He Put IKEA Shoe Cabinets in His Kitchen Pantry: The $600 Makeover Looks Custom-Built
White shelves wrapped around three walls of a narrow kitchen pantry, leaving little room for anything beyond stacked groceries and kitchen supplies. The storage was there, but its fixed shelves offered no drawers, enclosed cabinets, or counter space for appliances. Reddit user u/leisure-rules decided to remove the shelving and rebuild the room around a different storage system.
The unusual choice was IKEA shoe cabinets, designed for entryways rather than kitchens. At about 11 inches deep, they fit along one wall of the 4-foot-wide pantry without occupying the space required by conventional base cabinets. The project also introduced a wood countertop, custom drawers, open shelves, and electrical outlets.
The renovation cost between $500 and $600 and took a little over three weeks of work between client calls and weekends. But the most interesting detail is how the original shoe cabinet doors became part of a fitted pantry that no longer resembles shoe storage.
The original pantry had shelves wrapping around three walls
The pantry measured approximately 6 feet deep and 4 feet wide, with white shelves extending along the left, back, and right walls. Wooden support strips held the shelves in place, while a pull chain hung from the ceiling light.
The shelves offered several levels of storage, but the arrangement left no countertop or enclosed compartments. Items placed at the back of the deeper shelves would also require reaching past anything stored in front.
Removing the shelves exposed the original wall supports
The renovation began with removing the shelves and repairing the holes left in the plaster. The original hardwood floor remained, while the walls received a fresh coat of paint.
The cleared room provided space to build a lower storage system with a continuous countertop. Instead of returning to shelves on every wall, the new plan concentrated enclosed storage below counter height and open shelving above.
IKEA shoe cabinets fit the narrow wall
The IKEA shoe cabinets were installed along the left wall, where their shallow depth allowed the central walkway to remain open. Their tilt-out compartments offered concealed storage without the footprint of standard kitchen cabinets.
The original cabinet doors were retained, but decorative trim was added around their edges to create a Shaker-style appearance. Handles completed the change, making the units resemble fitted kitchen cabinetry rather than entryway furniture.
The compartments now hold trash bags, cleaning supplies, water bottles, and other household items used on a regular basis.
The back wall required a custom wooden frame
The back-left corner presented a challenge because of the room’s irregular dimensions. A wooden base was built to connect the IKEA cabinets with the rear storage section and support the countertop.
The corner was left as an enclosed compartment with a custom door, providing space for paper towels, a fire extinguisher, and supplies that did not need to remain on display. The compartment also provides access to the wiring for the countertop outlets.
Two tall drawers were planned beside it, one for recycling and another for dog food. Their widths had to be calculated around the corner cabinet and the limited space available across the back wall.
A wood countertop connected the two storage walls
The wood countertop extends along the left wall and turns across the back, forming an L-shaped work surface above the new cabinets. Its natural finish contrasts with the white fronts and the dark hardwood floor.
Electrical outlets were installed in the countertop rather than the plaster walls. The owner explained that cutting into the plaster would have created additional repair work, while the counter-mounted outlets offered a place to connect small appliances.
The outlets occupy some counter space, but the arrangement avoids cords running from distant wall sockets.
Open wood shelves turned the back wall into a coffee station
The finished pantry has open wood shelves running along the left and back walls above the counter. The side shelves were made from 1-by-8 boards, while the back shelves use 1-by-12 boards, providing more depth for larger items.
Each board was cut, sanded, and finished with shellac before installation. The shelves hold food packages, storage jars, cookware, and small appliances, with larger equipment placed on the upper levels.
A stainless-steel espresso machine occupies the rear counter beside a coffee grinder and other accessories. The left counter provides space for additional appliances, including an air fryer.
Trim and brass-toned pulls changed the cabinet fronts
The finished lower cabinets have white framed fronts with brass-toned cup pulls. The decorative trim was added to the original IKEA shoe cabinet doors, preserving their tilt-out function beneath the new appearance.
The back cabinets use matching finishes, including the custom corner compartment and the two tall storage drawers. The repeated door details connect the IKEA units with the sections built from wood.
The $600 budget covered a three-week DIY renovation
The owner reported spending between $500 and $600 on the project, using leftover wood and materials from a previous job and tools already on hand.
The work took a little over three weeks, with construction taking place between client calls and on weekends. Tasks included removing the old shelves, repairing plaster, building the base, modifying the cabinet fronts, fitting the countertop, constructing drawers, and finishing the wood shelves.
The cost reflects the materials purchased for this project rather than the price of hiring a contractor to complete the same work.
The before-and-after shows why the shoe cabinets worked
The original pantry had open shelves on three walls, with no enclosed storage or work surface. The renovation replaced the lower shelving with shallow IKEA cabinets, added a counter across two walls, and moved open storage above it.
The 11-inch-deep shoe cabinets made the arrangement possible along the narrow side wall. Their tilt-out compartments conceal household supplies, while the rear drawers separate recycling and dog food from the food and appliances stored above.
The finished pantry combines a coffee station, appliance storage, and enclosed compartments within the original 6-by-4-foot space. Its walls and hardwood floor remain, but the storage system now serves functions the old shelves could not accommodate.
Project photographs and renovation details are credited to Reddit creator u/leisure-rules.