They Put IKEA Cabinets Made for Shoes on Their Kitchen Wall Beside the Fridge
Three black IKEA shoe cabinets hang along a kitchen wall beside a stainless steel refrigerator, but none contains footwear. The shallow compartments hold household recycling, keeping bottles and packaging off the countertops and floor.
Lilly from Lilly’s Home Designs used IKEA TRONES cabinets to create the recycling station after replacing the kitchen’s old refrigerator. Their black finish matches the lower kitchen cabinets, while the wall-mounted design leaves space beneath them.
The tilt-out compartments provide access to the contents without opening a cabinet door. Each plastic bin can also be removed and carried outside when it’s time to empty the recycling.
An Old Refrigerator Occupied the End of the Kitchen
The kitchen had a white top-freezer refrigerator positioned beneath an unfinished upper cabinet. Two open sections above the appliance exposed brown interiors, while a blue wall and baseboard heater occupied the adjoining space.
The homeowner wanted to improve the kitchen’s layout but decided against moving the cabinets and surrounding trim.
A stainless steel French-door refrigerator replaced the older appliance, with two upper doors and a freezer drawer below. The adjacent wall offered enough width for a row of shallow storage cabinets without extending into the passage toward the dining room.
Three IKEA TRONES Shoe Cabinets Became Wall-Mounted Recycling Bins
Three black TRONES cabinets run across the wall beside the refrigerator, mounted in a horizontal row above the baseboard heater. Their flat fronts conceal the contents, while the narrow bodies project less into the kitchen than conventional recycling bins.
Lilly chose black to coordinate with the lower cabinets on the opposite side of the room. The TRONES units have recessed tops, providing a narrow surface for small items without adding a separate shelf.
The installation places storage above a heater, so proper clearance and the heater manufacturer’s requirements would need consideration before copying the arrangement.
A DIY Chalkboard Added Space for Grocery Lists
A rectangular chalkboard hangs above the IKEA cabinets, framed with distressed wood and suspended from a black metal bracket. The homeowner made it from 1×2 lumber and a backer board panel coated with chalkboard paint, adding twine to hang the frame.
Two thrifted wooden bowls decorate the wall beside the chalkboard, with a calendar mounted beneath them. Sawtooth hangers hold the bowls in place.
The chalkboard lists milk, eggs, bread, and apples, giving the household a place to write shopping reminders beside the recycling station.
Tilt-Out Compartments Store Bottles and Packaging
One TRONES compartment opens forward to reveal plastic water bottles and glass containers inside. The bin has a deep lower section and a curved front, allowing the contents to rest inside when the compartment closes.
The homeowner removes the bins from their frames and carries them outside to empty the recycling into larger containers on collection day.
Lilly also considered adding a wooden top across the cabinets for a more finished appearance, but the photographed installation retains the original black plastic tops.
Would you use IKEA shoe cabinets for kitchen recycling, or prefer conventional bins?
Image credits go to @lillyshomedesigns