Before and After: A Random Catchall Room Gets a Storage-Packed IKEA Upgrade
When Kristina moved into her new home, the lackluster office was of little use to the owners—besides being a place to toss mail, or hang art that didn’t fit with the rest of the home. Kristina decided that, if she was going to use a room as a dumping ground, it was going to look as fabulous as the rest of her home.
Instead of a hodgepodge of furniture and decor, it’s now a highly functional mudroom, ready to organize all Kristina’s incoming and outgoing things. Using just one wall, Kristina created hanging storage for coats and bags, space for shoes underneath, and a bench—all in a very small footprint. The fitted shelving and cabinets look custom and quite expensive.
For such a luxe-looking space, it’s made of nothing more than some wood, fiberboard, and a couple of bookcases from IKEA. After gluing three boards to the walls to form the legs, Kristina screwed the long pieces to the legs to form a spacious bench. She then stacked and secured the BRIMNES bookcases on top of the bench and created paneling—which makes the whole thing look like a custom unit—out of a couple of pieces of fiberboard. She bought IKEA leather handles for the drawers that give the unit a bit of softness and attached rattan coat hooks to the paneling.
The dusty gray paint and the black bookcases should feel hard and chilly, but are instead regally relaxed.
This mudroom DIY demonstrates Kristina’s resourcefulness and knack for design. With a few clever purchases and a bit of imagination, Kristina was able to pull off an affordable project that totally reinvents the space.
Thanks for letting us share your home Kristina!