HEMNES shoe cabinet hack for a classy welcome

After moving into a new house, we had a need for shoe storage and a hall table in our front entryway.

There was already a mirror hung and the space beneath it was ideal. But the spot was very high-traffic and a wide console table would have been in the way.

The narrow HEMNES shoe cabinet was exactly the sort of solution we were looking for.

But …

It had an industrial, closet-y look to it. And I thought I should dress it up for the entrance. Enter our HEMNES shoe cabinet hack.

Materials:

• HEMNES shoe cabinet 
• 1 1/3 sheets adhesive mother-of-pearl veneer (about $25 ea online)
• 1 set of four green bubble-glass knobs (about $20/set online)

IKEA HEMNES shoe cabinet hack for entryway

First, we shortened the legs a bit because it was easier to do that than reposition the mirror.

Then we figured out that somewhere in the chaos of IKEA construction, we had accidentally put the top front crossbar in backwards, and the holes were showing.

Rather than deconstruct and rebuild, I sealed the holes with blank white address labels. Then, covered the bar in a flexible adhesive mother-of-pearl veneer.

It took about one and a third sheets to cover the whole bar. It turns out, I liked the effect so much. I plan on doing the bottom bar too, sometime in the future.

We finished the look by replacing the plain metal knobs with green bubble-glass knobs, ordered online for about $20 a set.

The additions bumped up the sophistication a bit and it looks very nice in our entryway!

~ by kitsa

Other hacks recommended for your entryway

• IKEA shoe shelf for big feet and big collection of shoes
• Quick and easy hat and coat rack for the mudroom
• Narrow hallway bench from 2 TV stands
• Kid’s closet in the hallway: Perfect for little coats and shoes
• A classy tall shoe cabinet to fit small entryways

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Jules Yap

Jules Yap started IKEAHackers.net in 2006 as a personal blog to showcase the most impressive IKEA hacks from all over the world. Since then, she has learned a lot more about power tools and DIY. Her site has helped thousands modify IKEA furniture with step-by-step tutorials, craft projects and home styling.

Jules is the author of IKEAHackers.net: 25 Biggest and Best Projects".

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