The Chic Built-In IKEA Hack That'll Double Your Entryway Storage

A well-decorated entryway creates a warm and welcoming first impression for your family and friends. How your entryway looks and feels can set the tone for how your guests feel during their visit. Often, people choose to decorate their entryways by combining style and function, while also incorporating thoughtful touches like art, soft lighting, and color-coordinated decor pieces. One aspect of entryway design that can get overlooked is storage. When people come in and out of your home, things like shoes, hats, bags, and winter gear can pile up near your door, creating a chaotic and uninviting space. With a single IKEA furniture piece and a few creative additions, though, you can have the entryway of your dreams with enough storage for everyone's belongings. This hack involves combining a HEMNES TV stand with some beadboard and a wall-mounted shelf for the appearance of a high-end built-in entryway furniture piece. All you need for this hack is an IKEA HEMNES unit, a beadboard slab, a shelf, brackets, power tools, and some wood glue. 

Not only will this IKEA storage DIY provide more front door storage, but it will also double as a bench for guests to sit while putting on their shoes. Because you will be doing this project yourself, you can customize it in any way you like. From the application of colors to the bench and beadboard, to the addition of more storage components, there are so many different things you can do with this hack.

To start this project, you need to assemble your IKEA HEMNES stand. Because it will be used, however infrequently, as a bench, you should use wood glue in addition to the product's assembly instructions when you connect your particleboard pieces. This is a simple trick for longer-lasting IKEA furniture pieces and stability. For this, apply a small amount of wood glue (enough to secure the joints but not enough to spill out between the boards) when joining exposed wood surfaces. If there are laminated pieces that need joining, construction adhesive should be used instead. If you don't have a second person to help with this project, or you want to make the process more efficient, bar clamps can be used to hold the boards in place while the glue dries. 

Once your HEMNES unit is assembled, put it in your entryway in the exact spot you want. Now, measure and cut a beadboard so it extends from the top of the stand to the desired height of an overhead shelf. If you're going to frame the beadboard, measure and cut trim, as well. Attach the trim and beadboard to your wall with wood glue and secure it to the studs with nails. Finally, install a shelf directly above the beadboard and use wood glue, caulking, and trim to fill in and cover any gaps or areas that need a finishing touch to achieve the built-in look.

There are plenty of ways to customize your IKEA entryway storage solution. One easy way is to apply a coat of paint before assembling the HEMNES stand. Because IKEA furniture is laminated particleboard, you will need to dust, lightly sand, and prime the components prior to painting them. You can paint your new entryway storage unit to complement the rest of your home's decor or go with a bright and cheery color to liven up the space and set an upbeat tone for your guests. If your wall color is white and you want the unit to blend seamlessly, you could use stencils to paint patterns on the drawers and sides.

When it comes to customizing the shelf, there are a few different things you could do. Installing ornate shelf brackets instead of plain ones is an easy way to elevate the look of the whole unit. For a sleeker, more modern look, instead of using a shelf with brackets, you could install a floating shelf. To add more storage to the unit, installing a shelf with cubbies is a great idea. The beadboard itself is also an area in which you can add storage. Coat hooks, baskets for mail, and even additional shelves can be attached to the wall through the beadboard. However you choose to modify this hack, you will end up with a beautiful and functional entryway storage piece.