How To Transform IKEA's Famous BILLY Bookcase Into A Functional Mudroom

IKEA's BILLY bookcase series contains excellent shelving units for a variety of home improvement projects. IKEA furniture can be used for far more than just what they advertise; in fact, we love using IKEA's items for gorgeous built-in bookshelves or adding luxury with a home bar. If you still have free space in your home, especially near an entrance, we love the hack of transforming the bookcase into a mudroom with the shelves serving as shoe storage.

The great thing about hacking IKEA furniture is that it's budget-friendly and perfect for all levels of DIYers. The BILLY bookcase series contains a lot of depth within their units that make them perfect for this area of the home to store shoes, dog leashes, or other out-the-door belongings. By using the BILLY bookcase for your mudroom, you will have a new home look in a matter of minutes or hours that'll look luxurious and as if it were completed by a professional.

The first step in creating a mudroom is selecting a bookcase. This series comes in a variety of bookcase styles, from those with complete open shelving, partial open shelving with solid cabinets, or cabinets with glass doors. Some bookcases are wider than others, so measuring your free space to give you approximate dimensions as to what your room can hold will greatly help.

Once you've selected your bookcase style, you'll need to rip the baseboard off the wall so your bookcase can sit flush against the surface. With the new bookcase positioned where you want it, now is the perfect time to paint the wall or add any backsplash to give your mudroom a brand-new look. Select another (smaller) bookcase like the homeowner in the video did to lay on its side for multi-purpose use as a sitting bench and extra cubby space for shoes. We're also obsessed with the wall paneling the homeowner added in, along with the brass hooks for more personalization. This is a great way to dress up the leftover bare wall to add more function and design. Once you have your bookcase in place and have completed the extra room design, reattach your baseboards for a functioning, budget-friendly mudroom.