STALL IKEA HACK- Small Space Solution in our Kitchen

STALL IKEA HACK- Small Space Solution in our Kitchen

Very excited to share this STALL IKEA Hack with you! It turned out so much better than I thought it would and it is an awesome storage solution for any small spaces. After my shopping trip to IKEA I got home and my wheels were spinning with ideas on better ways to organize and utilize our small space. Our kitchen is lacking in a pantry. I honestly don’t miss it. We really don’t eat a lot of “pantry food” most of our food comes from the fridge. We do have the cans, mac n’ cheese and pasta for the kids and I keep a lot of that in a cupboard in our basement. But this little STALL chest allows us to keep more in easy reach in the kitchen! Let’s take a look at the before…

Kitchen BEFORE-

We have had that Pottery Barn Cabinet by the fridge for a long time and keep batteries, markers, crayons, calendar….basically a command center. We love it. But the black file storage below it always bothered me, it is way too small to be underneath a big cabinet like that and it was not functional with a 2 year old, we left it empty, so it was pointless. Also we have that plug-in pendant light by the fridge because we don’t have a light switch from this entrance. (The Pottery Barn Cabinet is sold out but you could do THIS and paint the front with chalkboard paint!)

Kitchen with STALL IKEA Cabinet AFTER-

Better! Right?? The STALL piece is the perfect depth. I looked at a couple other IKEA cabinets and this one is only 7″ deep. It is called a “Shoe Cabinet” but really can be used to store anything in a small space.

Took down the hanging pendant light, that I did’t love the cord to be seen. Added THIS Sconce and used my MAGIC LIGHT TRICK to add a light without being hardwired! (Find that trick HERE). I did spray paint the sconce with Rust-oleum Metallic Stain Bronze spray paint.

Above is what the STALL IKEA Shoe Cabinet looks like with no “Hacks”. I will break-down what we did…

#1- Attached the STALL IKEA cabinet right to the wall as instructed. We keep the feet off for a more open look.

#2- Added a piece of wood to the top to add in some warmth and tie it into our kitchen. I really wanted matching butcher block but would have had to buy a large piece of it. I called the place that we got our butcher block from hoping for a remnant and no luck (I can always add it later if they get an extra piece). I ended up using THIS Red Oak Stair Riser. The depth was perfect (7 1/4″) I just had to trim down the width. Used wood glue to attach it to the top of the STALL cabinet.

#3- Made leather straps to use as handles. I wanted to pull in the black in the chalkboard and some texture. I found the black leather belt at Good Will. I went looking for a belt that was 1 1/4″ thick and the leather part at least 25″ long. I used THESE Bolts and THESE Screw Nuts for the back of each Bolt.

Simply used my drill bit that was about the same width as the bolt (slightly smaller) and drilled each side of the leather strap that I had cut down to 6″.

Then used the same drill bit and drilled on either side of of the pull opening for each of the bolts. Making sure to leave the belt a little loose for a spot to pull the drawer out. We used a drill to put the bolts into place with the leather strap.

You don’t need the nut really to keep it in place, rather just to finish it off on the inside.

Who knew this little space is now a spot that I absolutely love?! Amazing what a little thought and some “light” will do to a space! (Attached THIS small Letterboard to the chalkboard with command strips with THESE gold letters).

Here is a a little glimpse of the inside of the cupboard above!

It also feels like an extension of our kitchen cabinets! Actually feels like a thought-out space and not an after-thought. Oh and PS- that basket above our fridge acts as another “pantry” that is where the veggie chips and crackers are stored! Easy for my oldest to pull down as she makes the morning snacks for school.

You can find a similar cup rack HERE I spray painted ours in the same spray paint as the light (Rust-oleum Metallic Stain Bronze spray paint).

I was inspired by THIS IKEA HACK from House Tweaking. She did the hack on the larger shoe cabinet, the HEMES. It is a little deeper.

I wanted to share this STALL IKEA Cabinet in a readers home- AnnElise! She sent me this picture when I was considering it for our kitchen. Love how filled up the wall with the STALL cabinets and left the feet off! Everyone LOVED what she did when I shared it on Instagram and many wanted to know and see what she kept inside. I asked AnnElise and she sent me some more pictures to share with you! She said this is what they use the STALL cabinets for “It ranges from mail, hats and gloves, reusable grocery bags, coloring books and other random toys. And the best part is, I have several still open for when I need another spot! For being small, they really fit a lot of stuff. And not just shoes!” Find AnnElise here @apathome she just started an Instagram account on home decor.

AnnElise wants to add a piece of wood like this STALL HACK below from Cup of Joe. Such a great entry piece!

You can find all of my favorite finds from my recent trip to IKEA HERE! And the Magic Light Trick HERE!

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Original article and pictures take nestingwithgrace.com site