This IKEA cabinet makeover has transformed an awkward corner into a chic home office

The stylish Swedish powerhouse continues to save our WFH backdrop – one video call at a time

IKEA BILLY
(Image credit: Lisa Chun / @ourhome.becoming)
Megan Slack
By
last updated

It’s no secret that we’ve spent a long time admiring ingenious IKEA hacks in our kitchens and living spaces over recent weeks. From quintessential country kitchen transformations to fashionable rattan makeovers – furnishings from our favorite Scandinavian giant after slowly taking over our entire interiors. 

However, we may have just found the one IKEA transformation that will elevate our home offices and improve our video call backdrop in the process. Needless to say, we’re taking notes on everything we need to know. 

Enter DIY extraordinaire Lisa Chun of @ourhome.becoming, who used IKEA’s iconic BILLY – or rather, four BILLY’s – to elevate an awkward corner in her home office in Bergen, New Jersey. ‘I wanted to customize my blank box of a home office, and I love the look of built-in bookcases, but not the price tag,’ Lisa shares.  

IKEA BILLY home office makeover

(Image credit: Lisa Chun / @ourhome.becoming)

The home decor enthusiast began with four of IKEA’s staple cabinets and arranged them, so they hugged the corner of the room. She then added a crown, baseboard, and face frame to connect the units. This trim makes the cabinets look ‘more substantial and high-end,’ Lisa adds. 

Once the structure was installed, Lisa painted the whole unit in Benjamin Moore's Dark Pewter – ‘a moody grayish-green to make it pop’. Could a combination of grey and green – the two most sought-after hues of the year – feel more fitting for a super-chic WFH space? Lisa crowned the cabinet with golden-toned handles that sit effortlessly alongside the cabinet’s rich dark tones. 

She also filled the unit with a carefully curated selection of golden accessories, lush houseplants, and art books, in a fitting nod to BILLY’s original roots as a bookcase. 

IKEA BILLY home office makeover

(Image credit: Lisa Chun / @ourhome.becoming)

The made-over BILLY is an ingenious twist on the classic and has completely camouflaged a previously dull corner. We certainly feel sorry for whoever has to compete with Lisa’s backdrop on a Monday morning – but we’re spending the rest of the weekend mirroring its beauty in our own offices.  And we'll begin by browsing similar gray/green shades right here. 

Megan Slack
Megan Slack

Megan is the Head of Celebrity Style News at Homes & Gardens. She first joined Future Plc as a News Writer across their interiors titles, including Livingetc and Real Homes, before becoming H&G's News Editor in April 2022. She now leads the Celebrity/ News team.

Before joining Future, Megan worked as a News Explainer at The Telegraph, following her MA in International Journalism at the University of Leeds. During her BA in English Literature and Creative Writing, she gained writing experience in the US whilst studying in New York. Megan also focused on travel writing during her time living in Paris, where she produced content for a French travel site.

Megan currently lives in London, where she relocated from her hometown in Yorkshire. In her home, she experiments with interior design trends and draws inspiration from the home decor ideas she observes in her everyday work life. Her favorite pieces include her antique typewriter and her expansive collection of houseplants. When she isn’t writing, she is browsing London’s coffee shops and bookstores to add to her ever-growing library, taking over the open shelving in her apartment. 

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