DIY IKEA Makeup Vanity an IKEA Raskog Hack
Today I will to show you how to create an IKEA Makeup Vanity Cart that rolls around! It’s the perfect solution for a too-small or shared bathroom. I love a good IKEA hack, and this IKEA Raskog hack has to be one of my favorite ones to date! Keep reading to find out how I did it.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post from IKEA and the Mom it Forward Blogger Network. All opinions and hair-brained ideas are 100% mine.
DIY IKEA Vanity Rolling Cart
Right now, my twins are sharing a bathroom, although they both have laid claim to the empty bathroom by my college kid. We will see who “grabs” that one first. Since they are twins and leaving at the same time every day, this creates a bit of a bottleneck in the bathroom in the mornings.
Especially for my daughter. She is at the age where she would like to take a bit more time on her hair and makeup in the morning. She has difficulty doing that when her brother is crowding her in the bathroom. This project would also be great for anyone with roommates sharing an apartment or college dorm.
So I created a simple IKEA makeup vanity cart to help her out. She can easily roll it back and forth between her bedroom and the bathroom, whichever is the easier place to get ready that morning. She then is able to have all her hair and beauty products in one place. You could even store a portable vanity mirror in it to ensure you have all your tools in one place.
Supplies Needed for IKEA Makeup Vanity Trolley
IKEA Raksog Cart
Metal Utensil Holder from IKEA
Zip Ties
IKEA Godmorgon clear plastic dividers
Vinyl Lettering for the Front of the Cart – I made mine with my Cricut Machine- the font is called Budmo and can be downloaded for free online.
More info about the Makeup Cart
The rolling vanity is a very slightly modified Raskog Cart. I have to tell you I LOVE THESE THINGS! I have 4 now. One for my office, one for sewing supplies, one for the “art” stuff in the kitchen, and now this one. They are the perfect functional piece of furniture and can be used in many different ways, not just as a vanity cart or dressing table.
How to add the Curling Iron or Hair Dryer Holder
It’s the handiest little cart (plus it’s super cute). To make the vanity, take a utensil holder from IKEA (similar one found here) and attach it to the side of the Raskog with zip ties.
To attach it, string two zip ties through the top and two through the bottom, tighten very well, and clip off the extra ties.
Now, she has a place to hold her curling iron and flat iron. The metal utensil holder is just the right shape to hold them, and since it’s metal, she can place slightly hot curling irons in it. Helping to optimize storage space so you can fill the cart with a lot of stuff, including jewelry and makeup storage.
I will say this is not intended to be used with a turned-on, hot curling iron, just one that is unplugged and in the process of cooling down.
How to Organize the Cart
Divide each of the 3 trays into separate purposes. I chose Face, Nails & Hair, but you can use whatever you’d like. I cut out some vinyl letters for the cart too, to help keep it organized and for a bit of decoration (more info on cutting out the vinyl lettering below).
Amazon is a great place to find organizational tools to help you maximize space and have enough storage in this DIY makeup vanity.
The Makeup Shelf
To organize the makeup on the top tray, use IKEA Godmorgon clear plastic dividers (another great makeup storage option found here). My daughter was then able to divide up her makeup collection into plastic dividers to keep everything organized.
The Hair Shelf
The bottom shelf holds her hairdryer (it also can fit in the canister on the side) and two more plastic bins, one large one for hair accessories and one smaller one for hair bands and bobbypins. This shelf is also great for storing any extension cords needed for electric hair tools.
Drawers and jars are also great for keeping hair accessories organized on this shelf. Mason jars can be used to store hair ties and bobby pins, and plastic drawers can hold larger hair accessories like headbands.
The Nails Shelf
Even though she doesn’t do her nails every morning, she definitely needed somewhere to keep all of her stuff, so we dedicated a shelf to that.
We also found out that the large Godmorgon organizer (similar to one found here) is perfect for holding bottles of nail polish; the one we chose has a lid to keep all her nail polish neatly organized and easily portable, but you don’t need one with a lid or even a large drawer, whatever works best for you is perfect.
How to Add Lettering to the Cart
You can cut the letters for the front of the cart at home yourself with an “e-cutting” machine.
The font is Budmo. It is cut with a Cricut Machine and white vinyl.
What is a Cricut? A Cricut Machine is an electronic cutting machine. It hooks up to your computer via USB or Bluetooth and cuts images you send to it, much like a printer. It just cuts instead of prints. It can cut vinyl, paper, fabric, and much more. The images are all digital; you can upload your own images or buy images in the Cricut Design space individually. You can read my full review of the Cricut Maker Machine HERE.
About IKEA’s First59 Program:
A few weeks ago, I shared with you one of the challenges that my family faces in the morning. Last-minute chaos. Most of this chaos is caused by us being slightly under-prepared and a little bit disorganized. Right now we are dealing with two big issues regarding mornings. One, “I can’t find my clothes”. Two, “There is no room for me in the bathroom”.
With the help of IKEA and lots of inspiration found online, I decided to tackle the second of these two problems, the bathroom. The clothing situation still needs to be addressed. But that’s a bigger project, and I realized that I had a quick and simple solution to the bathroom problem.
A little bit of chaos in the morning can get me a little bit frazzled. IKEA has done studies and found that the way that you spend the first 59 minutes of your day can affect your mood for the rest of the day. They have made it their mission to provide simple solutions to help you make the most of those first :59.
After one week of use I’m happy to report a “so far so good” with the cart, helping to streamline our morning routine. I’ll be sure to pop in here again and share with you how it works long-term.
We have learned a few things to help us at the beginning of our day. We do things like, laying out clothes the night before and setting out breakfast bowls. Also, we make sure everyone’s homework is in their backpacks.
Other IKEA Hacks & Ideas You Might Like
The Best IKEA Hacks to Simplify your Morning
IKEA Mudroom Hack; Bookcases to Lockers
Sewing Room Organization Ideas
