DIY IKEA Kallax Hallway Bench and Shoe Storage 

IKEA kallax shoe storage. A bright hallway with a white door, a wooden bench with storage, a round mirror, hanging planters, a wicker basket, and a wall clock. Light streams in from a window near a potted plant by the door.
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Are you looking to create a hallway bench and hallway shoe storage? This IKEA Kallax Hallway Bench hack using the Kallax storage system is a brilliant way to gain hallway shoe storage and hallway seating. Take a look at how we made ours. 

IKEA kallax shoe storage. A white built-in hallway bench with a wooden top and cupboard doors with mixed knobs offers shoe storage. A green potted plant is on the right, and a wooden chair with a plant stands near a frosted glass door in the background.

 

As you can see we had to make a custom built hallway storage and bench in our house due to the shape of the walls. This is because this area includes the old hallway in our new house extension. It also meant we could fit in 5 storage cupboards as we’re a family of 5. 

IKEA Kallax Hallway Bench and Shoe Storage 

We used the following items to create this IKEA Kallax hack

Osmo 3062 Polyx Hard Wax Oil Clear Matt 2.5L

 

Positioning The Units 

Start by placing out your storage units on the floor in the area you want them to fit. The depth was determined by the 1 smaller unit on the left, but this gave us a nice depth for the unit to sit on. Then draw on the walls where your units will sit against.  

IKEA kallax shoe storage. Partially assembled white shelving units, possibly an IKEA Kallax for Shoe Storage or as a Hallway Bench, with tools and hardware on top. A toolbox, drill, and blue-wrapped items are nearby. A dog lies on the tiled floor in the corner.

 

Use a small piece of timber along the back to join the two units together, this keeps them secure and not slipping around. 

IKEA kallax shoe storage. A white cupboard is being installed in a corner, resembling an IKEA Kallax. Wooden planks, a ruler, and tools are on the worktop, and a vertical wooden support is attached—perfect for future shoe storage or use as a hall bench.

 

Hiding The Gaps 

The units aren’t flush against the walls, so by placing a slightly larger section of white furniture board at the end of the unit you can hide the gap, and neaten up the end panels. This makes it look more of a built-in unit too, we just used grab adhesive for this. 

IKEA kallax shoe storage. A white cupboard panel, possibly part of a hallway bench or shoe storage, is clamped to wooden blocks with two G-clamps. Tools including a tape measure, screws, and a cordless drill lie nearby; a person’s legs are partially visible on the left.

 

We added one on each end of the bench, and it looks so much better than seeing the bookcase edges. 

Add-In Supports For Top

As there is a gap at the back, you will need to add on a small batten that runs along this area. This is to sit the top onto for some support. 

IKEA kallax shoe storage. A close-up of a DIY carpentry project shows a wooden batten fixed horizontally around a white wall corner, with tools like a hammer, drill, screws, and a Ryobi power tool nearby—an ideal setup for building an IKEA Kallax hallway bench.

 

Adding Top To Hallway Bench 

We used grab adhesive to attach the top layer of the hallway bench on. This means there aren’t any screws that are seen, and it’s not really going to move once it’s sat on here. 

IKEA kallax shoe storage. A man kneels on the floor assembling a white hallway bench with a drill in a hallway; a dog lies on the tiled floor nearby, and a toolbox and various items are scattered around.

 

Use a clamp for the first sections on the end down tightly. This is so you can easily knock the next piece of wood into the first one, without it falling off the end. 

IKEA kallax shoe storage. A wooden board is clamped to a white cupboard frame, resembling an IKEA Kallax, using a large metal clamp. A tape measure and small wooden block rest on the surface, suggesting ongoing assembly of hallway bench or shoe storage furniture.

 

Gently put in each piece of flooring until you reach the end and it’s fully covered. 

IKEA kallax shoe storage. A wooden shelf is being assembled on top of a white IKEA Kallax unit. A clamp and a hammer are placed on the surface, holding the wood in place. The unit, ideal for shoe storage or as a hallway bench, features open compartments and sits on a tiled floor.

 

Let the adhesive dry, and you shouldn’t get any movement in the boards. 

IKEA kallax shoe storage. A wooden board is clamped to the edge of a white cupboard with a G-clamp, showing multiple grooves cut along the edge—ideal for building a hallway bench or shoe storage, inspired by IKEA Kallax designs.

 

Finish Off The Edges and Oil

As you can see there are small gaps and holes in the wood, you can use a wood filler to fill in these before you oil the wood so neaten up the ends. We also caulked around the unit, walls, and in-between each unit with white caulk. This made a big difference to how it looked. 

A tin of Osmo Polyx-Oil sits on a wooden surface near a white wall, ready to protect furniture like an IKEA Kallax or hallway bench. The open tin reveals the product inside and is labelled for use on flooring, furniture, and shoe storage solutions.

 

We always use Osmo oil in clear matt on our oak items, it’s a beautiful colour and goes on so well. It protects the wood and keeps a lovely colour to the oak. 

 

Osmo 3062 Polyx Hard Wax Oil Clear Matt 2.5L

Add In The Doors 

IKEA does door inserts for these cupboards, so adding one onto each section allows you to hide all the shoes, and keeps them in one place. We added handles from HomeSense to each door to make it look more unique. 

 

 

Finished IKEA Kallax Hallway Bench and Shoe Storage 

We are over the moon with this IKEA hallway bench and shoe storage, it’s hidden all the way and fits perfectly in this gap. It looks made to fit and didn’t cost too much either. 

 

 

See our IKEA hallway cupboard transformation on the otherside of hallway

IKEA PAX HACK HOW TO BUILD HALLWAY STORAGE CUBOARDS

Shop The Items To Make The IKEA Kallax Hallway Bench

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12 Comments

  1. Gemma Reply

    Wow, I can’t believe you managed to create that from Kallax units! I use the units for storage cubes, but I need one of these, it looks so much more expensive too! xx

  2. Nikki Reply

    We definitely need something like this – we have SO MUCH clutter. It looks really smart!

  3. Christine Jones Reply

    This looks great, I love Kallax units they are so useful! However all that empty surface would not stay empty for long in my house I would for sure find something to put on it!

    • Steph Post Author Reply

      Oh we do find something to fill the empty surface with……..you’re not alone on that one!!

  5. Becky, Cuddle Fairy Reply

    Wow, that turned out so professional looking – I’d never have thought it was flat pack. I bet it makes the world of difference to have that storage too.

  6. Sarah Stockley Reply

    This looks great! I have a small Ikea unit in the entrance way to our flat. We use it for shoes, hats, gloves and scarves and it makes everything look so much neater

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