Declutter Your Shelves With A Simple Dropleaf Hinge Hack

In many homes, clutter is an ongoing issue that seems to never completely get solved. As soon as you figure out workable organization for toys, extra shoes, and odds and ends on shelves, an ever-growing collection of items can quickly turn them into an overloaded eyesore. Eventually, even the neatest among us can throw up our hands and settle for the mess. While you may be able to keep your shelves clutter-free in some areas, others will always bear some excess. But what if you could find a compromise that saves you from constant upkeep while keeping these spaces tidy? Rather than trying to declutter the items, a simple trick of adding a door will keep everything hidden to maintain a clean look in the room.

A drop leaf door is an easy installation, and if you're savvy with how you use materials, you can save money and time. Hidden drop leaf hinges, like these KAFENDA hinges, let a door sit flush with the surrounding frame and fold down for interior access. To make the front face, you can custom cut a wood board. But with a spare shelf from the unit you're updating, you have a perfectly-sized ready-made panel with a color and texture to match the rest of the cabinet. YouTuber Daniel Titchener describes how to knock out this build from Instagram creator @interiorxlifestyle. In a few easy steps, you can revamp shelves with an attractive, modern look.

Begin this drop leaf shelf hack by spacing the shelves that will frame it above and below. Since you'll want equally-sized gaps at the door's top and bottom, the factory shelf holder spacing may not work. In this case, you'll have to customize the shelf heights. Position the front panel where it will rest while closed. Place small shims, coins, or other spacers under and above the panel, and rest the top shelf over it to find the proper position. Holding the top shelf at this height, screw it in place by drilling straight holes through the cabinet wall and into the shelf's edge. You can then install the hinges and magnetic catches that will hold the door closed.

To attach the hidden drop leaf hinges, use a narrow scrap of spare board the same thickness as the door panel. With a narrow strip, you can replicate the position of the door in the closed position, while still maintaining access to the interior to drill holes. Line the strip up where the door will sit over the bottom shelf while closed, and install the hinges on the shelf. You can also mark the position of the hinge on the scrap board and transfer it to your door panel to complete the installation. YouTuber Rogue Engineer uses a similar approach to attach side hinges for a flush door on a cabinet. In fact, side hinges are one of several ways to customize this hack's build, function, and look.

Tweaking this design to give you unique functionality and style can be a simple project. For the hinges, you can swap these bottom mounted hinges for top hinges — a handy upgrade for cluttered overhead shelves. If the door panel is the right shape, you can also consider side hinges for different access options. On the sides, you can simplify the installation with no-mortise hinges. As Rockler Woodworking and Hardware shows, these are easy to line up and attach for a perfect fit that will work with surrounding cabinetry.

Using a door to declutter your shelving creates a new design surface you can paint and style to enhance the room's aesthetic. Add a matching stain or paint to blend the door with the cabinet if it doesn't already match. You could also pick stylish color combinations to enhance the mood of the room and make the shelf stand out. Consider stencils, too, which could be especially fun in a child's room. Handles can further add an attractive accent to bring the design home. Instead of requiring push-open magnetic door catches, handles allow you to use basic magnet holds to keep the door closed. Consider your storage needs and the possibilities to reshape your shelves, and employ this clever shelf hack to finally declutter your space once and for all!