Hide Unaesthetic Areas Of Your Home With TikTok's Smart IKEA Cabinet Idea

While your home's utilities are essential for keeping the place running properly, a poorly-located unit or control panel can be hard on the eyes. Annoyingly, relocating utilities can be outrageously expensive or sometimes even impossible to do (renters, we see you). So what do you do when you are stuck staring at an ugly electrical panel, water shut-off, or other unsightly necessity? Turn to TikTok for an extremely clever yet simple solution for hiding those eyesore utilities in your home.

The premise of user @ilodecorations' TikTok video is simple: Use an IKEA cabinet with a modified (or removed) back panel to sneakily surround and cover your ugly utilities; in her case, a control box for underfloor heating. You will maintain easy access within the cabinet and can always quickly move it out of the way in case the utility needs to be serviced or in the event of a move, so it can be renter-friendly. 

While you should stay away from blocking HVAC utilities like wall heaters or air returns, this hack should work like a charm for plenty of other unsightly utilities, such as hiding a water heater (with proper ventilation of course) or disguising unsightly washing machine hookups. So, grab your tape measure and head to IKEA to say goodbye to those pesky yet essential unaesthetic areas of your home in just one step.

To cover your utility eyesore, measure the dimensions of the unit, keeping in mind that the baseboard may need to be removed for a flush installation if the cabinet doesn't have a notch tall enough to accommodate it. Next, choose an IKEA cabinet with internal dimensions that will clear the utility, such as the $130 PAX cabinet on TikTok. Assemble the cabinet per the instructions with one exception: either make a cutout in the back panel to clear the utility or leave the back panel out entirely. Push the cabinet in place flush against the wall (using a multitool to cut the baseboard if needed) to disguise your ugly utility.

PAX dimensions don't work for you? Great news: IKEA has tons of other tall cabinet options and bookshelves with doors to pick from, such as the classic $149 BILLY/OXBERG. Alternatively, opt for a shorter cabinet so you can hang art above and style as a console, like the $85 EKET. If the utility you are trying to hide is off the ground and you have a tall baseboard you'd prefer not to mess with, choose a cabinet with taller legs (rather than a base) or a wall-mounted option to float above, both types available in the versatile BESTA series. Regardless of which cabinet style you go with, this simple yet genius TikTok IKEA idea will hide your home's unaesthetic areas with ease, while still maintaining utility access.