See how this DIY fan transformed an IKEA shelving unit into a stylish grey wardrobe for only £15

How many of us have an old piece of IKEA furniture knocking around the house in urgent need of an update? It can be tempting just to chuck it out, but you could make serious savings by following this DIY fan's lead and creating an IKEA wardrobe

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Debbie Hutcheson transformed an old large square unit from IKEA into a stylish wardrobe for her and her partner for just £15. When she posted a shot of the finished project on the Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK Facebook group, the post quickly clocked up 18,000 likes and 1,600 comments. Fellow members were keen to praise Debbie's genius DIY IKEA wardrobe.

'Epic looks fantastic I honestly would’ve never thought of doing this I’ve got this unit in my kitchen and was convinced if I took any shelves out it would collapse,' wrote one fan.

'Amazing idea, love it!' posted another.

DIY IKEA wardrobe

'I couldn't believe when I looked at my phone and my little post in the group had reached 18,000 likes,' says Debbie.

She'd picked the large square unit up from a local sale page for free and had had it for a while, but decided it was time for it to go. Luckily, before sending the old unit to the tip Debbie had an idea.

'I spoke with my partner as she wanted a wardrobe and asked whether she thought we could take out some of the shelves and add a rail in for our clothes,' explains Debbie. 'We figured it was getting taken to the tip anyway so why not give it a try.'

They started by removing the top of the unit, which loosened the rest of the shelves. 'We took out the ones we didn't want anymore leaving space for a clothes rail to go in,' says Debbie. 'Then we screwed in the rails from each end to make sure they were secure.'

Debbie used a curtain pole that she had picked up for £10 and cut in two, to make the hanging rails – one for tops and the other from trousers. She then used an IKEA blind to cover them up. 'It was very simple to attach as it had double-sided tape and you just cut it to size. There are velcro strips at the bottom to keep it closed,' she adds.

The couple slotted a set of drawers they already had into one side of the new unit to create more floor space in their bedroom. They finished the project off by slotting in grey, black and yellow boxes to create four extra drawers for storage.

'I am the kind of person who will sit and think about what I can make with something before I decide to get rid of it and this was one of those mad moments which I'm glad I had as I love it,' says Debbie.

'I chose the colour scheme to match our walls. All in all, it cost us £15 to make, saving us a fortune as we were looking at getting a wardrobe set so all our furniture would match,' she adds.

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Have you been inspired by this DIY IKEA wardrobe?