ᐅ How can IKEA Hemnes furniture be modified to create additional storage space?
Created on: 11 May 2018 10:23
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FagumeHello everyone,
I am planning a larger project and want to modify my IKEA Hemnes furniture series to significantly increase storage space. Specifically, I am focusing on the Hemnes dressers and cabinets, which I would like to make more functional without losing their style. The challenge for me is to alter the existing structure in a way that creates extra drawers, shelves, or even hidden compartments to better utilize the available space.
Does anyone know of proven modification methods or tips on how to dismantle fixed parts and rearrange them? Suggestions on suitable materials for reinforcements or fastenings would also be very helpful. I am especially interested in whether mechanisms like drawer slides can be integrated cleverly without making the furniture unstable.
I look forward to your ideas and experiences.
I am planning a larger project and want to modify my IKEA Hemnes furniture series to significantly increase storage space. Specifically, I am focusing on the Hemnes dressers and cabinets, which I would like to make more functional without losing their style. The challenge for me is to alter the existing structure in a way that creates extra drawers, shelves, or even hidden compartments to better utilize the available space.
Does anyone know of proven modification methods or tips on how to dismantle fixed parts and rearrange them? Suggestions on suitable materials for reinforcements or fastenings would also be very helpful. I am especially interested in whether mechanisms like drawer slides can be integrated cleverly without making the furniture unstable.
I look forward to your ideas and experiences.
Hello Fagume,
Regarding your topic “How can IKEA Hemnes furniture be modified for more storage space?”, I can offer a few practical tips.
First of all, I recommend measuring the furniture thoroughly and creating a detailed plan of which areas you want to modify. Typically, Hemnes dressers can be easily expanded with additional shelves. For this, you can cut simple plywood boards to the appropriate thickness and secure them with brackets or special shelf supports.
This is exactly where you should ensure that the stability is not compromised. Especially for new drawers, I would recommend using sturdy runners, preferably full-extension slides that can be mounted using a row of holes on the side panels. Hemnes furniture is usually made of solid wood or MDF, which is quite workable.
Another tip: When increasing storage space, it makes sense to remove the back panel and replace it with thinner plywood panels. This saves space and allows you to better adjust the side panels.
In summary, you can
- add shelves,
- integrate new drawers with high-quality full-extension slides,
- maximize the interior depth by using thinner materials,
- create hidden compartments, for example behind an extra drawer or in the base of the furniture.
However, always keep an eye on the structural load capacity. If you have specific measurements, I’d be happy to help with the planning.
Regarding your topic “How can IKEA Hemnes furniture be modified for more storage space?”, I can offer a few practical tips.
First of all, I recommend measuring the furniture thoroughly and creating a detailed plan of which areas you want to modify. Typically, Hemnes dressers can be easily expanded with additional shelves. For this, you can cut simple plywood boards to the appropriate thickness and secure them with brackets or special shelf supports.
Fagume schrieb:
The challenge for me is to change the existing structure so that additional drawers, shelves, or even hidden compartments can be created
This is exactly where you should ensure that the stability is not compromised. Especially for new drawers, I would recommend using sturdy runners, preferably full-extension slides that can be mounted using a row of holes on the side panels. Hemnes furniture is usually made of solid wood or MDF, which is quite workable.
Another tip: When increasing storage space, it makes sense to remove the back panel and replace it with thinner plywood panels. This saves space and allows you to better adjust the side panels.
In summary, you can
- add shelves,
- integrate new drawers with high-quality full-extension slides,
- maximize the interior depth by using thinner materials,
- create hidden compartments, for example behind an extra drawer or in the base of the furniture.
However, always keep an eye on the structural load capacity. If you have specific measurements, I’d be happy to help with the planning.
Hey Fagume and fellow members,
I find this topic really interesting because Hemnes is already very well-designed, but you can never have too much storage. 🙂
That’s really clever—I’ve tried something similar with a dresser. If you also divide the drawers with custom-made inserts, you can use the space even more efficiently.
Another idea I like to implement: you can remove the top panel of a dresser and replace it with a custom-made cover featuring small compartments, hooks, or even hidden flaps for keys, mail, etc. It looks neat and helps keep things organized.
Also, a small hack: add casters underneath so you can easily move the furniture when you need to reach hard-to-access areas.
Looking forward to seeing what other creative ideas come up here!
I find this topic really interesting because Hemnes is already very well-designed, but you can never have too much storage. 🙂
fugolo schrieb:
Another tip: When increasing storage space, it makes sense to remove the back panel and replace it with thinner plywood panels. This saves space and allows better adjustment of the side parts.
That’s really clever—I’ve tried something similar with a dresser. If you also divide the drawers with custom-made inserts, you can use the space even more efficiently.
Another idea I like to implement: you can remove the top panel of a dresser and replace it with a custom-made cover featuring small compartments, hooks, or even hidden flaps for keys, mail, etc. It looks neat and helps keep things organized.
Also, a small hack: add casters underneath so you can easily move the furniture when you need to reach hard-to-access areas.
Looking forward to seeing what other creative ideas come up here!
Hello everyone,
to directly address Fagume’s question: “How can IKEA Hemnes furniture be modified for more storage space?” – the most important step is to carefully examine the existing construction.
If you largely keep the solid wood side panels of the Hemnes furniture, you can still gain a lot by reorganizing the interior. Using adjustable shelving systems made of wood or metal, which you can install inside, is recommended to make better use of the height. Especially in tall cabinets, you can add more shelves this way.
Another important aspect is the drawer slides: it’s worth choosing high-quality runners that match the material to avoid sticking and ensure high load capacity. The side panels of Hemnes furniture often don’t have pre-drilled holes for shelving systems, so it can help to drill these yourself or secure shelves using appropriate brackets and screws.
If the furniture is significantly deepened, be sure to consider the stabilizing effect of the back panel. You can replace it with a thinner but still stable board, but removing it entirely is not advisable, as it will otherwise become unstable.
Finally, my tip: consider using additional modular units, like box-shaped inserts, that you can simply place on or next to the Hemnes furniture. This keeps the basic structure intact while increasing flexibility.
I’m happy to answer questions about material choices or mounting techniques in detail.
to directly address Fagume’s question: “How can IKEA Hemnes furniture be modified for more storage space?” – the most important step is to carefully examine the existing construction.
If you largely keep the solid wood side panels of the Hemnes furniture, you can still gain a lot by reorganizing the interior. Using adjustable shelving systems made of wood or metal, which you can install inside, is recommended to make better use of the height. Especially in tall cabinets, you can add more shelves this way.
Another important aspect is the drawer slides: it’s worth choosing high-quality runners that match the material to avoid sticking and ensure high load capacity. The side panels of Hemnes furniture often don’t have pre-drilled holes for shelving systems, so it can help to drill these yourself or secure shelves using appropriate brackets and screws.
If the furniture is significantly deepened, be sure to consider the stabilizing effect of the back panel. You can replace it with a thinner but still stable board, but removing it entirely is not advisable, as it will otherwise become unstable.
Finally, my tip: consider using additional modular units, like box-shaped inserts, that you can simply place on or next to the Hemnes furniture. This keeps the basic structure intact while increasing flexibility.
I’m happy to answer questions about material choices or mounting techniques in detail.
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