How to turn an Ikea Fabrikor cabinet into a greenhouse for houseplants

• Brittany Goldwyn Merth shared a DIY hack for turning a Fabrikor Ikea cabinet into a greenhouse.
• She added grow lights and a humidity gauge to the glass cabinet to help her plants thrive indoors.
• Goldwyn Merth told Insider that this hack is much easier than it looks — nearly anyone could do it.
• Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Brittany Goldwyn Merth transformed a $170 Fabrikor Ikea cabinet into a greenhouse for her indoor plants, and she said pretty much anyone could do it.

Her Ikea hack is part of a growing trend among plant enthusiasts.

Goldwyn Merth told Insider she wasn’t the first person to transform an Ikea cabinet into a greenhouse. In fact, she doesn’t even remember the first time she saw it done. 

“A lot of plant hobbyists use Ikea pieces to make greenhouses for their plants and their home,” Goldwyn Merth said in a recent interview with Insider.

An Instagram account called @ikeagreenhousecabinet and the hashtag #ikeagreenhousecabinet showcase many examples people have shared of how they repurposed Ikea cabinets for their houseplants. 

Goldwyn Merth decided to make her own rendition when she was struggling with a lack of humidity for some of her plants and found it surprisingly easy.

Goldwyn Merth houses both plants that require higher levels of humidity and plants that simply prefer it in her makeshift, see-through greenhouse. 

“I think a lot of houseplants are happier when they’re a little bit more humid, too,” she said. 

The DIY cabinet project is easier than you’d think, Goldwyn Merth said.

Goldwyn Merth went with Ikea’s Fabrikor cabinet because it fit her space best. It has a metal frame and glass doors and shelves.

Here’s how she hacked her Ikea cabinet:

Step 1. After assembling the furniture as instructed, she added strip grow lights to the inner cabinet walls.

Step 2. Next, she drilled a hole in the metal surface of the cabinet to feed the light cord through and plug it into the wall.

Step 3. The glass shelving is adjustable, so Goldwyn Merth customized their arrangement to best suit her plants’ various heights.

Step 4. Finally, she added a device that calculates the temperature and humidity of the cabinet.

Goldwyn Merth relies on primarily ambient humidity in her greenhouse cabinet. This means that when the cabinet is locked, the water in the plants causes the humidity to increase rather than an additional humidifier. 

But you still have to water them, Goldwyn Merth says, or they’ll dry out. 

Goldwyn Merth loves the way her greenhouse cabinet looks and helps her plants grow. With two cats and a toddler running around, the cabinet also protects her plants from reckless disasters. 

Goldwyn Merth said that many people have told her they’re intimidated by this DIY project, but she said while it may seem like it takes a lot of work, it’s actually super easy. 

“Don’t be afraid if this is something you want to do,” she said. “All you need is to make sure it meets the needs of the plants that you have.”