When Sara Milner moved into her new home, she faced a common challenge: a hallway with no storage. Determined to prevent her hallway from becoming a clutter zone, Sara who documents her house reno on Instagram @fourthhome_ rolled up her sleeves to create much-needed hallway storage that matched the vibe of her home.
“Our hallway lacked any storage when we first moved in,” Sara explains. “As I have a family of four with two toddlers, storage in the hallway was a must. I did not want our hallway to become a dumping ground for coats, shoes, bags, etc.”
However, she met a few challenges …
The Problem: Too Many Doors In Hallway
Sara envisioned a classic boot room built-in bench with storage below and above. However, her hallway layout was a tad tricky. “Our hallway has many doors and there wasn’t a wide enough space to allow for a built-in storage bench,” she recalls. Moving a doorway to accommodate a bench proved too costly and complex.
Determined to find a solution, Sara noticed a nook in the hallway that seemed perfect for built-in storage, despite the doorway being right in the middle of it and just off-center. “I had remembered seeing bookcases that go from floor to ceiling and over the top of doorways before and thought that would be the perfect solution for our awkward nook,” she says. She wanted concealed storage instead of open bookshelves, making the IKEA BILLY bookcase with the newly released solid OXBERG doors an ideal choice.
“The IKEA BILLY bookcase came to mind immediately as something that I could use to provide storage on either side of the doorway,” Sara explains. “IKEA had also recently released a version of the OXBERG door which was entirely solid—perfect timing for me and my project!”
A BILLY Hallway Hack
Sara sprang into action. She measured the space and found that the 40cm (15 3/4″) wide bookcases with OXBERG doors would fit perfectly on either side of the doorway. By flanking the door with bookcases, she was able to effectively use what would have otherwise been wasted space.
The Biggest Challenge Of This BILLY Hallway Hack
The biggest challenge of the project was creating a flush look with strip wood molding pieces. “These pieces didn’t marry up perfectly to the plywood framing. There weren’t perfectly sized moulding pieces as standard sizes so I needed to use caulking to create the completed look. Additionally, we finessed the plywood and other areas with a good amount of sanding using fine grit sandpaper and an electric sander,” she explains. “A lot of these finishing touches were time-consuming but worth it!”
Look Out For Height Clearance
Sara offers some advice for those looking to replicate her hack: “This hack will only work with certain heights of ceilings and doors. Our ceilings are about 237cm (93″) high, which is just about standard for new builds. The space we were left with above our door was just under a foot, and I think that’s the minimum amount of space that should be left for storage once the bookcases and bridging shelf are installed.”
Fine Tuning Her BILLY Hallway Hack
Reflecting on her project, Sara is pleased with the result. “The one part that I adjusted, once I stood back from the piece, was the top shelf. I realized it might look better with a thicker profile than the side pieces and it should protrude a bit from the front and side facades.”
To resolve this, she wrapped thin molding strips on the edges of the shelf so it would appear thicker and slightly proud of the bookcases below. This addition seems like a small detail but it had a big impact as it makes the piece seem more like a piece of furniture. It ties in with the other details around the doors as well.
In hindsight, she might have used thicker plywood for the top shelf to create the overhang but is overall happy with the adjustments she made. “Otherwise, I think the steps I took made sense and it turned out even better than I had envisioned. I’m genuinely pleased! In the future, I may add some more details to the piece. But for now, it works so well.”
For those looking to replicate her BILLY hallway hack, she encourages them to “Go for it! It is an excellent storage solution for narrow hallways with lots of doorways. It looks great and creates a focal point.”
So Much Storage In A Narrow Hallway
“My favorite part of this hack is the storage it offers,” Sara shares. “We are using it for shoe storage, but it could also have hanging space for coats and jackets. There is no wasted space as the shelf above maximizes vertical space. The storage in the baskets are lesser used pieces since they are high up. I am using it right now for clothing bits we don’t need in the summer—like winter hats and gloves.”
Sara’s awesome hack shows that hallway furniture doesn’t always need to be a traditional bench with storage. Even a hallway with too many doors can be transformed into a tasteful, practical space.
Follow along as she renovates her home on @fourthhome_
Materials and IKEA items needed for this hack:
- 2x 40cm wide x 28cm deep BILLY bookcases
- 2x OXBERG doors (full-length and fully enclosed doors)
- 8x 2x3s for framing (2400mm long)
- 2x 2x4s for framing (2400mm long) for the bottom and top of the bookcases
- A selection of pine strip molding pieces the same thickness as the OXBERG doors to cover the profiles of the timber framing on the front of the build
- 3x 18mm thick x 2400 long plywood pieces
- Caulk
- Wood filler
- An electric sander with fine-grit sandpaper
- Furniture wood primer
- Paint suitable for furniture
- Wood screws
- Drywall screws to secure the wood framing to the wall
- Cupboard handles
How long and how much did it cost?
Sara provides a breakdown of costs:
Each BILLY bookcase cost £50 (approximately $39) and each door was £30 ($35). So my IKEA purchase was £160 ($148).
I built out the frame around the bookcases so they would be raised enough to align with the top of the doorway. I used timber framing on the bottom and top of the units to complete this. The timber framing came to about £40 ($52).
Then, I added strips of molding to the front of the framing to finish the facade. The molding is the same thickness as the OXBERG doors. It gives the doors a chic “in-frame” look! The cost of the molding also came to about £40 ($52).
I installed 18mm thick plywood on each side of the bookcases and used plywood for the shelf that bridges the two pieces across the top of the door. They were cut to size at B&Q. I used 3 sheets total. Each sheet was £40 ($52) so I spent £120 ($156) on the plywood.
We used ample amounts of caulk and filler which I estimate cost £5 ($6.50). I used wood screws we already had for all assembly.
I painted a layer of primer and used two coats of a 2.5L can of Coat “floor paint” but watered it down a bit for better consistency. I would say paint and primer came to about £60 ($80) but it’s difficult to say because the paint and primer were from other projects.
The handles on the pieces are lovely and they were £15 ($20) total from French Furniture Fittings. These were also surplus from our kitchen remodel.
So the total cost of this hack was £440 ($580).
Costs could be reduced by using second-hand bookcases and swapping out plywood for MDF. We completed this during a full renovation of our house so a lot of what we used was leftover or surplus from other projects.
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