They Used an IKEA Bookcase Made for Books to Build a Room Divider With a TV in the Center
IKEA’s KALLAX bookcase has 25 square compartments meant for books, baskets, and storage boxes. Its open design makes it useful against a wall, but one homeowner removed part of the shelving and turned it into something IKEA hadn’t designed it for.
Reddit user u/SleeZz- used a black 5×5 KALLAX to separate a home office from the living room. Instead of adding a partition wall, the homeowner cut out the center shelves to fit a television, covered the back with wood panels, and built doors for hidden storage.
One side now serves as a media center, while the other creates a wood-paneled backdrop for a computer desk. The project retains much of the original KALLAX structure, with new materials changing how each side functions.
The IKEA KALLAX Holds a TV Where Shelves Used to Be
The living room side has a large television fitted into the center of the black bookcase. Shelves remain above and beside the screen, holding books, plants, a small sculpture, and other decorative objects.
Removing sections of the grid created enough width for the television without replacing the entire unit. Open compartments surround the screen, while wood-slat doors cover selected lower sections.
The finished divider stands between the sofa and a separate work area, with the television facing the living room.
Wood Panels Turned the Back Into an Office Partition
The opposite side has pale wood panels covering most of the black shelving. Narrow vertical slats run beside a dark section, creating a contrast between exposed wood and the original KALLAX finish.
A white sit-stand desk faces the partition, with two monitors, speakers, a keyboard, and a mouse arranged across its surface. The wood backing separates the desk from the television without closing off the room.
One end of the KALLAX retains open shelves accessible from the office side. Plants, baskets, and decorative objects occupy these compartments.
Handmade Slatted Doors Hide Cables and Gaming Equipment
The close-up shows one lower cabinet door swung open, revealing shelves used for game controllers, electronic equipment, and cables. The outside of the door has narrow vertical wood strips, while its interior shows an unfinished wood panel attached with metal hinges.
The homeowner made the doors from wood planks, painted one face, and nailed wooden strips onto the front. These additions cover storage compartments without changing the position of the surrounding shelves.
Removing the center dividers also raised questions about support. The builder secured the rear wood panel to each horizontal shelf to help prevent the long section above the television from sagging. A year after completing the project, the homeowner reported that the shelf remained straight.
Instead of using the 5×5 KALLAX as a conventional bookcase, the homeowner kept its outer frame and adapted the interior for a television, concealed storage, and a separate workspace.
Project and photographs: Reddit user u/SleeZz-, r/ikeahacks.