This Elegant Entryway Sideboard Is Actually an Easy DIY — And Probably the Best IKEA's KALLAX Unit Has Ever Looked
With pine molding, a lick of paint, and some metallic gold touches, this IKEA hack brings a touch of Parisian chic to this living room
Was there ever a more versatile flat-pack than the IKEA KALLAX? Simple, practical, and multi-functional, this storage solution epitomizes everything the Scandi homeware brand does best. It's also a DIYer's favorite when it comes to customizability, and after seeing this elegant living room sideboard project, it's no surprise why.
With pine molding, a lick of paint, and some metallic gold touches, this Art Deco-style IKEA hack brings a touch of Parisian chic to this living room alcove. It's all down to the work of home renovator Emma-Jo Woollin (@mysecrethouseaccount), who shares the DIY improvements to her Victorian villa over on Instagram, and this one was just too good not to share.
Below, she explains the steps she took to turn the unit from lackluster to luxe.
Noticing that her alcove was crying out for a sideboard, Emma decided to put her skills to the test with a bespoke IKEA hack. The eight-shelf KALLAX unit was the perfect fit for her living room DIY project, measuring 30 3/8 x 57 7/8 inches.
Using the KALLAX doors for her fluted credenza idea, Emma set to work adding molding. "We used half-round pine molding and cut them to size (8.6 inches) using a chop saw to cover each door, using sandpaper to file the edges for a smooth finish," she explains. "We then attached them to the doors with No Nails glue, using a heavy object to weigh them down whilst they dried."
Once all the doors were attached to the unit, Emma used the Zinsser B-I-N primer — which she calls 'the holy grail of all primers' — to prep for painting. She knew she wanted a dark, moody color to contrast with the white walls in her lofty living room and make the metallic touches pop.
"I used a KALLAX door to get a color match service, mixing the paint the same color as the unit," she says. "I gave the doors three coats of color in total."
Finally, it was just a case of adding the hardware and styling the sideboard for an elegant, art deco alcove. She used gold handles from Amazon and matching feet, also from Amazon, to raise the credenza off the floor.
The complementary gold finishes in the mirror frame, plant pot, and pendant lights make for a high-end, luxe look that elevates Emma's living room. If you ask us, it's the perfect lesson in how to make an IKEA KALLAX look more expensive.
This stylish sideboard will be living rent-free in our heads for the foreseeable!
Want more where that came from? This Scandi-style IKEA KALLAX DIY looks completely different and is hard to believe it has the same base.
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