How Ikea Bestå Cabinets Gave Us Major Storage—and a Cleaner Look

Downsizing from 3,200 to 1,400 square feet made storage a top priority. A few weeks ago we installed two major upgrades that dramatically increased our usable space: four Ikea Bestå cabinet boxes that add roughly eight large cabinet-sized compartments to the house. They arrived flat-packed after a short wait, and having them assembled and installed was a surprisingly joyful moment—especially when you realize our kitchen alone only has seven cabinets.

The impact on storage has been enormous. It’s almost like adding a closet in rooms that didn’t have one, but in a way that feels flexible and furniture-like rather than built-in. We put two of the cabinets together to create a nearly eight-foot glossy white console in our upstairs family room, and the other two sit on either side of the bedroom fireplace.

Previously, the family room had a small console table under the TV with fabric baskets for board games. Those baskets wrangled everything, but rooting through stacked items was annoying—especially when the game you wanted was at the bottom. Shelving makes games visible and easy to pull out, and now every photo album, photobook, and keepsake has a proper home on the new console.

Although we’ve shopped at Ikea for years, this was our first time using the Bestå line, which is geared toward media storage and modular configurations. We chose the 47″ cabinet boxes because their standard dimensions fit our spaces almost perfectly. Each cabinet contains two compartments that accept adjustable shelves, doors, legs, and optional countertops, so the system is flexible for different rooms and storage needs.

We ordered four 47″ Bestå frames—two for the family room and two for the bedroom—and connected two frames side-by-side to form the long console. Ikea supplies the necessary hardware and brackets to join cabinets, and they include options for legs or wall-mount rails. We chose simple white legs so the console reads like freestanding furniture, and we also attached discreet metal center support legs under the joined cabinets to prevent sagging.

If you prefer a floating look, Bestå frames can be mounted to the wall with suspension rails to create a “fauxdenza.” We debated that but ultimately liked the furniture feel of the legs, especially given some raised paneling near one end of the family room that would have made a built-in look awkward without custom fillers. We did secure every box to the wall for safety and to prevent tipping.

One small cosmetic upgrade we might add later is a continuous countertop across the joined cabinets to hide the seam, but it hasn’t bothered us yet. We’re also considering swapping the stock doors for more custom fronts—perhaps a color or wood grain—using third-party door fronts made to fit Bestå. For now, the glossy white doors look great and feel crisp and modern.

In the family room, all of our board games fit neatly behind one door, while the other compartments hold puzzles, photo albums, and sentimental items that had been scattered around the house. Everything is now accessible and organized in a central location instead of tucked in various spots.

Downstairs in the bedroom, we replaced a cramped printer/filing cabinet with two of the same 47″ Bestå units placed symmetrically on either side of the fireplace. That swap instantly made the space feel more polished and balanced while providing a huge storage boost. One cabinet holds camera and podcast equipment—DSLR, microphone, tripod—and spare frames; the other is a “decor store” for Sherry’s extra vases, sconces, candles, bookends, and items waiting for future rooms.

Although the bedroom cabinets currently have legs like the family room units, we plan to “hack” them to look built-in. Future tweaks might include side filler pieces, a continuous top counter, new knobs or pulls, and a continuous baseboard that matches the room. Those changes will help the cabinets terminate cleanly into the surrounding architecture and create a custom, built-in appearance.

Those built-in plans are on hold until we make progress on a closet build that will anchor one side of the cabinets and fully center the fireplace. Once the closet wall is in place, the cabinets will have a clean termination point and the whole wall will read as a cohesive, functional span with the fireplace centered in between. When that project starts we’ll likely hire a local carpenter for custom door fronts and trim to complete the look.

For now, the simple, clean Bestå installations are a huge upgrade. We appreciate practical changes that make daily life easier, and this project delivered that in spades. The new cabinets made the rooms look tidier, added significant storage capacity, and brought a sense of balance and finish that the spaces needed.

And yes, we refrained from unleashing all the Bestå puns we could have—although it was tempting. If you’re thinking about adding modular media storage that can be customized or adapted later, a Bestå setup can be a smart, economical way to gain closet-like storage while keeping flexibility for future upgrades.

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