Turn Affordable IKEA Items Into A Hidden Storage Cabinet With An Easy DIY

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Hanging a key holder by the front door offers a convenient place to keep your car and house keys at the ready. However, some traditional key holders are either too plain or a complete eyesore. Many also serve no other purpose than as a key hanger. For something with a little bit more flair and function, TikTok creator @cozydiyhome crafted a clever hidden holder from a combo of IKEA items. Pairing a cool IKEA VÄSTANHED picture frame with the RUNDOXEL mirror, you can easily make an affordable, cabinet-style mirrored key holder with just a few tweaks. And even with all of the materials it'll take to make this decorative piece, you'll only be set back about $20 or less.

In this hack, the deep picture frame acts as a key cabinet, while the mirror sits on the front as a hinged door. If the VÄSTANHED frame isn't available (it's in a "last chance to buy" status), another IKEA frame that has similarly deep sides, such as the SANNAHED frame, should work. Aside from the IKEA mirror and picture frame, the project calls for some peel-and-stick wallpaper in your desired print. It'll go inside the key cabinet on the back wall. This covers the support cardboard that normally comes on the back of the IKEA frame. Finally, you'll need to grab the tools and supplies that will help you convert these IKEA basics into something greater than the sum of its parts. That includes a drill, some small screw-in hooks, a pair of scissors, and mini hinges to attach the mirror to the frame. To bring it all together, the project requires some contact cement or two-part epoxy (two types of glue you should have on hand) and some silicone sealant.

Start by disassembling the picture frame. Remove the protective acrylic piece from the front of the frame, the mat border, and the cardboard backing, which you'll keep. Cut the peel-and-stick paper so that it fits the cardboard backing. Stick it onto the inner side of the cardboard. If you're not wild about putting wallpaper on the cardboard, consider other decorative techniques. For example, this could be a creative way to use decoupage or paint and stenciling. 

Once that step is done, add the hooks to the inside of the frame. The frame is quite deep. This creates a box-like interior inside the frame's edges. Drill pilot holes into the top inside wall of the box with a bit that's as wide as the screw's minor diameter (not including the threads). Use a tape measure to ensure the holes are equally spaced. The IKEA VÄSTANHED frame is approximately 8 inches by 10 inches, so three to five pilot holes should fit on one of the shorter walls. This is where you'll hang your keys once the DIY is done.

The mirror becomes the door for the front of the cabinet. To make that happen, glue two hinges to one of the long sides of the frame. Next, glue one of the long sides of the mirror to a set of mini hinges, such as Piutouyar Mini Butt Hinges, to make the cabinet door. After the glue cures, add some silicone around the hinges to ensure everything stays in place. Once it's dry, hang the cabinet by your front door.

If you'd like extra hooks for smaller key rings, like for the keys to the shed or your bike's lock, try adding some ANYSENT Drill Free Adhesive Hooks to the wallpapered cardboard back. These are short hooks that sit perpendicular to the ground they're attached to — in this case, the back wall of the cabinet. The hooks aren't so deep they'll prevent the cabinet from closing, and they're big enough to hold small rings that have only one or two keys on them. 

The mirror is quite decorative on its own, thanks to the scalloped edges that are painted onto the mirror's surface. If you're not content to leave the piece as is, decorate the mirror even further by adding embellishments. For example, you could glue a border of seashells onto the outside of its edges. To make the sea theme go further, paint the exterior of the frame with some Rust-Oleum Gloss Ocean Mist Spray Paint. You could also paint the frame to match the wall. Since you're trying to create a hidden storage compartment for your keys, adding these decorative extras fools the eye even further. Instead of a cabinet full of keys, it's just a mirror that allows you to check your appearance before you exit the house.