Built-in Dressers Ikea Hack: ORC Week 3

It’s week #3 of the One Room Challenge, and I’ve made some major progress in the kiddo’s closet! (Catch up on weeks 1 and 2.)  I started with a vague idea of somehow building these two Ikea RAST dressers (a free gift from our neighbors) into the closet and adding shelves on either side.  This is what it looked like last week:

A Modern Little Boy's Room by Annabode + Co.A disaster, I know.

The closet is a good size but with the dressers in there, I felt like the space on the sides was wasted.  It wasn’t great for toy storage because Clinton couldn’t reach any of the shelves –you can see how the legos were taking over!  And although I built shelves in the room last week, they aren’t quite deep enough for some of his books so I wanted accessible (i.e. kid-level) book storage in here as well.  After a lot of measuring and sawing and nailing and tweaking, we now have this:

Ikea Hack: Built-In Dressers for the ClosetThey still need caulk, paint, and of course hardware (these brass knobs from Target* caught my eye).  I’m currently deciding between the following BM colors, from left to right:

  1. Rockport Gray which is deep and warm with slightly purple undertones.
  2. Sandy Hook Gray, which is a lovely green-gray and the one I’m leaning towards.
  3. Sea Haze, which is decidedly more blue.

Since our whole house is white, my plan was always to go bolder in the closets…but now I’m hesitating.  I have to confess, in my own home I’m a dark/accent wall virgin and now that the swatches are up I’m second-guessing myself!  What do you think? Should I go bold or go basic and just paint it all white?

Ikea Hack: Built-In Dressers for the ClosetI’m seriously giddy because now we have so much more storage! I was actually able to fit Clinton’s entire book collection on just one side, leaving room for lots of toys on the other.  In fact, we have so much storage I’m thinking of taking down the shelves in the room…shhhhh.

I won’t do an in-depth tutorial, but here are the basic materials and methods I used:

  • Sanded plywood sheets*, 3/4″.  I used these to cover the sides of each dresser because the baseboard created a gap and because I wanted the side trim to be equal in width to the center and top trim.
  • White melamine board*, 3/4″.  This was the best option for the top board, which had to span 79″.
  • Veneer edging tape* to cover the edges of the plywood shelves.
  • 1/4 x 1 3/8″ pine lattice moulding for the top, sides, and middle trim.
  • Scrap wood for the shelf supports and base trim.

In other news, I picked up the Target lamp*, the replacement rug arrived, and the lovely vintage indigo pillow from Boho Pillow came in!

Modern Bohemian Little Boy's RoomExcuse the iPhone photos please, but I’m saving the pretty photos for the end.  That pillow is awesome though, I love that it is very subtly striped and a more muted blue, plus it ever-so-slightly reminds me of denim.  Actual denim I wouldn’t be a fan of, but this is just enough ‘little boy’ for me while still fitting with the rest of our house.  Monica’s Etsy shop is seriously my new favorite pillow source, I feel like I’ve been using it for every new client! (Like this room’s vibe? Find out more about my e-design services).

And oh, that lamp! I ordered it online for in-store pickup and as soon as I saw it, I was like THAT THING IS ENORMOUS.  I actually brought it up to the return desk before I even took it home.  But I’m glad I did take it home, because once I put it on the dresser it was really the perfect height and scale.  My favorite part is the matte black finish…as always, I love you Target!

Modern Boho Little Kids RoomHere’s a sneak peak of the rug…I have to leave something for the big reveal!

This week is going to be all about finishing that closet, and then I can finally focus on the rest of the details in the room.  I’m still looking for a good hanging planter so if you have a favorite, let me know!

Don’t forget to explore all the other #oneroomchallenge spaces on Calling it Home and check back next Thursday for more progress! Click the image below:One Room Challenge Spring 2016*Denotes an affiliate link.  Thank you for supporting the brands that support Annabode + Co. and allow us to bring you new content and inspiration!

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Comments (37 )
  • madeline
    | 21 April 2016

    you did a wonderful job with those dressers! it looks so good. also, I’m casting my vote for sandy hook gray.

    • annabode
      | 21 April 2016

      Thanks Madeline! That’s my favorite too :).

      • Margot
        | 9 May 2017

        Anna, how did you add the Shelf on top of the dreasers, as well as do the corner pieces? Dis you just measure and cut it yourself, or wEre there prE-made pieces?
        You did A great job on this and dont hesitate to add color!!

  • jody marie
    | 21 April 2016

    what about blackboard paint in the closet? just on the wall bwteen the built ins and the top shelf?–drama and fun! and you could do black or that classic green school room color which would totally fit your palette?

    I don’t know why this is showing all caps–I don’t even have caps lock on!

    • annabode
      | 21 April 2016

      Someone else suggested that, but that back wall is out of his reach unfortunately. Thanks for the idea!

  • Julia [Chris Loves Julia]
    | 21 April 2016

    I love this so much, Anna! You always rock it. Also, I love a surprise bold closet.

    • annabode
      | 21 April 2016

      Thanks Julia! That’s good to hear, I guess I just need to work up my courage haha.

  • Teresa
    | 21 April 2016

    Those greys will all look super chic! If you end up hating the color, you can just close the doors, haha.

    • annabode
      | 21 April 2016

      I like the way you think girl 🙂

  • Stacey
    | 21 April 2016

    So what’s in the closet now is those two dressers? Wow! Way to go. It looks amazing and very functional.

    • annabode
      | 22 April 2016

      Yup! Thanks! It really created tons of storage, now I have all these ideas for our master closet haha…

  • Arielle
    | 22 April 2016

    The dressers look great! And I love all the colors and patterns on the bed. So good!

    • annabode
      | 22 April 2016

      Thanks Arielle!

  • C.B.
    | 22 April 2016

    Oh yeah definitely go bold in the closet, the doors will be closed most of the time anyway and it’s a fun thing to have in a child’s room. Sandy hook grey is my personal vote. It’ll look great and I’m sure you won’t regret it.

    • annabode
      | 22 April 2016

      True! It’ll be like a fun surprise. Thanks so much for the input!

  • celine@aquahaus
    | 22 April 2016

    Holy Crap. that built in closet is awesome!! I like the idea of doing something fun/ bold on the closet walls.

    • annabode
      | 22 April 2016

      Thanks Celine!

  • Kourtney Branagan
    | 23 April 2016

    Amazing work!!! Please please pick a color for your closet – it will make the brass knobs stand out even more! Loving this room so much.

    • annabode
      | 26 April 2016

      Thanks Kourtney! I went with color but with a twist, more to come on Thursday!

  • Maggie @ Maggie Overby Studios
    | 23 April 2016

    I love a good built in and this closet is great! can’t wait to see the whole room come together.

    • annabode
      | 26 April 2016

      Thanks so much Maggie!

  • Kemley
    | 23 April 2016

    Love everything about this room! The midcentury nightstand is perFect with the brass bed!

    • annabode
      | 26 April 2016

      Thanks Kemley 🙂 It’s coming together!

  • Grace
    | 24 April 2016

    I’m also liking the sanDy hook gray. 🙂

  • Ellie
    | 25 April 2016

    Great job on the closer built-ins!! What a great solu. My vote is for the mIddle grey too 🙂

    • annabode
      | 26 April 2016

      Thanks Ellie! It’s all painted now, stay tuned!

  • marcey moreno
    | 28 July 2016

    Do you have any pictures of the finished closet? I looked in the other posts about the room but didn’t see anything. It would be perfect in a bedroom I’m working on and I’d love to see how the final look came out.

  • Allison
    | 22 September 2016

    what dressers are those from ikea? thanks!!

  • jamie
    | 5 October 2016

    Hi Anna,

    My wife and I really enjoyed your Ikea hack. Inspired by it, here’s what we (ok, mostly she) did:

    https://homemoyaone.com/2016/10/05/new-coat-closet/

    Thanks!
    Jamie

  • Sheila
    | 22 December 2016

    What size is the closet-depth and width? ITs seems to be deeper than just a regular closet…

  • Nikki
    | 4 June 2017

    Hi! Did you just build a frame aroUnd the dressers? I’d like to do something sImilar for a closet in a nursery. Any additional tips or tricks would be much appreciated!!!

  • Sarah
    | 26 December 2017

    I’m having trouble finding the finished closet.

    • annabode
      | 17 January 2018

      I never posted it, sorry!

      • Leah
        | 19 August 2018

        Would love to see the finished closet. any chance you plan on posting? I’m trying to solve closet dilemmas for my daughter’s room.

  • Amber
    | 5 November 2018

    Any way you could do more of a detailed tutorial of the closet? I would love to do this in my son’s room but don’t really know how.

  • Heather McFarlane
    | 17 September 2020

    Any chance you can do a tutorial on the closet?? Its amazing and i’m looking to do the same!

    • Anna Smith
      | 3 October 2020

      Hi Heather – and thank you! As our company has grown in the last few years we have moved away from DIY posts so there will not be a tutorial unfortunately. Appreciate your interest!

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