I recently completed my small home office with built-in Ikea cabinets. Or as I like to call it – my #hallffice (hallway office). I turned an awkward corner in our hallway into my office and it has been such a great use of space. If you follow along on Instagram, you’ve seen I’ve been working on this space for months and I have everything saved to my highlight bubble. (post contains affiliate links, see disclosure)
Originally this corner was supposed to be a linen area with upper and lower cabinets and a counter. However, when we were building our house, we decided not to spend the extra money on that feature. It left us with this awkward corner in the hallway, but now I’m so glad we have this area. When I first had the idea of creating a home office, I found a desk and a chair that would fit. And I added some open shelving.
BEFORE
Obviously my style was very different a few years ago. I liked this setup, but it always made it seem like the office area was an afterthought instead of meant to be there. So I decided to use Ikea Sektion kitchen cabinets to create a true home office with built-in storage.
This area is right off of the kitchen, so it’s also a nice little home hub for mail, bill sorting, etc. I like this set up better and all the storage that is provided. I completed this DIY around the same time as our guest bedroom makeover. After I cleaned out the guest bedroom, I need to have a place for all of my crafting, DIY, art, paint, etc. And with the cabinets, I can hide my paper shredder, printer, and supplies.
However, it still wasn’t exactly what I wanted. The open storage was a little bit much. So, adding the doors created a more sophisticated look. And hid a lot of the storage bins and boxes. With Ikea hacks, the possibilities are pretty much endless. As long as you know the measurements of your space, you can create any variation needed. However, these are the exact supplies I used for mine.
SMALL HOME OFFICE WITH BUILT-IN IKEA CABINETS
SUPPLIES
- Sektion Base Cabinet Frame 15x24x30
- (2) Forvara Drawers, medium, 15×24
- (2) Haggeby Drawer Front, white, 15×15
- Ekbacken Countertop, white marble effect, 74″
- Sektion Wall Cabinet Frame, white, 15x15x15
- (3) Maximera Drawers, low, 15×15
- (3) Haggeby Drawer Front, white, 15×15
- (2) Sektion Wall Cabinet Frame, white, 15x15x30
- (2) Lerhyttan Glass Door, black stained, 15×30
- Variera Cover Plate, white
- (2) Utrusta Hinge, 2 pack
- (2) Utrusta Shelf, white, 15×15, 2 pack
- cabinet pulls
- cabinet knobs
- 1×2 primed boards
- nail gun
- 1-inch brad nails
- caulk
STEPS
First I started with the base cabinet frame and built it according to the Ikea instructions. I followed the same steps for the drawers, and drawer fronts. Ikea also provides the hardware and instructions for attaching the cabinet frames to the wall. For the lower cabinet, I decided to do two large drawers here to hide my printer, paper shredder, etc, and bigger items.
For the desk, I used the laminate countertop and cut it at an angle to match the angle of the wall. Sadly, I don’t have any progress photos of this part, but I used the box that the countertop came in as a template first. This way when I cut it, it was perfect. Most of the weight of the counter sits on the base cabinet, and at the angled wall, I have a large shelf bracket installed on a stud.
Because Ikea doesn’t offer small 15×15 black glass cabinet doors, I decided to do three small drawers in this area. They are great for holding pens, pencils, scissors, etc. And I use these clear organizers to hold it all. I chose to use large black drawer pulls to accent the black cabinetry.
HOW TO MAKE IT LOOK MORE CUSTOM
Adding the black hardware really customized the built-ins, from plain white drawers and cabinets to bold and modern. But, I also added simple primed 1×2’s to hide the seams of where each cabinet is placed and the gaps from the wall, floor, and ceiling. Then I caulked each seam and painted them a bright white. I did the same thing for my built-in bookshelves and all the details are in that post.
I used a smaller knob on the cabinet doors and used Rub N Buff to create the gold accent. It warms it up a little bit and accents the wood tones. I also used my favorite free art idea and frames to create a modern mood board. Originally, I wanted a corkboard covered in fabric to pin up design images and inspiration. But this is much more my style. Clean, organized, and simple. Plus the frames hide the outlets in the wall that was originally here for the linen area.
Even though I haven’t used this space in the last year or so, since it has been completed I’ve been sitting here almost every day to catch up on blog posts, emails, etc. Plus since I’m also working from home now half of the week, it’s been a nice little area to feel like I’m away from the rest of the house.
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