsjo shelf, and built-in cabinets using Ikea kitchen units. These projects range from quick cosmetic tweaks to more involved transformations, but all follow the same principle: thoughtful details can make affordable pieces look custom.

• Built-in Pax wardrobes that created a cozy sleeping nook
• Wood-wrapped Expedit bookcase turned into a changing table
• Fjell dressers converted to built-in bookcases
• Pax used as a custom mudroom closet
• Spray-painted and lined Vittsjo shelf
• Built-in cabinets made from Ikea kitchen units

P.S. If you want details about paint colors and where we sourced most of the beach house furnishings, we keep that information on a shop page for the house. *This post contains affiliate links.*