Mark had been chasing a specific vision for years: a credenza with that clean, low-slung midcentury modern look.
He saw potential in the IKEA Alex file cabinets, but they needed adjustment.
“I have long wanted to have an old-style credenza with modernist influences,” Mark says. “I thought the Alex file cabinets were very elegant and often overlooked, so I wanted to utilize them for this hack.”
The issue was that they were just too tall for the sleek, modernist vibe. So he did what any determined furniture hacker would do and cut them down to size, literally.
“To make it work, I had to chop off the two bottom drawers and shorten the height of that product altogether. Then, once that was done for both cabinets, the fun began,” he tells us how the whole thing came together.
What You’ll Need:
- Alex Drawer Unit (40196241)
- AVSIKT Roll-front cabinet (#00158439)
- Plywood (1/2 inch thick)
- Maple wood veneer
- Clear coat finish
- Tapered furniture legs (about $2 each from your local hardware store)
- Wood screws
- Black paint for the legs
The Build Process
Step 1: Cut the Alex Cabinets Down
Mark removed the two bottom drawers from each unit and shortened the overall height. This step entails cutting the side panels and reattaching the bottom panel to the shorter sides.
Step 2: Flip the AVSIKT Cabinet
The AVSIKT Roll-Front Cabinet has a beautiful metallic roll-front that Mark decided to place on top rather than the front. Flipped on its side, it becomes the center section of the credenza.
Mark shares, “The roll front is actually really sturdy, it can still actually hold pretty heavy objects (including a flat screen TV if necessary).”
Step 3: Bridge the Gap with Plywood
The AVSIKT cabinet is slightly shorter and narrower than the Alex units, so Mark cut two pieces of half-inch plywood to fill the sides. Those plywood pieces actually reinforced the entire structure once everything was screwed together.
Step 4: Veneer for a Seamless Finish
Once all three pieces were secured with wood screws, Mark covered the plywood panels with a maple veneer and finished everything with a couple of light clear coats to protect the natural wood tone. The result looks like one cohesive, intentional piece.
Step 5: Add the Legs
Mark picked up tapered legs from Home Depot at around $2 a piece, painted them black, and mounted them in a triangular three-leg arrangement on each side. That configuration distributes the weight well because this credenza is seriously heavy. “I think that (configuration) works best since the piece is quite heavy,” Mark explains, “Actually, it is really heavy, so lift with a partner, if possible.”
The Finishing Touch
The end result is a custom midcentury modern credenza that looks like it came from a high-end furniture boutique, built almost entirely from IKEA parts and a couple of hardware store finds.
“I was happy that my vinyl record player fit the compartment in the AVSIKT Roll-front cabinet, and I built a little shelf with the spare drawer parts from the Alex cabinet. Underneath it is the speaker and wiring, all hidden from sight,” says Mark.
Got your own IKEA hack? Send it in and share it with us.
~ by Mark Soares, Connecticut