$68 Renter-Friendly Entryway Drop Zone: The IKEA TRONES Hack
Title: $68 Renter-Friendly Entryway Drop Zone: The IKEA TRONES Hack
My entryway was SAD. Like, aggressively beige, zero personality, "did someone even live here?" sad. Every time we walked in the door, mail, keys, and sunglasses just got dumped onto a stool. So I gave myself $70 and a weekend to build a proper drop zone that looks built-in but is 100% renter-friendly.
Here's the thing: shallow storage is the secret to tiny entryways. If you have a narrow hallway or a door that swings open and blocks space, you can't put a bulky console table there. Enter my favorite IKEA hack.
The Plan
- Turn basic plastic IKEA TRONES shoe cabinets into a custom-looking console table.
- Keep the budget under $70.
- Make it look like a $300 custom piece of furniture.
The Transformation (Step-by-Step)
Mount the IKEA TRONES ($39.99 for a 2-pack)
These cabinets are only 7 inches deep! They mount directly to the wall. Yes, it takes a few screws, but spackle is $4 and patching holes when you move out takes 5 minutes. Renters, don't fear the drill!
Add a Wood Top ($14.50 from Home Depot)
I bought a basic pine project board (1x8) from Home Depot. The TRONES are about 20.5 inches wide each, so side-by-side they are 41 inches. I had the nice guy at Home Depot cut the board down to exactly 41.5 inches for a tiny overhang.
Stain the Top ($6.00 Rust-Oleum from Walmart)
I used a dark walnut stain I picked up at Walmart. Give it two coats, wipe off the excess, and let it dry. (Do this outside or your apartment will smell like a workshop!)
Attach the Top ($7.00 Heavy Duty Mounting Tape)
Instead of drilling into the top of the cabinets, I just used heavy-duty double-sided mounting tape from Target. It holds the wood top perfectly secure.
Style It (Stuff I Already Had)
I added a thrifted mirror above it, a small Dollar Tree faux plant, and a vintage brass bowl for keys.
Budget Breakdown
| Item | Store | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| TRONES cabinets (2-pack) | IKEA | $39.99 |
| Pine project board (1x8) | Home Depot | $14.50 |
| Wood stain | Walmart | $6.00 |
| Heavy-duty mounting tape | Target | $7.00 |
| Styling accessories | Thrifting/Dollar Tree | $0 (already owned) |
| TOTAL | $67.49 |
What I'd Do Differently
Next time, I might splurge on some brass leather pulls ($10 on Amazon) and superglue them to the front of the TRONES to elevate the look even more, but for now, the sleek handle-less design works perfectly.
Before & After
Before: A stool covered in junk mail and Amazon packages.
After: A sleek, dark-wood-topped slim console that hides 4 pairs of shoes and gives us a place to drop our keys. The dark wood against the crisp white cabinets makes it look so high-end!
Total damage: $67.49. Jae's reaction when he got home: "Wait, when did we get custom cabinets?" WE DID NOT. Worth it? ABSOLUTELY.
Try it this weekend — I dare you. What room are you working on? Drop it in the comments.
Happy decorating! And happy thrifting.
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