18 DIY Storage Furniture Ideas for All Your Organizing Needs
Outfit your space with hardworking furniture pieces that double as smart storage solutions. Transform dressers, bookcases, and more into clever organizers for your home. Try one of these ideas for DIY storage furniture to customize your own projects.
DIY Storage Shelves
:Build This A-Frame Ladder Shelf for Stylish DIY Storage
Add organization and display space to your living room with a custom-built ladder shelf. For this DIY storage furniture idea, you'll build two identical ladders and connect them at the top to form an A-frame shape before adding shelves. You can customize the unit with any stain or paint color you like, then use it to store books, plants, decorative accents, and more.
DIY Storage Bench
Stash extra pillows, blankets, or out-of-season clothes at the end of your bed with this DIY storage bench. You can either start with a ready-made wood bench or build one yourself to cover with fabric. The tufted lid lifts up to reveal a fabric-lined storage compartment.
DIY Shelving Unit
Group together inexpensive wood crates to create DIY storage shelves. This clever furniture hack starts with four boxes arranged together (two horizontally and two vertically) to form a square. Stack multiple sets of boxes on top of each other, using a pine board to support the top row of shelves. Using screws, secure the crates together and to the wall through studs to complete this DIY storage furniture idea.
Entryway DIY Storage Ideas
Turn two bookcases into an entryway storage zone that takes up just a sliver of wall space. Hang a pair of bookcases horizontally, one within reaching distance above and the other on the floor below. Attach a cushion to the top of the lower unit to form a bench, and mount hooks in the open space between. Secure the bookcases with wall anchors, and, if desired, install pieces of trim around the edges to reinforce the built-in look.
DIY Bar Storage
Revamp a basic bookcase in this DIY storage furniture idea for all your bar necessities. Cut shelves using 45-degree miter cuts and secure them inside the bookcase at various angles to create spots for wine glasses, serving trays, bottles, and more. Install stemware holders ($17, Bed Bath & Beyond) on the undersides of horizontal shelves and line with adhesive cork to stop items from sliding.
DIY Craft Storage Furniture
This old dresser works as DIY storage furniture in a hobby space with paint and a few modifications. A new top overhangs 12 inches on one side to accommodate seating. Small drawers and boxes replace the top drawers, allowing sewing supplies to be quickly taken elsewhere. A new base in place of the original feet adds a charming silhouette and raises the height. The curvy bottom was cut from medium-density fiberboard (MDF) and painted white to match the furniture casing.
DIY Shoe Storage
Reimagine a cabinet or chest of drawers as a storage and display spot for shoes, purses, and jewelry. Remove the doors and reinstall interior shelves lower to make way for store-bought or custom shoe racks made from dowels. Highlight the drawer fronts with splashy paint color and new hardware. Add hooks outside the DIY storage furniture piece for quick access.
DIY Office Furniture
Transform two sawhorses into a hardworking desk for your home office. Add wood shelves cut to length from reclaimed boards for book and office supply storage on the bottom rungs. For an easy-to-clean work surface, secure a white melamine panel to the top of the sawhorses.
Entryway Storage Furniture
Increase the organizational capacity of your entryway with this DIY storage furniture idea using crates. Two crates surrounded by MDF create a center bench with lower storage. Secure crates to wall studs or use drywall anchors to create modular bookshelf space ready to hold outdoor gear, shoes, and coats.
DIY Gift-Wrapping Station
A bookcase outfitted with dowel rods makes a handy and attractive gift-wrapping and crafts supplies station. Cut 3/4-inch-diameter dowel rods 1/8 inch shorter than the width of the cabinet interior. Support them from the side panels with shoulder hooks to keep wrapping paper and ribbon ready for dispensing and refilling. Use shorter dowels to hold spools of thread, tape dispensers, or gift bags.
DIY Bookcase Mudroom
No dedicated mudroom or back entry? No problem! See how you can use a bookcase to serve the same purpose. Combine this DIY storage furniture idea with hooks and baskets for extra organization.
Furniture Finesse
Give new life to a thrifted cabinet for DIY storage furniture with flea-market style. Keep your wood furniture bare for a rustic look, or paint with a high-gloss finish for a bold statement. Replace glass doors with chicken wire and add antique pulls to boost the piece's vintage look.
DIY Kitchen Island
If you can't find an island to fit your needs, assemble your own! We added false backs to two kitchen carts for this DIY storage idea and then painted them teal. Next, two wine racks and two shoe cubbies are secured together and painted to match, adding compartmentalized storage to the middle. After sandwiching the cubby units between the two carts with the open sides facing out, we added rubber casters and an MDF top with a 1-inch overhang and a sleek faux-concrete finish.
Entertain This Idea
Is that bulky old entertainment center collecting dust? Repurpose it to create handy kitchen storage. Remove the doors and drawer fronts, then sand, prime, and paint the unit. Cut, paint, and mount pegboard to cover the open cabinet back to make storage for pots and pans. Install a rod across the front of the largest cubby for a convenient towel rack.
Use 4-inch PVC pipe to fashion a wine rack. Cut pipes to length, paint, then adhere to the cabinet shelf using construction adhesive. On the ends, mount a handy holder to the side of the cabinet for easy access to kitchen wraps and papers. Apply chalkboard paint on the other end to create a memo board (not shown).
DIY Storage Desk
This clever desk started out as a dresser. The top drawer now extends out to form a desktop surface. Caster wheels attached to the bottom allow this DIY storage furniture to easily move around as needed.
DIY Beverage Station
An ordinary wooden nightstand can become a smart beverage station with a little bit of sanding and a coat of white semi-gloss latex paint. For durability, seal the top with a water-based acrylic sealer. New hardware and bold wallpaper adhered to the back add style. Finally, make your DIY bar cart mobile by adding casters to the legs.
DIY Pet Storage
Pets come with plenty of gear. Keep it organized with a dedicated armoire outfitted as a pet storage station. Stash treats in airtight glass jars with screw-top lids. Attach trays to drawer glides and place large food bins on them for easy access pullout storage. Coat plywood panels with magnetic primer, then cover with chalkboard paint and glue them to the armoire doors to help keep track of pet-related playdates and appointments. Attach magnetic hooks to corral leashes.
DIY Storage Table
Easily build this fabulous DIY storage coffee table from affordable MDF. Four divided sections provide storage and display space that's easy to switch up as needed. Round sections provide a tabletop surface and a base for attaching wheels below.
