Rolling the clock back to 2015, when I turned a cheap IKEA shoe rack into sweet little bathroom bench seat, in this Ikea bench seat hack.
I’d been desperate to do something lovely with this sad little shoe rack for a while — it was the perfect size for our bathroom and offered great storage but it was so ugly.
With a little bit of creativity, some fabric and paint, this little shoe rack got a makeover — a shoe rack IKEA hack, if you will!
Quick View of What You'll Find on This Page
What Else Can I Use an IKEA Shoe Rack For?
The IKEA shoe rack certainly didn’t look like bench seat! But with a little bit of creativity and TLC it transformed from an ugly shoe rack, to a sweet little wooden storage bench with a cushion.
Perfect for the boys to sit on when they were getting dry; whilst still giving us the same storage as before and looking a LOT more pretty too.
Here’s what I did.
How To Tranform a Shoe Rack To a Storage Bench
Turn a Shoe Rack into a Bench Seat (Ikea Bench Seat Hack)
I turned a cheap IKEA shoe rack into sweet little bathroom bench seat, in this Ikea bench seat hack.
Materials
- Wooden IKEA shoe-rack (you can also get a similar version from Amazon.
- 18mm MDF
- 2 inch foam
- Wood glue
- Screws
- Fabric
- Piping Cord
- Zip
- Chalk Paint
Tools
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Scalpel or sharp knife
- Sewing Machine (or you can hand-sew with a needle and thread)
- Screwdriver
Instructions
- Firstly, I measured the shoe rack then created a rough template to work to.
- Then I cut some 18mm MDF and some 2inch foam to fit the top of the shoe rack.
- I cut my fabric into cushion sized pieces. I made sure I left a couple of cm around each piece so I could turn them over and make a hem.
- Next, I made a simple piped edge. This is optional though — you could skip this if you don't feel confident creating fabric piping.
- I inserted a zip.
- Then finished off and sewed up all of the edges, so it looked nice and neat. And put the foam inside.
- Next, I painted the shoe rack using Annie Sloan chalk paint. I used 01 Old White.
- When it was dry, I re-assembled it; glueing the joins and screwing a piece of painted MDF board to the top of the shoe rack. Then added the cushion. Et voila! One Ikea bench seat hack completed!
Notes
I found a few internet tutorials on making piping.
Most of the tutorials I looked at said that the fabric needed to be cut on the bias but there really wasn't enough fabric to do that. This one by A Summer Gypsy said that you don't need to cut it on the bias and she was right! I'm sure it could have been neater but it's not bad for a first attempt!
Using Chalk Paint To Transform a Shoe Rack
I used some Annie Sloan left over from my chest of drawers makeover but, I must say, I hadn’t anticipated how long it would take to paint!
Because of all the tiny slats, it seemed to take forever; not on a par with painting the Forth Bridge, I grant you, but longer than I’d estimated!
If I was to do this again, I would use spray paint, rather than hand paint using a brush.
For such a small item, it took a crazy amount of time to paint! But it was worth it.
From Shoe Rack To Storage Bench
Here’s my finished bench seat in pride of place in the bathroom!
The Ikea Bench Seat Hack
I was so delighted with how this little Ikea Bench Seat turned out! This hack was a really creative way of using a shoe rack that was destined for the log-burner!
It fit in so nicely with our bathroom. And having a little bench seat — as well as storage — is so useful.
Do you have any favourite IKEA hacks that you’d like to share? I’d love to know if you’ve transformed anything from something you didn’t use very much to something super-useful.
Let me know in the comments!
Caro Davies is a former art-director turned writer and content-creator, and editor behind UK lifestyle blog The Listed Home. She writes about home-related topics, from interiors and DIY to food and craft. The Listed Home has been featured in various publications, including Ideal Home, Grazia, and Homes & Antiques magazines.
Wow, that looks amazing! It looks so fantastic in your bathroom too, you should be dead chuffed with yourself. Thanks for being such a fab co-host at #TwinklyTuesday – I hope you win the competition!
Thanks lovely! I don’t think I have a hope in hell’s chance of winning — some of the other entries are AMAZING!!! But hey! At least I have a lovely little bench for my bathroom :)
I love this! What a great idea, we used to have one of these shoe racks, but I hated it and got rid of it. Now I wish I had kept it to do this! :) x
Aah thanks so much Jenny!! I love upcycling stuff!! Especially things that weren’t so pretty in the first place ;)
Hey Caro,
What a cute bathroom shelf/bench you have made! I like what you have created!
I’m new to the Twinkly Tuesday, and I ‘m glad to find your site.
Blessings,
Melanie
Thanks so much Melanie! Lovely to meet you — thanks for stopping by and linking up to Twinkly Tuesday :)
Oh what a good idea!! I wish I was more creative so I could tackle something like this. Want to make me one? ;) #twinklytuesdays xx
You could do it Rachel!! It was more time consuming than anything! ;) Honestly — get your paints out and give it a go :)
Wow, that looks fab! We have the same shoe rack in our hall and although it’s practical is rather ugly. I will have to give it a paint (I will set aside a few hours!)
#TwinklyTuesday
xx
Funny isn’t it? I bet there are BILLIONS of these little shoe-racks up and down the country!! Bet none of them look quite like mine though :) Get your paints out — I’d love to see it when you’ve finished :)
Oh my goodness you have transformed that space!!! Check out your mad sewing skills too! x
Thanks so much lovely :) I really enjoyed this little project!
Well done – what a pretty transformation! I love the fabric :) Its great the amount of tutorials online to help with just about anything! Your cushion certainly doesn’t look like your first attempt – it looks very professional xx
p.s I have pinned onto my ‘Ikea Hacks’ Pinterest board! Love a good Ikea Hack! xx
Gosh — me too — it’s so lovely to take something relatively cheap and cheerful and turn it into something totally different!! Gotta love IKEA! :)
Aaah that’s so lovely of you Tracy!! Thanks so much :)
Love this! Great transformation :)
Thanks :)