This $500 IKEA Hack Looks Like Custom Built-Ins (and It's Renter-Friendly)

"Old apartments bring a lot to the table - history! Architectural charm! - but one thing they often don't provide much of is built-in storage. That means, like Emily Neal, you might have to get creative. Emily and her boyfriend live in an old apartment with what she calls "limited and awkward storage." One space that's especially suffering is the second bedroom, which has a bed in case of guests, an extra dresser for clothes, and not much else."

"She knew she wanted to expand the storage options as well as create space for a desk. Most desks they were looking at buying ready-made cost about $300, though - and when Emily priced out her plans for a totally custom project that would include desk space and storage, she realized she could do it for under $500. Inspired by DIYer Ashley Basnight's (@smashingdiy) custom closet build, Emily rolled up her sleeves and got to work creating something that would make this bedroom way more practical for her and her boyfriend."

"Emily mapped out and built her double closets over the course of a week using a mix of IKEA PAX parts and plywood. She snagged the frames in IKEA's clearance section, but they were shorter than she'd originally wanted. To help fill the gap between the shelf and the ceiling, Emily added MDF boards with arched cutouts - a chic solution to the problem that makes the built-ins look even more custom."

"Another custom piece: the doors, which Emily crafted out of plywood. She bought it and the rest of the wood at Home Depot, where associates cut the pieces to size for free. "It can be intimidating going to hardware stores as a young woman, but I d"

An old apartment with limited, awkward storage needed more practical space in a second bedroom. The room had a guest bed and an extra dresser but lacked storage and a dedicated second work-from-home station. Ready-made desks cost about $300, while a custom plan combining desk space and storage could be completed for under $500. A DIY build used IKEA PAX parts and plywood to create double closets over about a week. Clearance frames were shorter than desired, so MDF boards with arched cutouts filled the gap to the ceiling. Plywood doors were crafted, with wood cut to size for free at a hardware store.

Read at Apartment Therapy