Transform the Ikea Malm dresser in a couple of simple steps! This is a super easy hack that will transform your Ikea Malm dresser from blah to WOW in a few steps! I always get tons of questions on this dresser and everyone is surprised that it’s actually an Ikea dresser.
If you love a good Ikea Hack, make sure to check my Ikea Kallax Hack, the super easy Ikea Vittsjo Coffee Table Hack and the Ikea Farlov Sofa Review!
What you will need:
For this Ikea hack, I used two Ikea Malm dressers of four drawers. They are two separate dressers that I placed together, not glued or attached, but I guess if you want to, you could probably attach them. If you don’t need as much storage you can use the Malm six drawer dresser that comes as one piece.
On top, I added the glass top made by Ikea for the Malm dressers to ensure it looks seamless. This makes a huge difference, otherwise it would probably look a little weird with the gap in the middle lol!
Now, you may notice that I have these dressers both in my room and in Sophia’s room. What I love about this dressers is that they hold a lot, the drawers are huge!
If you have little ones like I do, make sure you secure the dressers to the wall to avoid any accidents.
Adding Knobs to the Malm Dresser
Now the fun part, the knobs!! I loveee brass or lucite knobs, so for the bedroom dresser I used brass ring pulls, and for Sophia’s room I used a lucite and brass pulls for a more vintage look.
Please note that the Ikea Malm dresser does not com predrilled. Hence, you will need to actually drill into it. But this was super easy to do (according to my father in law :))
Here are some of my favorite knobs:
How to install the drawer knobs:
To attach the knobs to the Malm dresser, use a cabinet mounting template (like this) and measure top to bottom and side to side to make sure that the holes are aligned.
Use a regular drill bit to make your holes and attach the knobs with the hardware provided. Done!
I absolutely love how the Ikea Malm dressers look now, they don’t even look like they are from Ikea!
Have you done any Ikea hacks? Don’t forget to check out my hack of the Ikea Kallax Hack and subscribe for more prettiness delivered to your inbox!
Shop the post:
Classic white kitchen remodel | Ikea Kallax Hack| Ikea Malm Dresser
With Love,
Ceres
Hello, I love this look, one question however. What was the measurement for how long the knobs had to be. In this case the malm dresser panels are very thin, how did you make sure they weren’t too long for the panels? What site did you use for the exact knob you went with? I want to achieve the same exact look, thanks.
Author
I didn’t really measure the knobs, most are cabinet knobs which should work well for the Ikea dresser. The round knobs are from lookintheattick.com, its linked above 🙂
Did you use one glass top for the dresser or two? What size?
Author
Just one, I bought the top for the double dresser. xoxo
Hi, love the glass top idea. Where would I be able to get that?
Oops I juse saw u purchazed it in ikea lol sorry, what size would it be?
Author
I got the size for the 6 drawer one, since I have 2 units of 4 drawers. It fits perfectly ?
Hi, i love sophias malm with the pulls. i found them on etsy through your site but they come in a bunch of sizes, which size did you buy?
Author
Hi Frieda, the knobs for her dresser was from a http://www.lookintheattic.com, I do love the ones from etsy tho! I think 4in ?
Hi! I am attempting the same project but having issues with the legs- how did you add the legs on?
Author
Hi Bri! I did not add legs to the malm dresser. I got the four drawer one, which is pretty high already. Hope that helps!
hi there! when i pull up the malm dresser i don’t see an options with the legs like yours. Have they changed the style recently?
Author
Mine does not have legs… I guess in the pic it looks like it does? 😘
I can’t even deal with the cuteness and glam luxe feel in these furniture pieces, love the details.
Author
Aweee thank you so much Ariana ?
Where did you get the adorable brass teddy bear?
Author
I found it at Homegoods! ?
Hi – are the brass knobs the ‘Polished Brass’ option from look in the attic? Thanks!
Author
Hi Lisa! Yes, polished brass!!
Author
Hi Lisa! Yes, polished brass ??
Thank you Ceres! The link for the Ikea Malm Dresser doesn’t seem to be working… is this the same one? http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90360465/#/20360464
Author
Hi Lisa, yes, that is the dresser!
Hi Ceres, I would remove the link to in the attic- they are slow reply to emails, phone rings out and are asking for extra money to ship even though it was included in the first charge. Wouldn’t like anyone else to suffer the same issue.
Author
Oh that’s crazy. I didn’t have any issues w them. Need to find someone that sells these knobs. Thanks for letting me know! ?
Amazon has them 🙂
did you add legs to this dresser?
Author
Hi Cibele, no I did not… ?
Hi Ceres,
I know you can secure the Malm units to walls, but how did you secure the glass table top so it doesn’t fall or slide? Thanks!
Author
The glass top came w those little plastic dots, I just use them. Mine never really move much!
Where did you get the pink high heels on the dresser?
Author
Hi Shannon,
Its an old one from Manolos!
Hi Ceres,
Do you have the link of the knobs on yours? They look amazing!
Author
Hi Karen! Both knobs I used are linked in the post! ?
Where did you get the pink high heels
Author
Hi Shannon! They are Manolo’s from a while Ago… ???
The MALM series sits on the floor, do you have yours sitting on something?
Author
Hi doll, mine sits on the floor too! ?
Hello,
For the brass ring pulls, are those 3inch or 2inch?
Author
Hi Selena, They are the 3in ones!
Hi Ceres,
The link for the glass top doesn’t seem to be working. Do you know if ikea still sells it?
I love what you did, I am trying to replicate it! 🙂
Thanks,
Christina
Ikea does not sell the glass anymore. I know because I just tried to buy it at the store. 🙁 So sad
Author
Really?! Oh no! Wonder if they have another glass top that you could use it 😘
Not at Ikea. They no longer sell glass for safety reasons. 🙁 I’m sure you can have one made. 🙂
You’re getting questions about the legs because in your last picture there appears to be gap between the bottom of the drawer and your floor, hence the reason the cowhide rug appears to go under the dresser! I purchased two 4-drawer chests and knobs in an attempt to copy this look, however I do wish the dresser had legs on it (it sits flush to the floor all the way across) and I am now having buyer’s remorse. Do you have another picture of the dresser from the front showing the bottom of yours??
Author
Hi Alexis! Check out my instagram @designsbyceres, I have tons of pictures there 😘😘
Hi,
The dresser idea is so adorable. I have tried finding the post on instagram with the dresser, but seems like your account is not longer active. Is there another instagram account you use now?
I was wondering if i can see it from another angle, since in the pictures above it looks like the dresser does have legs. Also, what dimension is the glass top?
Thank you 🙂
Author
Hi Vik, you can find me @the.pink.dream. The dresser does not have legs. And I believe they no longer sell the glass, but measurements are same as dresser 😘
How hard is it to install knobs? I saw you have two ring knobs listed – which ones did you actually end up using?
Hi! Your work is so incredible! A few questions…
1. I just ordered the malm dresser in hopes of it turning out like yours. I ordered the 6 drawer malm. Is there a reason you didn’t get this one instead? For me i felt it was less Hassel having to piece the 2 together.
2. Where did you get the pink throw blanket with the Pom poms in your daughters room?
Keep up the good work!
Thanks,
Jen
Author
Hi Jen! The 6 drawer would work fin! I just needed more storage, hence why I got 2 w 4 drawers! Let me check on the blanket. What post was it? 😘
It’s this post about MALM dresser hack. The first photo has a pink throw. Where is it from?
Hi Ceres! Just finding this great hack! Love it. Quick question – is there a difference in the skirting at the bottom of your dressers – ones looks a bit more recessed than the other but maybe my eyes are playing tricks.
Author
Hi Julie! Thank you! Yes! So ikea changed the malm Dresser due to being recalled. One of my old ones broke so I had to get a new one w the new design 😩😭 only after we put it all together I noticed they were different lol. If u are buying new you should have no problems 😘😘
Hey So I noticed the glass tops are discontinued do you have an alternative to protect the top?
Author
Hi Paloma, no… sorry! Maybe you could order a glass top?!
The glass tops are back in stock. I picked up one yesterday along with a Malm dresser. Love what you did with yours. It’s beautiful.
Author
Omg really!!! Amazing so happy they brought it back! 😘
Hi Ceres! Oh I love your project! I have one malm to and I think I will try your idea! Thank you so much!
Author
Awee thank u so much!!
I love your Ikea Malm dresser hack. You have amazing taste:-) The pull rings are lovely. What size are they? They were so pricey at Look in the Attic so I am looking for other options. I looked on Amazon but pull rings they are selling are only 1.5 inches. I just bought the dresser ad assembled it this past weekend. I am ready to install the pull rings. I searched so many sites and can’t find them. Love your decor and look forward to hearing from you.
I love your Ikea Malm dresser hack. You have amazing taste:-) The pull rings are lovely. What size are they? They were so pricey at Look in the Attic so I am looking for other options. I looked on Amazon but pull rings they are selling are only 1.5 inches. I just bought the dresser ad assembled it this past weekend. I am ready to install the pull rings. I searched so many sites and can’t find them. Love your decor and look forward to hearing from you.
Author
Hi Irene! I think the reason the are expensive it’s bc it’s solid brass. They are 3in! 😘
Hi Ceres,
I love the look of the two dressers together. Especially as dresser/change table for my daughter, as it would be much taller than the 6 drawer dresser. I’m wondering though, do the drawers open up ok when the dressers are side by side. It seems like they would rub? As there is no border around the drawers. Hope that makes sense. Thanks!
Author
Hi Janice! No they do not run at all! They open just fine! 😘😘
So gorgeous! I’m doing this ASAP! Sadly the pulls aren’t available but I’ll find some new ones:) question about the blue drapes in these pictures, are they the same as the light beige ones from another Master Bedroom post?
Author
Hi Deb, the blue drape is from restoration hardware baby. Unfortunately it has been discontinued 😢
Can I ask where did you get the curtains from and the color? love them.
Author
I’m the bedroom it’s from ikea, in the nursery it’s west elm! 😘