If you are looking for creative and cost-effective ways to add dining room storage space and seating to your home, you are sure to love it. In this post, I share three amazing DIY storage bench projects that take advantage of IKEA's Value Discovery. They not only enhance your space but also keep it organized. Let's start!
When you live in a smaller space, it is very important to incorporate dual-function furniture into your home. This is the reason why I like dining room storage benches! They can not only be used as seats but also store items on doors, shelves, or drawers. I like to use economical IKEA items as the base of my DIY storage bench. Ikea has some great products, including drawers, corners, and drawers, which are the perfect starting point for storage benches to be placed in any room at home. Here are my favorite IKEA hack bench DIYs!
1. Breakfast Corner Bliss: IKEA NORDLI Corner Bench
My first DIY dining room storage bench took advantage of the flexibility of the modular units in the IKEA NORDLI modular series. This bench is perfect for creating a cozy breakfast corner and can blend seamlessly into the corners of the kitchen or dining area. I built this in my sister's small kitchen so that they would have a suitable dining area. You can make a beautiful window seat with storage space in a similar way! This is how I did it:
Materials:
Ikea NORDLI Unit: I used three single-drawer drawers and one double-drawer drawer cabinet to design this breakfast corner bench
Adhesive primer
Pigment
Medium-density fiberboard or plywood for bench seats
Built-in appearance medium-density fiberboard decoration (I used a sleeve)
Discard medium-density fiberboard and skirting boards to create custom corners and increase dining room storage space
Drill bit and screw
Polishing nail gun
Paint brushes and rollers
It can be painted and filled with cracks
Process:
First, assemble the NORDLI unit according to IKEA's instructions.
Next, apply adhesive primer and paint on the front panel of the drawer to meet the aesthetic standards of the kitchen. You can also pre-paint and decorate.
Install the NORDLI unit in your corner - I had to mount my unit on some thin MDF strips so that the drawer could slide on the uneven kitchen floor.
Install some brackets and a medium-density fiberboard top for the bench seat.
Install wooden boards and strips around the bench for decoration to create an inbuilt effect. You can find my complete DIY board & wood strip decoration tutorial here.
If you like, you can add custom corners on each side to store recipes. I used crushed density boards and some crushed skirting boards.
Finally, fill in all the seams and paint everything to match.
Make use of drawers to conveniently store kitchen or dining supplies, or even children's toys.
2. Elegant entrance: IKEA HEMNES Hall tree stool
Next, let's transform the ordinary IKEA HEMNES TV cabinet into a fashionable foyer bench with hooks and shelves. This DIY dining room storage bench not only makes the most of the space but also adds a touch of charm to your entrance area. This foyer tree-shaped design is very suitable for bathrooms or corridors without closets.
Materials:
Ikea HEMNES TV cabinet
Pigment
Pearl board panel
Decoration with medium-density fiberboard (I used skirting boards)
Foyer tree-effect shelves and hooks
Polishing nail gun
Drill bits and wood screws
Wood glue
Process:
Assemble the HEMNES TV cabinet according to IKEA's instructions.
Next, apply the paint to match the color scheme you want.
Then, place the TV cabinet at the entrance. You can hang it on the wall or let it float like me for easier cleaning.
Install bead board panels around the bench to enhance the texture. I also added some skirting board decorations around the bead board to get more details.
Install a shelf on the top of the panel. I used some brackets from IKEA and fixed the shelves to the wall with wood screws.
Next, fill in all the seams and paint the bead board panels, decorations, and shelves to match the bench.
Finally, install hooks on the top of the bead board panel.
Make use of dining room storage drawers to conveniently store shoes, and use hooks and shelves to store coats and accessories.