IKEA MAXIMERA DRAWER HACK | DRAWER COMBINATION YOU NEVER KNEW WAS POSSIBLE! IKEA SAID THIS WONT WORK

How to install two hidden and one Medium Maximera Drawers into a single High Drawer Front. This way, I can maximize my drawer space with little wasted space. This is one of my favorite DIY Ikea Hacks to date! I was told by Ikea that this combination wouldn't be possible, even though I had seen it years ago in one of their magazine ads. After much trial and error, we want to show you what you need to do, to get this to work for you. As well as some of the first mistakes we made while trying this out. If you have any questions, be sure to comment below.
00:00 - Intro
00:31 - IKEA MAXIMERA MEDIUM DRAWER WITH TWO HIDDEN DRAWERS
00:39 - How to install Ikea Maximera Hidden Drawers
00:55 - Ikea Hack That Allows you to have Two Hidden Drawer
02:11 - IKEA MAXIMERA DRAWER TROUBLE SHOOTING TIPS
02:48 - OUTRO
02:58 - GOOFY
Links:
Ikea Sektion Cabinet Boxes - www.ikea.com/us/en/p/sektion-...
Ikea Maximera Low Drawers - www.ikea.com/us/en/p/maximera...
Ikea Utrusta Hidden Low Drawer Front - www.ikea.com/us/en/p/utrusta-...
Ikea Maximera Medium Drawer - www.ikea.com/us/en/p/maximera...
Ikea Veddinge Drawer Front High - www.ikea.com/us/en/p/veddinge...
Ikea Billsbro Drawer Pull - www.ikea.com/us/en/p/billsbro...
Ikea Ekbacken Countertop White/gray laminate - www.ikea.com/us/en/p/ekbacken...
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[@TheSimpleHaus]

Have you done any Ikea Kitchen Hacks? This is my favorite to date, but would love to hear some of yours!

[@toenil]

Thanks ! Your troubleshooting section is gold !

[@TheSimpleHaus]

I'm so glad! Thanks for watching.

[@sighheinrich]

Thank you. This is premium KZbin video quality! Straight to the point! 10/10

[@TheSimpleHaus]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@seanbyrne902]

Worked a treat …. Many thanks

[@TheSimpleHaus]

I'm so glad to hear that!

[@NonieDeLong]

This is so helpful! Saved me all the same mistakes! Thanks!

[@TheSimpleHaus]

I'm so glad it helped! Thanks for watching!

[@shannonreese1534]

Literally saved my day because I could not sort out how to get the hidden door flush!

[@TheSimpleHaus]

Oh I'm so glad!!!! Good luck with the rest of your project!

[@adnerbharley]

Thank you, that’s cool 👍

[@TheSimpleHaus]

Sure thing! Thanks for watching!

[@danielafilipa303]

Thank you so much for the tip of removing the white plastic thing. I didn’t follow the hack but i had just install my indrawer and didn’t went all the way and I was going nuts!!!! Have a wonderful day

[@TheSimpleHaus]

I'm so glad it helped you! My husband was on the verge of mental breakdown until we figured this out. 😂Thanks for watching!

[@manikdesign]

I was about to smash my whole kitchen with a sledgehammer until I found this video. Thankyou

[@madcow7002]

its the exact solution i was looking for!!! THANKS!

[@TheSimpleHaus]

Oh, I'm so glad!! Thanks for watching!

[@madcow7002]

@@TheSimpleHaus just to confirm, you used a medium height drawer with the drawer front.. Correct?

[@TheSimpleHaus]

@@madcow7002 I used a medium height maxierma, and a High drawer front (we have the veddinge style.) Let me know if you have any other questions.

[@TheFakeyCakeMaker]

Thank you so much for this because I'm planning to put drawers in a cupboard but wasn't sure if it would work. I am also so thankful for the links you put in the description because I honestly didn't know what the drawer fronts were, would have been helpful if you said in the video or let us know that you had put the links in the description because you did a good job there and people should certainly check them out. Richest regards and Grüßen aus Deutschland. 🙂

[@TheSimpleHaus]

I'm so glad this was helpful to you, and I'm so glad the links helped. You are 100% right, I should definitely call this out in the video. I will make sure to do it right next time. Thanks for watching! Ich bin so froh, dass Ihnen das geholfen hat, und dass die Links geholfen haben. Sie haben 100 % Recht, das sollte ich unbedingt im Video erwähnen. Ich werde beim nächsten Mal darauf achten, es richtig zu machen. Danke fürs zuschauen!

[@newcreationcoachingllc6491]

Saving this. I am "hacking" my current kitchen base cabinets on one of them and the idea is similar. I want to use IKEA drawers and this is very helpful even though I will not be working from a predrilled base. Thank you. :) Angela

[@TheSimpleHaus]

I hope it works well for you. Report back to let us know how it went. I have been looking for a jig that one can use to drill the hole spacing exactly like Ikea sektion cabinets so that one could retrofit easier.

[@newcreationcoachingllc6491]

YES, a jig would be great.@@TheSimpleHaus

[@bonkosokhona7491]

Thanks u so much. 🇨🇵🇨🇵 Sans votre vidéo je n'aurais pas compris que je devais enlever le cache blanc pour le tiroir. Tu m'as sauvé

[@TheSimpleHaus]

You are so welcome! I am so glad that you were able to get it to work, thanks for watching!!!

[@newcreationcoachingllc6491]

I have a low drawer with a 10" front with a hidden low drawer in it on a floating Sektion 24" W x 20" T 15" D (two 10" face drawers... they also told me it wouldn't work. I thought I would give a try. It's a coffee/tea bar and the two shallow spaces are where I store all the tea packets and accessories. I am not fully functional in my kitchen yet, but it's my favorite space. The drawers are their selling point.... just study and judge with your own needs and judgement. But also know that some things with IKEA aren't easy peasy in my opinion. :) Angela

[@TheSimpleHaus]

Thanks so much for sharing! I totally agree, some things are sooo amazing with Ikea as far as customization goes, but then some things are WAY too hard. 😆

[@dayquil11]

Thank you for the helpful video (which I found through Reddit). I'm looking to do something similar except I would like to have one Medium hidden drawer in lieu of the two Low hidden shown in your video. I wasn't sure if the Medium hidden would fit as I couldn't find any example of that drawer combination on IKEA's website or in the instructions, but now I see it might work.

[@TheSimpleHaus]

Thanks for commenting. We took some measurements, and with a high drawer and high drawer front in a US sektion cabinet, we are pretty sure that a medium hidden drawer won't fit. In an Ikea Metod international one, I think it would work. See this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJPFhWaLgquUo80 their cabinets are 80cm tall and ours are 30 inches tall so they have an extra 1.5 inches that we are missing. If you however have a medium drawer with a high front and want to add a hidden medium drawer we are pretty sure that it will fit as the hidden drawer front for a medium is 6.5" tall. We took a super quick video to show the two if you want to see that I can definitely post it. Good luck!!

[@TheSimpleHaus]

@dayquil11 I just made a short trying to show what I meant in my first comment. I hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions. kzbin.infoTUzLEGIW4wI?feature=share

[@sonyan3504]

I have been trying to figure out if I could do this with two low maximera drawers and was so happy to find your video. As to my hack... I am actually looking to take the existing 18" door and attach it to a maximera high drawer (at the bottom) which they have in a display at the store here however instructions are lacking, so will go back and take photos on how its attached. This way the door would pull out the maximera high drawer (for my taller trays) and then I can use the two low drawers for other items.

[@TheSimpleHaus]

@sonyan3504 I am so glad this video was helpful! I actually have an ikea high drawer with a full sized 18" door which holds our trash can and recycling can. We love it. I have one hidden drawer in it, but there is room for at least 2 hidden drawers or even a medium in there as well if we are talking about the same thing. ;) It does put more strain at the bottom, but I can do a short if that would be helpful. We plan to add an electric push opener from ikea which are pricey, (www.ikea.com/us/en/p/utrusta-push-opener-electrical-30238703/) but will keep it from pulling on the door if that makes sense.

[@sonyan3504]

@@TheSimpleHaus Thanks for replying! I think I get it, however a short video is also helpful.

[@TheSimpleHaus]

@@sonyan3504 I will work on that.

[@terinairwin3908]

My hacks: IKEA says you cannot fit new Utrusta basket drawers inside the old AKURUM cabinets (series before SEKTION), but I proved them wrong. I had 24" x 24" AKURUM pantry cabinets, and figured out if you install the drawer runners, but leave out the flat plastic spacer insert, the basket drawers will fit. Just make sure the screws are in flush so they don't interfere with the basket sliding. Also, I installed two 24" x 24" IKEA MAXIMERA drawers in a different brand cabinet by adding those spacers I had leftover from the basket drawer runners, which made it fit perfectly. I had to drill my own holes for the drawer runners. I then removed the hinges from the cabinet and doors, screwed the two existing cabinet doors together with a flat metal plate, screwed that onto the drawer front, and made it into a pullout. It looks like two doors but when you grab the handle, it pulls out. The bottom holds frying pans and cutting boards vertically, and inside at the top is a hidden drawer for spices. :)

[@TheSimpleHaus]

Wow that is amazing! It is just so satisfying when something like that works out. Thank you soo much for sharing!

[@MrKapitalex]

This is great! I am wondering though, do you know if the LED light strips will still fit using this combination?

[@TheSimpleHaus]

Sorry for the late response, I watched this video around the kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJuYXqt3aplsrdE 2:50 mark it shows how to install the drawer lighting. I think the top light with the hidden drawer might work barley fit. The lower two hidden and medium drawer, I don't think there is enough space. I will try and add a few lights to my next ikea order to try it out. Thanks for watching!

[@MrKapitalex]

@@TheSimpleHaus awesome, thanks a lot! I’ll check it out.

[@sandracaballero7598]

Thank you was wanting to add an extra drawer.

[@TheSimpleHaus]

I’m so glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@pipefitterwithguns8688]

can you add the maxima lower to a base cabinet? I cant figure how to do that on kitchen planner.

[@TheSimpleHaus]

So in the planner, you select the cabinet that you want. Then click the "modify" pencil button on the top left. In that menu, scroll all the way to the bottom and click the blue "customize" button. Then a pop up will show, and you click the blue "Modify" button. Then click the blue "add something" button. Then select a hidden drawer, and it should jump into the right spot. It gives less options that more drawers are already in the cabinet. You can click on each item and delete it, and then proceed to add what you are needing/wanting in the cabinet to make some cool Customization. If you need more help, please let me know. I can make a quick video or short about that.

[@pipefitterwithguns8688]

Ok I’ll try it this way. I was doing it a bit differently but I know exactly what you’re talking about. This is driving me nuts I need to complete this already so I can order these install It and put unit out for rent. I went to ikea yesterday logging in to planner these guys are knuckle heads. I corrected there error several times when they were trying to maneuver base cabinets and modify they don’t know what they are doing and they keep answering my questions no no you can’t do that etc.. Thanks

[@TheSimpleHaus]

@@pipefitterwithguns8688 I do agree it is very hit or miss on the kitchen specialists. Some I get are AMAZING some aren't. I just over plan everything. A few times I just told them, I know the planner doesn't let me, but I want you add 2 extra hidden drawers to my order etc. They thought I was crazy, but did it. I always order a few extra things I might need, and then not open them if they are extra and return them later. I just hate trying to finish something, and I'm missing one item. Good Luck!

[@mariaorlando3903]

thank you for the video!! are all of your cabinets from ikea or jus that one you did? i'm looking to redo my kitchen with ikea cabinets but need to know if they are worth it..thank you :)

[@TheSimpleHaus]

Thanks for watching my video. This might be a long answer, but we have our original kitchen which is build from solid wood from the 60s. However, nothing can be changed because all of the cabinets were built together, so we can't raise our upper cabinets since they are way lower than is standard today. If it was a bit more flexible we would build custom doors and add drawers to our current set up then add a few cabinets that are missing. Our kitchen had a big empty space in the middle for an eat in kitchen. We decided to build a large island with bar seating to add more cabinets and breakfast seating. We looked into building our own cabinets, but I knew I wanted the Blum drawer hardware, and if you get the Ikea Maximera drawers they come standard with it. (You can buy the slides from Blum separately, but they are the cost of a whole drawer from Ikea, so for us it was a no brainer.) My husband wasn't a fan of the idea of having particle board cabinets. So we decided to build the island from Ikea cabinets and live with it for a few years to see how they really hold up before we do the rest of our remodel. I think what sold my husband was how fast they can be built, and how easily you can adjust things like drawer fronts from side to side, etc. so the gaping can be perfect. My husband has built a dresser, and little things like that were soo much more difficult when doing it yourself. We did beef up the island cabinets a bit because they wouldn't be secured to a wall to make sure they were extra sturdy, and I will do a video about that coming up. After 3 years, we still LOVE our cabinets. The drawers are amazing, and we have had zero issues with those. We chose the Veddinge drawer fronts which aren't real wood, but we felt had the best seam location so if they get water on them, it wouldn't be able to damage the veneer. I have two spots on the fronts where I accidentally slammed them into something, and there are two small dings in the veneer. I can easily cover it with paint, but haven't yet. Ikea does offer Real wood fronts or people use Semihandmade fronts which we have considered for a later time. This newer row of cabinets shown in this video, was to replace a cabinet that wasn't original to our kitchen, but we are 100% happy with Ikea and plan to use it for the rest of our kitchen at a later point. We just bought cabinets for this area that we can move and reuse once we switch out to our final kitchen layout. This time we tried their toe kick board and their adjustable feet, and we still haven't decided if we will go that route or build our own 2x4 base like we did with the island in the final kitchen. Sorry this is so long, let me know if you have any other questions!

[@mariaorlando3903]

@@TheSimpleHaus Thank you so much for your quick response and detailed one!! lol you should definitely do another video of the rest of the stuff you mentioned since you guys are so good at explaining things..thank you again and i am definitely going to give Ikea cabinets a try...stay awesome and thanks again for the quick response!!!

[@TheSimpleHaus]

sure thing, and we definitely will. There is just too much to explain in the comments. :) Have a great day.

[@alski259]

The support bars which holds the large drawer front is lower in your case to allow the second drawer. In my case those bars - or rods are higher which won’t work for me

[@TheSimpleHaus]

So you have a high drawer on the bottom instead of a medium drawer either can have the high drawer front attached to it.

[@alski259]

@@TheSimpleHaus I have high drawers upper and lower. The end panel at the back of the drawer has the bars attached

[@TheSimpleHaus]

@@alski259 Yes, I changed out the top high drawer for a medium and attached the same drawer front if you want the option I show to work.

[@alski259]

@@TheSimpleHaus Ok. So if I read you correctly: replacing the high drawer with a medium yet keeping the front that was on the high drawer?

[@TheSimpleHaus]

@@alski259 Yes exactly right!

[@kassiejoy764]

On the medium drawer did you use a bigger drawer front. I am trying to put one 10cm concealed drawer at top behind a 20cm drawer front but will have to use a low drawer with the 20cm door front. Which means no support bars. It doesn't feel secure.

[@kassiejoy764]

Amazing vid. I am a ikea hacker as well.

[@TheSimpleHaus]

@kassiejoy764 In what I am showing in the video, I used the medium drawer with the 40cm equivalent door front, and I put two hidden 10 cm drawers inside. For what I think you are describing, I think you can for sure do two small hidden drawers with the 20cm drawer front on one of them, and the hidden front on the exterior drawer. At the very end of this video you can see it with Metod cabinets. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJWaiYx7idhll68 If you are trying to combine a medium with a hidden drawer, I'm not sure, but I might have time to switch around a few drawers today, and hopefully give you an answer.

[@TheSimpleHaus]

@@kassiejoy764 Thank you so much!!!! I think I need to do a few more videos about drawers because there are sooo many different variations that people want to try. Happy Holidays!

[@venetianstudios5171]

Hi! I just put together a Maximera 18" wide cabinet with one MEDIUM 18"x 10" drawer and one door (with 2 shelves on the inside). Kind of kicking myself now for not getting TWO small drawers (like your hidden drawers) instead of the medium drawer. I'm wondering if you think I could put a single hidden drawer in the same top position of your top hidden drawer installed the same way? That way when I open the 10" high medium drawer, there's a 5" high hidden drawer inside that gives me more room. I'm wondering if I would have to remove the top "rails" of the medium drawer to make room for the hidden drawer slides? Also, I notice that your recessed drawer fronts go right inside the cabinet. Did you have to get a narrower drawer front? I'm assuming the 18" x 5" drawer front would rest against the frame of the cabinet when closed so I'm not sure how the got the drawer to recess inside the cabinet with the front on. I hope that made sense, lol! Thanks so much

[@TheSimpleHaus]

Hey! I am 99% sure that this is possible after looking at the Ikea MAXIMERA instruction manual. However, I have a spot where I can try it in my kitchen. Give me a few days, and I will try to throw together a SUPER short video or Short that shows it, if it is possible! I plan to do an ikea drawer guide showing what is possible and what isn't, but there are so many videos I'm working on in my non existent spare time. ;p So I will try to get this done soon! Thanks for watching!!

[@venetianstudios5171]

@@TheSimpleHaus Thank you so much! Not to worry, I ended up returning the drawer bottom with the side rails for a drawer bottom with the low sides and back and then I was able to get the hidden drawer in. It MAY have worked the other way with the side rails off, but I was having trouble getting them back off after installing them. Sigh. Oh well, it all worked out in the end! Thanks so much again! These are GREAT videos and super helpful!!

[@TheSimpleHaus]

@@venetianstudios5171 I wanted to address your question if someone else came later with this same question, and after really digging deeper I really do think you could make it work if you had kept the medium drawer with a hidden low drawer. The low Utrusta drawer front made for the hidden drawers is 3 7/8" tall, and would JUST fit. I'm do not think the drawer front would have to be switched like it did in this tutorial, but as a last resort it could be. I will say that the Ikea Planner doesn't let you add a hidden drawer into a medium drawer, but I do think it is possible. If you look at the Medium Drawer Installation Guide on page 3 you can see your exact layout you were describing, and they show which holes to use for the Medium Drawer with a hidden drawer. Have a great day! www.ikea.com/us/en/assembly_instructions/maximera-drawer-medium-white__AA-1010997-1-2.pdf

[@venetianstudios5171]

@@TheSimpleHaus Hi! Super nice of you to have given this so much thought! I wish I could post of pic here of what I ended up doing. It was a few months ago now. but I *think* I may have done what you described...I kept the medium drawer, which now that I measure it, is exactly 9 and 3/4" by 18" and installed a hidden 4" x 16 1/4" (exact measurements) drawer. The hidden drawer is recessed as per the instructions you linked. I'll message you a photo if I'm able. Thanks again! Great minds think alike, lol!

[@TheSimpleHaus]

@@venetianstudios5171 I'm so glad to hear it worked!! It is a bummer that they don't let us reply with photos!!

[@Thistle10733]

Can you explained how to adjust the ikea drawer please

[@TheSimpleHaus]

I can definitely make a video on this in the future, but just so you don't have to wait, I found this video online. We used his youtube channel a lot when we built the Ikea kitchen island in our space. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWbFnKmsatBrjMk I hope this helps!If there is still confusion, ask away. ♥

[@Thistle10733]

@@TheSimpleHaus Thank you so much, that video is very helpful, I’ve watched other before and gentleman who showed how to adjust the draw actually covered things with his hand😰. I also would love to ask about corner unit folding door (we have only drawers on the bottom part but one is a door). I couldn’t make it look good. If you can show how I can fix it, it will be so much appreciated. Thank you again for your kindness 🥹

[@TheSimpleHaus]

@@Thistle10733 I am trying to find a good video for that. Unfortunately, I don't have any corner drawers right now to try it myself. In this video, if you go to the 42 minute mark, he shows how to adjust the normal door hinges which might help you as well. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oYi9na2Ve7l-a80

[@Thistle10733]

@@TheSimpleHaus Thank you for trying🥹

[@TheSimpleHaus]

@@Thistle10733 I watched a few more videos, and it seems that the corner door hinges are the same as the normal door hinges. So, the last video I sent you, should be the same adjustment method. Good Luck!

[@chriswhite5665]

This may not be an approved Ikea method because they want the high drawer fronts to be connected to the drawer at a higher point than the medium drawer frame allows. The extra torque on the bolts from pulling on a handle at the top of the high front when it's that far above the upper fixing may not pass their fatigue tests. However, I'm sure in practice you'll have many years of trouble-free use.

[@TheSimpleHaus]

You are right it puts more torque on it, however, Ikea has this method of attachment on an even taller full sized drawer front for their trash can drawer units. We have that as well in our island, and there I can really see it strain it puts on the drawer. We have purchased the electric push opener they sell to combat that for the future. However, with this smaller drawer, I'm not sure if we will ever notice much of a difference over time. Thanks for the different perspective!

[@NancyLaface-gc7sq]

what are the drawers called so i can purchase

[@TheSimpleHaus]

These are the drawers that I used in the video. One medium drawer with two hidden drawers. Then two hidden drawer fronts and one tall drawer front to cover them all. Ikea Maximera Low Drawers - www.ikea.com/us/en/p/maximera... Ikea Utrusta Hidden Low Drawer Front - www.ikea.com/us/en/p/utrusta-... Ikea Maximera Medium Drawer - www.ikea.com/us/en/p/maximera...

[@mountainviewvintage386]

You say eeekea funny😂

[@TheSimpleHaus]

I know in the USA it sound strange to say it that way, but that is the correct way. Not sure why they changed the way it is pronounced for the USA commercials, etc. 🤷‍♀️ I have had a few employees say, ohh you say it right! when shopping there 🤪😂

[@dpav7994]

why put drawers inside drawers in the first place? just put 3 drawers to begin with. Now every time you want something from the top, you have to open the big one, then the little one, then close the little one and the big one

[@TheSimpleHaus]

I do see your point on this. I prefer the look of less drawers in the kitchen which is obviously an opinion not because it functions better. It is also cheaper to get one larger drawer front than three smaller ones, but that isn't a huge reason either. I think the main reason for me was that the main drawer that gets opened or the lowest one stores the things I get to the most. The other two hidden drawers house things I don't get to very often so it is nice because my items are neatly stored, I know where everything is, but not taking up prime real estate it that makes sense.

[@saimaddu]

So that the drawer fronts look uniform from outside. Or if you want to install a low hidden drawer at later point inside your bigger one. I am exactly thinking of installing one now. Hope that helps!

[@solovantravel]

It's pronounced I-kee-uh

[@TheSimpleHaus]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oIivhKiMftKXoacsi=U62fRFznjsnYP3uR That is the USA/UK way to pronounce it, the Swedish/European way is how I say it. Thanks for watching!