So what’s a music-loving, design-obsessed homeowner supposed to do when they can’t find stylish, functional storage for a retro stereo setup?
Apparently, the answer is to raid the kitchen aisle at IKEA.
Creative DIYer Mehmet found IKEA kitchen cabinets to be just the thing for his Hi-Fi cabinet.
“While I was planning to build a cabinet for my vintage hi-fi equipment, I came up with the idea of using IKEA kitchen units and customizing them accordingly,” he explained on his choice of IKEA Kitchen cabinets for the task.
They designed the piece to fit into a specific corner of their living room and to store their Hi-Fi units and their collection of vinyl records and CDs.
He picked the METOD kitchen cabinet frames (SEKTION in the US) and EDSERUM doors and side panels. (ENKÖPING and AKERSUND are good equivalents, depending on the look you’re going for).
After a few modifications to handle the weight of the heavier equipment, they ended up with a streamlined storage cabinet that gives new life to vintage vibes. The custom build makes it easy to enjoy their media in style and keep everything organized.
What You’ll Need
- 2 IKEA METOD wall cabinet frames (60 x 37 x 80 cm)
- 2 IKEA EDSERUM doors (wood effect brown) (60 x 80 cm)
- 2 IKEA EDSERUM wall plates (62 x 80 cm)
- 2 IKEA UTRUSTA white shelves 960 x 37 cm)
- 2 IKEA UTRUSTA hinge sets
- 1 IKEA ENRYDA brass color knob set (20mm)
- 1 18mm Laminated MDF anthracite for top (50 x 128 cm)
- 1 18mm Laminated MDF anthracite for custom shelf (41×56.4 cm)
- 1 20mm Hardwood for custom shelf in front (2.8 x 56.4 cm)
- 1 20mm Hardwood for custom shelf in back (1 x 56.4 cm)
- 2 3mm Aluminum sheet 2×2 cm L-profile for custom shelf sides (32 cm)
- 14 Steel L-brackets (for base)
- 2 2×8 cm Pine boards (for base) (113cm)
- 4 2×8 cm Pine boards (for base) (30 cm)
- 1 4mm Piece of plywood (for custom back panel) (59 x 79 cm)
- 1 4mm Piece of plywood (for custom back panel) (59 x 59 cm)
- Wooden dowels
- Wood glue
- Basics — drill, screw gun, tape measure, saw, pencil
Creating a Custom Setup for Retro Media
1. Build a Base
Standard kitchen cabinet legs weren’t going to cut it when it came to holding the weight of everything. Therefore, Mehmet built a custom base using 2 x 8 cm pine timber cut to length and joined with L-brackets.
After assembling the cabinets according to IKEA’s instructions (and attaching them), they simply screwed the base into the bottom. Mehmet covered the visible sides of the base with cut pieces of EDSERUM plates to give it a finished look that matched the rest of the unit.
2. Create a Custom Shelf
Most of the shelves can be standard IKEA shelves. However, the shelf holding the heavy receiver needs to be fixed and sturdy. You can cut it yourself, or do what Mehmet did and have it cut and edge-banded to size at your local hardware store.
Join the front piece to the shelf’s front edge using dowels and wood glue. Next, screw the back hardwood piece under the shelf.
Finally, cut L-profile aluminum pieces to size and drill mounting holes in them. Fix the shelf into place by screwing through the aluminum pieces, attaching them to the bottom of the shelf and the cabinet walls.
Mehmet explained that it wasn’t necessary to reinforce the other shelves. “There are many shelf sag calculators on the web,” he added. “I did a quick run over, and it showed that I could use standard IKEA shelves for the CDs. In fact, the LPs are much heavier than CDs, but since they go into the bottom of the cabinet, no reinforcement was needed.”
3. Install the Custom Top
Mehmet also had the custom top cut to size and edge-banded at the hardware store. They used laminated MDF (you could also use plywood). The cabinets already had mounting holes for a kitchen countertop, so they used these along with wood screws to attach their custom top.
A Little Breathing Room for Your Hi-Fi Equipment
A few extra things to consider when customizing a piece for any type of stereo equipment are heat and cable management. It’s always nice to have a place to feed cords through so you don’t ruin the aesthetics of your design with unsightly wires.
Drill a few holes in the back of the unit for cables and plugs. These also provide ventilation for any electrical components stored inside the cabinet, preventing overheating.
Ramp Up the Vintage Hi-Fi Style
If storing vintage equipment is your main goal, why not go all-in on the retro vibe? Swap out the standard hardware with some funky vintage pieces to give the cabinet a more mid-century-mod look?
If you decide to put your own spin on this hack or have one of your own to show off, share it with us! We’re always looking for creative ideas to inspire others to make their hackable dreams come true!
