This Genius IKEA Hack Turns a TV Stand into Pretty and Practical Pantry Storage

When it comes to kitchens, storage is the name of the game—and if you don’t have enough, you have to figure out how to make up for it. Chris Kim and his wife Jenny know: One of the downsides of moving into their new home was that it lacked a pantry, so they didn’t have space to stow away dry goods and small appliances.

Chris and Jenny knew they needed to add in extra storage, but they wanted to make sure it looked like real furniture. That was especially crucial since the only place they’d be able to fit it in was in the dining area adjacent to the kitchen. Also important: space to spread out a coffee station, if they chose, and drawers in varying heights to fit both pantry items and appliances.

Chris and Jenny considered several options, but in the end, they fell in love with the look of caned drawer fronts and wanted to DIY the look with IKEA pieces. The couple reached for the IKEA BESTA TV unit, which had a long shape and multiple drawer sizes to suit their needs.

While other cane projects involve careful cut-outs and multiple power tools, Chris and Jenny decided to keep their project easy. Chris first soaked the cane webbing for a few minutes to make it softer and easier to work with, patted it dry, and measured and cut it to fit the drawers’ inset panels. He added an extra 1/4 inch on each side for safety.

Next, Chris painted the whole chest in a warm gray (Sherwin-Williams’ Shiitake). Once that was dry, he glued his cane webbing to the drawer fronts. Once the glue dried, Chris and Jenny were able to clean up any rough edges.

Getting paint to stick to slick IKEA laminate can be tough, but Chris used a couple tricks to get a smooth, lasting finish. First, he sprayed the front-facing pieces with an adhesion promoter spray; then, he followed with primer before painting.

Chris and Jenny finished by adding fresh minimalist pulls and mid-century modern style tapered legs to the piece. The end product looks completely unrecognizable—and at $700 total, including the chest, the project came far under what Chris and Jenny had expected to spend for a similar non-DIYed version. “It looks like we spent a lot of money on it!” Chris says. “My wife and I both love the color. Paint color is one of the most challenging decisions and we’re really happy with how it turned out.”