The Clever Kitchen Storage Solution That Comes From An Affordable IKEA Hack

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If you want to spruce up your home for spring, there's a brilliant IKEA hack you need to try. This clever trick turns two everyday pet bowls into an elegant pedestal dish perfect for fruit, snacks, or even as a catch-all for keys and mail — and the best part is the total cost is just over $10.00.

The hack uses UTSÅDD pet bowls in two different sizes from IKEA, which come in a fun stripe pattern in black-blue or gray-green colors. The beauty of this DIY solution is its simplicity: it involves stacking a 7½-inch bowl ($6.99) on top of a 4½-inch bowl ($3.99) and sticking them together with a strong adhesive to create your very own homespun masterpiece. The result looks more like a high-end product from a home goods store than an affordable hack.

To make your own pedestal bowl, you'll need the two IKEA bowls and a strong adhesive like Gorilla Glue Contact Adhesive. After you've gathered your materials, apply glue to the bottom of the smaller bowl and then place it on the bottom of the larger one. Be careful to center it. Let the glue dry according to the package instructions, and then style as you see fit.

Once you've created your IKEA UTSÅDD pedestal bowl, what you do with it is up to you. In addition to a kitchen fruit bowl or an affordable catch-all, you can use it in all kinds of unique ways. You might consider natural objects (like pinecones, shells, and dried berries), antique or vintage collectibles (such as billiard balls and glass fishing buoys), unique decorative pieces (including selenite balls and recycled glass beads), and storage for game pieces like Jenga blocks or chess pieces. These creative fillers add texture, color, and visual interest to your kitchen — not to mention affordable storage solutions.

This bowl can be turned into a beautiful planter or herb garden, too. Just keep your plants in their original nursery pots when you place them in the UTSÅDD bowl. Since it lacks drainage holes, you'll have to remember to empty the excess water that collects in the bowl after watering. This keeps your plants from getting root rot. Keep in mind that because the bowls are quite shallow, it's likely some live plants in their nursery pots won't fit. If you can't find a nursery pot to fit in your bowl, consider air plants or creating a small succulent garden that won't require drainage. 

If you love the concept of a pedestal bowl but want to make it more sustainable, you don't have to buy two brand-new bowls from IKEA. Any two wide, flat-bottomed bowls should work just as well as long as they can be glued together securely. You might even already have two bowls that would be perfect for this project. Look around for any you're not using — they might be just right.

Feeling lucky? Your local thrift shop may have the perfect thing to hide your house keys, so keep an eye out for good bowl options. Seek out ones with interesting patterns or complementary colors. If you mix and match interesting secondhand bowls, you'll end up with something totally unique. You could even find discontinued IKEA products, like vintage bowls, planters, and dishes, in different styles and colors at the thrift store or places like eBay and Facebook Marketplace to give new life to something that might otherwise end up in a landfill.