IKEA KALLAX SHELF TURNED BREAKFAST NOOK BENCH!

Today I am turning an Ikea Kallax shelf into a breakfast nook bench! I'll show you how I did it, as well as the process of finding the shelves on Facebook Marketplace, finding the fabric, the foam, and assembling everything to turn a totally dead space in my apartment into a cute little breakfast nook. Next week will be my full apartment tour so make sure you subscribe and turn on notifications so you don't miss it!
Ikea is home to some amazing products, many of which I have in my own apartment. They are so functional and versatile, but most of them are also totally customizable as well. I love Ikea for that very reason. That's why I wanted to see if I could transform two of their most popular items (the Kallax shelves) into benches for my breakfast nook. It wasn't smooth sailing the whole way, so I'll also show you some of the problems I ran into in case you are interested in doing this project as well. I'm really happy with how my breakfast nook turned out and I'm glad I was able to turn a totally dead space in my apartment into a useful storage solution.
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Claudia Carlucci
How Do You Home
Chicago Real Estate

[@stevepower1372]

You did a great job there, Claudia. Nice that you still get the storage benefits of the bookcases while using it as seating.

[@isabelmejia2431]

I REALLY luv what u did to d space .....it's like a modern "bay window"......d natural light is gorgeous and it looks SO comfy🤗Congrats❣

[@daisyzavala2457]

This looks so good!!

[@Hairitage2023]

Great job!! It’s beautiful 😍

[@hetheringtonfamily8798]

Looks great 😊 and I do love that pattern on the chairs

[@claudiacarlucci_]

Thank you! 😊

[@hayleytownsend9705]

L❤️veeeeeeeeeee!!! I want to do this.. Thank you for sharing 👌🏻 looked gorgeous ❤️

[@NewLevelAuto]

Fantastic! Gave me some ideas 💡

[@claudiacarlucci_]

Awesome, thank you!

[@droose5158]

Looks great I just made one myself out of lumber and trim but yours seems like it's easier and cheaper always nice to see people share DIY

[@claudiacarlucci_]

Awesome! When I did this lumber was hard to come by 😂

[@droose5158]

@@claudiacarlucci_ yeah well the lumber has gotten pretty expensive atm along with the prices on everything else so I really liked your video as another way to do it other than the way I ended up doing mine because mine was still a pretty penny

[@agneslawrence2967]

Love love love your breakfast nook 😊

[@agneslawrence2967]

Is the height of table and kallax seat good height when seated Is it slightly high ?

[@claudiacarlucci_]

the table is slightly high. my plan was always to get new legs for the table!

[@Simphome]

Tbh for the first attempt, it looks great!! I mean it's good start to do more.. I'm sure you can do it!!

[@claudiacarlucci_]

Thank you! This was my first attempt at doing anything like this and I definitely learned a lot 😊

[@Ka-kz2gu]

Very cute

[@rachelbaron7722]

I love this is a cheap diy hack, but worried about the weight capacity if I get 3 or 4 people on it. How did you figure out how much it could hold?

[@user-sw5tl9xg7p]

Majority of ikea shelf cabinet etc are made from honeycomb paper

[@borntoshop]

Good work,it’s helps me

[@olgaarca6423]

I love it 😍

[@claudiacarlucci_]

Thanks Olga!

[@tonya0902tj]

Your space looks great

[@claudiacarlucci_]

Thank you Tonya!

[@LaMar7275]

It looks great! I personally, am not a fan of the table...the benches look great!...and I really like the pattern, you chose! Thanks for this tutorial!

[@claudiacarlucci_]

I'm also not a fan of the table haha. It's just what I could find at the time but thank you!!

[@claudiacarlucci_]

This was my first major home DIY project and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out (despite some hiccups!). Have you done any DIY projects to your home in the past year?

[@kaylabush808]

Have you had any problems with the weight? Or like it feeling sturdy enough for Multiple people on it!

[@EKimatH]

So, how stable is the build? Can you sit comfortably on it?

[@garimabahadur7759]

excellent job

[@claudiacarlucci_]

Thank you very much!

[@aletarossi-thomas8757]

The bench and the pillow look great. The table might be better with darker legs to go with the color of the bench, I know you said you bought it because it matches the kitchen cabinets, but maybe just painting the legs another color to bring the two ( cabinets and bench ) together..distressed grey ? Anyway, Great job !

[@Kasino80]

I hear ya on the foam. I made a pallet couch, before I had the foam...so for now I'm using cushions for pallet couches, but they are designed and meant for outdoor use. They're not super comfortable, but gets the job done...for now.

[@kathyreed5062]

Kool. What's the purpose for the plywood?

[@Sabrinaafc]

Hi! I came across your video and I wanted to DIY a project like this for my dining area in my apartment and was wondering if it's strong enough to sit on for a long period of time or was it sturdy enough for people to sit on? I would love to know. Awesome video by the way!

[@claudiacarlucci_]

I honestly haven't tested it out with multiple people so I'm not sure. I mostly just sit on it to quickly eat, put on or take off shoes, or do a quick art project!

[@Sabrinaafc]

@@claudiacarlucci_ thank you so much for replying back!

[@candacewalsh8726]

Great job! It’s coming together. Love the fabric ❣️ I would - Get new legs or shorten existing paint them black do a white wash on the table top - Bam!

[@c.p6469]

Wondering if it survived ? As it’s now 2 years old. Im ready to use one myself for a similar solution THANKYOU

[@anaiscampos4362]

love the realistic point of view. I have been thinking about making a breakfast nook for my small dinning area.

[@wilsaaugustin7552]

Hi! I love the video! I am in the process of building my own breakfast nook now. Do you know what the thickness of the plywood was?

[@claudiacarlucci_]

i believe it was 1/2 inch!

[@Kasino80]

Question: how's the integrity of the corner where you cut the book case?

[@maliniramesh3628]

How many people can it hold? Is the ikea bench flimsy?

[@CellarDoorPoet]

I think the table is fine, it’s just got an awkward height compared to the bench. Maybe if you cut off a bit of the table legs it would be a better fit.

[@claudiacarlucci_]

Yeah, the more we've lived with it, the height is kind of off! But since we don't use it so much it has worked out fine :)

[@YouTooCanDo]

Only layed down book shelf plus foam and batting could do the trick...

[@ILIGUT]

👍🏼

[@evanielsen9438]

If the kallax is hollow is it strong enough to sit on?

[@claudiacarlucci_]

It's been strong enough for me to sit on, but I will say I haven't had multiple people sit on it at once so I can't be sure! It feels very sturdy though.

[@Ka-kz2gu]

A 3 inch foam mattress would have been cheaper

[@noneya5824]

I got to ask did you end up on the floor? I mean it's a shelf unit and not really supposed to be a bench

[@oceanraindy]

Have you checked the weight capacity???? I don't recommend you to sit on these for too long without reinforce the bottom

[@claudiacarlucci_]

Yes definitely don't recommend it being sat on for too long. We mostly use it now to just put on our shoes :)

[@abbesdimiri8839]

Everyone have to read coran