This viral hack ingeniously turns a £2.50 IKEA dish rack into an invisible bookshelf

We are all about a clever IKEA hack around here. They’re cheap and cheerful, not to mention aesthetically pleasing, innovative and functional, all of which combined makes our lives easier. If they’re good, that is. And the viral hack turning the bamboo IKEA OSTBIT dish rack into an invisible bookshelf sure is a good one.

At this point, this IKEA hack is so widespread that we don’t even know who came up with it first but all of our favourite people are doing it – Stacey Solomon featured it on her home-improving TV show Sort Your Life Out and DIY TikTok and Instagram influencer, Medina Grillo of @grillodesigns - who’s inspired us with many of her hacks to date including the IKEA STOLTHET chopping board hack - made this her go-to for displaying books.

And it can be made renter-friendly too, no drilling included, just like Medina has done. Even though some screws or nails would probably put your mind at ease that the structure is definitely going to hold up.

@grillodesigns

♬ La foule - Remastered - Édith Piaf

IKEA OSTBIT dish rack hack

Who remembers the home decor trend of invisible bookshelves? A metal shelf that allows you to stack books on top of each other, making them look like they’re floating without showing off its structure. One of those is still on this writer’s wish list. 

But now that this hack has come about, perhaps we should all just invest in the £2.50 IKEA OSTBIT plate holder instead. 

Medina loves this hack so much that she’s expanded her book display from just one dish rack to four to create a bigger, more impactful way to display her books by stacking the individual racks on top of each other..

‘Sharing one of my all time favourite bedroom hacks,’ she wrote in her caption. ‘Turning a dish/plate rack into a bookshelf! But this time I’m making it a little bigger by adding 3 more IKEA OSTBIT racks to accommodate some of my newest books.’

As previously mentioned, the influencer used adhesive hooks like these ones from Amazon instead of screws. But this has started a debate in the comments section over whether these would hold up or not.

One person wrote, ‘There’s no way those little strips are holding all that weight. I’m impressed.’ While another notes, ‘This is genius!! 🔥🥰 Aaaaand can those adhesives really hold the weight?! 😁 Let us know how it’s holding up!’

Get the look:

Medina reassuringly responded that she’s never had issues with these hooks falling off or ripping off pieces of the wall. After all, if it can hang a heavy mirror, then why not this? But there is the option of using screws, of course, as some other Instagrammers have done, including @ryandbethg.

If you’re considering giving this hack a try (as you should), then it’s also worth mentioning that it only works for hardcover books as gravity does a number on paperbacks, making them sag or fall out. So be warned.