Ditch Traditional Deck Boxes: The IKEA Alternative That'll Add Outdoor Storage

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Deck boxes are a solid, simple patio storage solution that lets you hide all of your outdoor clutter, keeping it off the patio but out of the garage. However, they usually end up being a bit like a chest freezer with everything just crammed in. Every time you need to get something out, you have to lift the lid, crouch down, and rummage through the big pile of stuff until you get to the thing you actually want, which often turns out to be at the very bottom. Traditional deck boxes quickly become messy, disorganized dumping grounds that you just shut the lid on and try not to think about.

The IKEA KOLBJÖRN cabinet solves this problem. This indoor/outdoor cabinet is made of powder-coated steel and features two lockable doors to keep your goods secure. It has a small footprint, but lets you be more organized and makes use of the vertical space on a wall that's usually just wasted. Choosing a cabinet over a traditional deck box is a smart plan, because it lets you keep everything in plain view and easily accessible. When you open the doors, there's no sifting through a whole year's worth of accumulated stuff just to find one small item. The shelving lets you create separate zones for different items, especially if you make use of baskets or dividers.

The KOLBJÖRN is a beautiful outdoor patio storage option that's fairly roomy at around 32 inches wide, 14 inches deep, and 32 inches tall. Inside, there is an adjustable shelf that can support up to 66 pounds of tools, supplies, and whatever else you're stashing. The cabinet doors stay closed with a magnetic latch that's easy to operate. The cabinet is made from galvanized steel with a polyester powder coating, so it's rust-resistant and easy to wipe down with just water and a little dish soap. It might pick up a little bit of dirt while it's outside, because it's a fairly pale color, but it's easily cleanable. The feet are adjustable, so you can place it level even on an uneven deck.

If you'd rather not leave it exposed over winter, the KOLBJÖRN looks smart enough that you could bring it inside and stand it in a hallway or garage until spring, and it wouldn't look out of place. If you need to maximize storage space in a small footprint because you have a small deck or you just want to make even more use of vertical space, then you could pair this little unit with the KOLBJÖRN shelving unit that matches. It drops right on top of this cabinet in a stacking fashion and gives you lots more vertical storage. However, this is not enclosed, so if you're using it outside, it would need to be used to store or hold things like plant pots that can cope with being exposed to the elements.

While the shelves inside are useful for keeping items organized, especially if you use dividers or storage baskets, you can still further maximize the storage space of this IKEA cabinet. The interior of the doors is a flat expanse of smooth powder-coated steel, 13¾ inches wide and 22 inches tall. That gives you around 300 square inches of usable surface area that is essentially wasted space. One of the easiest solutions to make use of that space is to install self-adhesive hooks, like IKEA's own TIPPVAGN hooks, where you can hang your gardening gloves or your favorite small tools and implements that you tend to reach for every time you work in the garden.

You can also install small self-adhesive wall-mounted pots or baskets, like these wire baskets from Sinsally, to hold things like seed packets, plant labels, and twist ties. This lets you keep those small loose items that tend to get buried easily accessible and well-organized, all in one space. It also lets you turn the interior of the doors into working storage. You just have to make sure that whatever you mount on the interior of the doors doesn't get in the way of the interior shelf. If you don't mind having some things exposed to the elements, or you'd like to decorate and jazz up the exterior, you could install something like Command's outdoor adhesive hooks that can hold up to 5 pounds per hook and are moisture- and weather-resistant to make full use of the exterior surfaces as well.