How to Turn an IKEA Unit Into a Cool DIY Isobel Bookshelf Dupe

1. Assemble the KALLAX bookshelf

First, assemble the bookshelf. You can keep the shelves as they are, or cut them for an asymmetrical look. Some versions of the KALLAX bookshelf have asymmetric shelving already.

I cut away half of the first shelf and the top shelf with a jigsaw. If you’re cutting some of the shelves, remember not to cut where the holes are because they’re used to connect the shelf pieces together.

2. Add cardboard

Take a large side of the cardboard box that the KALLAX bookshelf came in, and tape it to the back of the bookshelf.

Next, we’re going to create a rounded shape using other pieces of the cardboard box. For the arched top, roll the cardboard piece until it has a bent shape. Then place it on top of the shelving unit, taping down the ends.

For inside the shelves, you can really get creative. I wanted to make the large unit round, but the smaller units mostly square, and split the other large shelf in two… basically, think about what you want to store in the shelving unit and create shapes accordingly. Bend and tape cardboard to make the shapes.

3. Spray foam in the gaps

Now, take your spray foam and fill in the gaps between the shapes.

4. Cut off the excess foam

Three hours later, the foam should be dry and you can cut off the excess with a saw or knife.

This is looking so awesome! You can totally see the shape already.

5. Spray-paint the cardboard white

Next up, we’re going to spray-paint the brown cardboard white. This step might look a bit useless, but I promise it makes the following step a lot easier.

6. Cover the surface with spackling

Next, we’re going to cover everything with hole filler, joint compound, or something similar. I’m using a white lightweight spackling. The coverage is much better now we have the white surface underneath. This also provides the kind of texture that we’re going for.

7. Sand

Once dry, sand down the surface for a cleaner finish. I quite like the “undone” look, so I kept a lot of the texture as it was. It’s up to you.

DIY Isobel bookshelf dupe

Here’s our final Isobel bookshelf dupe! What do you think about this DIY bookshelf? This was such a simple and effective IKEA hack. I absolutely love the results and I can't wait to see the comments and see what you guys think about it. See you next time!