I Gasped When I Learned This Chic Banquette Started as a $15 IKEA Storage Shelf

In apartments around 300 square feet, renters and homeowners might have to sacrifice “frivolous” furniture for practicality and small-space items. Kim White, whose former home is featured in the above video, lived in a tiny New York City apartment and was once in that boat — for example, she chose a Murphy bed instead of a stand-alone one. A banquette might seem like the least practical seating option, but Kim DIY’ed one to be both functional and chic. 

Kim purchased a best-selling IKEA BESTÅ shelf unit with drawers (for just $15 in the department store’s As-Is section). It was originally intended to be a television stand, but that idea was fleeting. After being inspired by Bradley Tolbert’s bed DIY that was featured on Emily Henderson’s blog, Kim thought the look could work as a banquette behind her Wayfair pub table. 

Although the BESTÅ shelf comes in 16 different colorways, it didn’t matter much, as Kim was planning to cover it completely. The storage system measures 47 1/4 by 16 1/2 by 25 1/4 inches and includes two adjustable shelves. It can easily seat two people, and is perfect for storing Kim’s tools (she is a professional makeup artist).

But let’s get back to the DIY process. Roughly following Bradley’s instructions, Kim pulled together her materials, which included half-moon foam rolls, a hot glue gun, and velvet fabric. It looks as though she might’ve also used a thin rectangular foam to attach to the top of the bench, too. 

Using the hot glue gun, Kim glued the velvet fabric to the foam rolls, then adhered it to the bench. Voila! Don’t worry about adding handles to the doors, either; they open by pushing on them. This project is one of Kim’s proudest DIYs in the apartment. “I’m very happy with the way my banquette turned out,” Kim wrote at the time of the House Tour. “Seating and storage that looks chic — hooray!!”

BESTÅ shelves have often been used to turn into banquettes — whether with wood or fabric. But what makes Kim’s so special is that she used minimal products to create the seat; it likely cost under $100, and I would never immediately guess that it’s actually a storage cupboard.

By thinking outside the box, Kim got a chic seating arrangement that doubles as storage without taking up too much space. To see more of Kim’s previous apartment, visit the full House Tour. But this isn’t the only cool feature highlighted in the video above. Check out the other unique spaces below.

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