How To Turn An IKEA Wardrobe Into A Stunning Built-In For Entryway Storage

Organizing your entryway and keeping it clean can be quite the hassle — if you don't have the right storage solutions for this space. A handy place to store your coats, shoes, and umbrellas is important to keep things neat and will stop you and your family from tracking mud and water further into the house. If you've been on the lookout for trendy design ideas for your foyer that will completely upgrade the aesthetics of your home, then you might want to consider installing a built-in coat closet and shoe rack. Though this might sound like a daunting and expensive project at first, you can complete it with the help of a few IKEA furnishings, some drywall or cabinet filler boards, and the perfect shade of paint.

To begin assembling your built-in, start by carefully measuring your entryway. Then, find a couple furniture pieces that will fit the recesses in your wall and the height of your ceiling as closely as possible. These furnishings will be the base for your new entryway storage unit. YouTuber @houseofmine upgrades her mudroom with a luxurious DIY fixture that stacks a RAKKESTAD wardrobe on top of a KALLAX shelf to create the base for a built-in. These furniture pieces are a great choice, since the shelf on the bottom has plenty of room for shoes and the wardrobe on top has plenty of space for coats. However, you could also use other IKEA wardrobe or shelf pieces to fit your specific space. You may also want to add a slim shelving unit next to the wardrobe if you have extra room on top of your horizontal shelves.

To begin, remove all the baseboard and crown molding in the target area with a Goldblatt Trim Puller or a similar product. This will allow your new shelves and wardrobe to sit flush with the wall. Then, cut the furniture so that it aligns with any recesses in your wall. To make this process easier, use an ALLY Tools Wing Divider to scribe a line onto the furniture. Next, sand everything down, add primer, and paint the furnishings. Check out this trick to painting IKEA's difficult furniture surfaces. If the top of your bottom shelving unit will be visible, you may want to add a wooden board or countertop (like in the image above). Then, you can fit your shelf and wardrobe into your entryway. If you're using IKEA pieces, don't forget to secure your furniture to your wall studs with the included tip-over prevention hardware.

Next, measure the gaps left over between the furniture and the walls. You can use drywall to close these gaps, but you might want to install a cabinet filler board instead, especially in spaces that are more visually accessible. You can also use drywall to bridge the gap between the top of your cabinets and your ceiling. Next, reinstall the baseboard around your shelves, and review how to properly install crown molding. Finally, paint everything the same color as the furnishings to get a seamless built-in look that's absolutely stunning.