This IKEA HEMNES Hack Totally Transforms a Tiny “Landlord Special” Hallway
My family’s house is what you’d call a “landlord special.” It was used as a rental for years before we bought it, and you can tell. There are layers of flooring installed on top of each other, questionable renovation choices, nothing in the house matches (including trim, hardware, etc.), and renovations were done haphazardly.
So when we tackled our first big reno and decided to fill in our hallway door next, we had all the best intentions of taking this pass-through space down to the studs. Then we’d properly patch the old doorway, re-drywall, and add new flooring. But life got busy, and it never happened. So after looking at a half-patched doorway for a couple of years, I couldn’t take it anymore and finally gave my small hallway a much-needed facelift with an IKEA HEMNES shoe cabinet hack.
As you can see, after I patched the original hallway door, I was left with a somewhat uneven wall (drywall to plaster transition) and an awkwardly sized hole between the laminate flooring and baseboards to try to hide. That’s when I thought of IKEA’s HEMNES shoe cabinets and knew they would be an ideal solution. At less than 9 inches deep, they’re super slim. Plus, they can be wall-mounted (even over baseboards) with front legs and a gap left at the back.
Due to my hallway’s overall length, I knew a single HEMNES cabinet centered in the middle would look a bit awkward. At about 42 inches wide, one wouldn’t fully cover the hole I was trying to hide anyway. So the goal was to install two cabinets side by side to create the look of one seamless unit. Having never attempted this type of hack before, I turned to Pinterest for inspiration and tutorials.
As YouTuber Scott Taylor demonstrated in this video, I needed to fully assemble the left HEMNES cabinet normally then put together the right unit minus the left front leg. Then, since IKEA furniture has predrilled holes and specialty hardware, I had to replicate those holes on the side portion of the left cabinet to make up for the leg that was removed and fully connect both pieces. The trick is to use painter’s tape to mark the depth of the holes on the correctly sized drill bits so that you don’t accidentally drill too far, and then triple-check all of your measurements before you start.
After successfully connecting the cabinets, I was left with the dilemma of what to do with the top boards that come with each HEMNES. If you’re trying this hack, you could install the two boards side by side on top, patch the seam with wood filler, and paint it. Just note that they’ll stick out slightly more on the edges versus a single unit. Or, you can cut a new single board for the top, using a live-edge board, stained piece of wood, or a simple painted MDF board (which is what we did).
Once I installed the new top piece, I used wood filler to patch the seam in between the unit and the wall for a more professional look. Then, it was time to paint! Since I decided to leave both units white, I used The Home Depot’s handy color-matching paint service to get the most identical shade, which makes the new top board blend in with the rest of the unit.
Finally, I chose to add a gallery wall with family photos above the HEMNES unit along with an oversized faux pottery vase (that I also DIYed), some candlesticks, and a basket tray catchall for keys and knickknacks. I also swapped out the generic gray IKEA knobs for some brushed gold accents from Amazon.
I love how this simple IKEA hack transformed my tiny, dark hallway into a functional and stylish space with so much more storage. Plus, I won’t have to look at that hole in the flooring and baseboards anymore. Win-win!
Further Reading
We Tested (and Rated!) All the Sofas at Ashley — Here Are the Best to Suit Your Style and Space
See How a Stager Used Paint to Transform a 1950s Living Room
We Asked 8 Pro Travelers What They Never Pack in Their Carry-On, and Here’s What They Said
