18 DIY Storage Furniture Ideas for All Your Organizing Needs

Add organization and display space to your living room with a custom-built ladder shelf. For this DIY furniture storage project, you'll build two identical ladders and connect them at the top to form an A-frame shape before adding shelves. You can customize the unit with any stain or paint color you like, then use it to store books, plants, decorative accents, and more.

Stash extra pillows, blankets, or out-of-season clothes at the end of your bed with this DIY storage bench. You can either start with a ready-made wood bench or build one yourself to cover with fabric. The tufted lid lifts up to reveal a fabric-lined storage compartment.

Group together inexpensive wood crates to create DIY storage shelves. This clever furniture hack starts with four boxes arranged together (two horizontally and two vertically) to form a square. Stack multiple sets of boxes on top of each other, using a pine board to support the top row of shelves. Using screws, secure the crates together and to the wall through studs to complete this DIY storage furniture idea.

Turn two bookcases into an entryway storage zone that takes up just a sliver of wall space. Hang a pair of bookcases horizontally, one within reaching distance above and the other on the floor below. Attach a cushion to the top of the lower unit to form a bench, and mount hooks in the open space between. Secure the bookcases with wall anchors, and, if desired, install pieces of trim around the edges to reinforce the built-in look.

Revamp a basic bookcase to form DIY storage for all your bar necessities. Cut shelves using 45-degree miter cuts and secure them inside the bookcase at various angles to create spots for wine glasses, serving trays, bottles, and more. Install stemware holders ($13, Bed Bath & Beyond) on the undersides of horizontal shelves, and line with adhesive cork to stop items from sliding.

With paint and a few modifications, this old dresser works as DIY storage furniture in a hobby space. A new top overhangs 12 inches on one side to accommodate seating. Small drawers and boxes replace the top drawers to allow sewing supplies to be easily taken elsewhere, and a new base in place of the original feet adds a charming silhouette and raises the height. The curvy base was cut from medium-density fiberboard (MDF) and painted white to match the furniture casing.

Reimagine a cabinet or chest of drawers as a storage and display spot for shoes, purses, and jewelry. Remove the doors and reinstall interior shelves lower to make way for store-bought or custom shoe racks made from dowels. Highlight the drawer fronts with a splashy paint color and new hardware. Add hooks to the outside of the DIY storage furniture piece for quick access.

Transform two sawhorses into a hardworking desk for your home office. On the bottom rungs, add wood shelves cut to length from reclaimed boards for book and office supply storage. For an easy-to-clean work surface, secure a white melamine panel to the top of the sawhorses.

Increase the organizational capacity of your entryway with this DIY storage furniture idea using crates. Two crates surrounded by MDF create a center bench with lower storage. Secure crates to wall studs or use drywall anchors to create modular bookshelf space that's ready to hold outdoor gear, shoes, and coats.

A bookcase outfitted with dowel rods makes a handy and attractive gift-wrapping and crafts supplies station. Cut 3/4-inch-diameter dowel rods 1/8 inch shorter than the width of the cabinet interior. Support them from the side panels with shoulder hooks to keep wrapping paper and ribbon ready for dispensing and refilling. Use shorter dowels to hold spools of thread, tape dispensers, or gift bags.

Give new life to a thrifted cabinet for DIY storage furniture with flea-market style. Keep your wood furniture bare for a rustic look, or paint with a high-gloss finish for a bold statement. Replace glass doors with chicken wire and add antique pulls to boost the piece's vintage look.

If you can't find an island to fit your exact needs, assemble your own! For this DIY storage idea, we added false backs to two kitchen carts, then painted them teal. Two wine racks and two shoe cubbies, secured together and painted to match, add compartmentalized storage to the middle. After sandwiching the cubby units between the two carts with the open sides facing out, we added rubber casters and an MDF top with a 1-inch overhang and a sleek faux-concrete finish.

Is that bulky old entertainment center collecting dust? Repurpose it to create handy kitchen storage. Remove the doors and drawer fronts, then sand, prime, and paint the unit. To create storage for pots and pans, cut, paint, and mount pegboard to cover the open cabinet back. Install a rod across the front of the largest cubby for a convenient towel rack. Use 4-inch PVC pipe to fashion a wine rack. Cut pipes to length, paint, then adhere to the cabinet shelf using construction adhesive. On the ends, mount a handy holder to the side of the cabinet for easy access to kitchen wraps and papers. Apply chalkboard paint on the other end to create a memo board (not shown).

This clever desk started out as a dresser. The top drawer now extends out to form a desktop surface. Caster wheels attached to the bottom allow this DIY storage furniture to easily move around as needed.

An ordinary wooden nightstand can become a smart beverage station with a little bit of sanding and a coat of white semigloss latex paint. For durability, seal the top with a water-base acrylic sealer. New hardware and bold wallpaper adhered to the back add style. Make your DIY bar cart mobile by adding casters to the legs.

Pets come with plenty of gear. Keep it organized with a dedicated armoire outfitted as a pet storage station. Stash treats in airtight glass jars with screw-top lids. Attach trays to drawer glides and place large bins of food on them for easy-access, pullout storage. Coat plywood panels with magnetic primer, then cover with chalkboard paint and glue them to the armoire doors to help keep track of pet-related playdates and appointments. Attach magnetic hooks to corral leashes.

Easily build this fabulous DIY storage coffee table from affordable MDF. Four divided sections provide storage and display space that's easy to switch up as needed. Round sections provide a tabletop surface and a base for attaching wheels below.