Before & After: An interiors lover transformed his kitchen with a stunning IKEA cabinet hack

When it comes to IKEA hacks, the possibilities are endless. From a quick twist on the iconic Regolit lampshade to a TORHAMN transformation that will shake up your entire home. But don't just take our word for it. 

Enter Malcolm Begg, an Aberdeen-based design enthusiast who has set the bar for IKEA hacks following an unrecognizable kitchen makeover – using TORHAMN cabinets. Armed with nothing but these timeless units, Malcolm remodeled his kitchen to create a designer space worthy of his mid-nineteenth-century home. 

How did he do it? It's the question on everybody's lips. So, of course, we found the answer. 

Sharing his interior design ideas with Real Homes, Malcolm, who blogs his projects via @designsixtynine, revealed that the idea came after a costly extension on his Victorian home. 

IKEA TORHAMN hack: Before

Malcolm, along with his partner Brian, sought inspiration from designer kitchens that were beyond their budget – before the birth of the TORHAMN transformation. 

'I decided to create the look using IKEA units and adding moldings. We opted for the TORHAMN kitchen as it offered simple but deep framing that we could adapt. I added simple angled wood trim to the doors and a wooden cornice at the top,' Malcolm says. 

While the wood trim made the cabinets feel individual, Malcolm created a 'bespoke look' by separating the units with 200mm wide timber to create framing and a simplified kickboard. 

He then customized the doors with wooden strips applied the glass, which gave the kitchen the designer look he was after. He then painted the units in Valspar's Clay Figurine.

IKEA TORHAMN hack: After

The hack didn't stop there. Malcolm also used the upper units to cleverly conceal some kitchen eyesores, such as the boiler. 

'The hood is IKEA with a custom chimney made from Plywood and painted to tie in. The kitchen sink unit was made using an IKEA wall unit which I framed out to create more width, adding legs from leftover timber,' Malcolm adds, in the discussion of his traditional kitchen idea. 

Following the success of his TORHAMN transformation, Malcolm then tried his hand at another IKEA hack – this time in the shape of the MALSJO cabinet. 'This was my partner Brian's idea, which has really worked. We screwed it to the wall for safety,' Malcolm explains.

Meanwhile, the solid core laminate kitchen worktops were equally budget-friendly after Malcolm revealed that he picked them up from eBay. 'They are Magma Zenith. The kitchen sink was also an eBay purchase,' he adds. 

When TORHAMN and MALSJO meet in Malcolm's kitchen, it's a match made in design heaven.