25 DIY Built-Ins Using Prefab Bookcases + Cabinets

Did you know you can create custom built-ins for your living room, office, or laundry room using prefab and stock cabinets to hack the high-end built-in shelving look? These 25 DIY built-in cabinet and shelving ideas will give you lots of bang for your buck and add value, storage, and beauty to your home for a fraction of the cost of custom built-ins.

Love hacks? We do, too! Check out my book, Organization Hacks, and these 25 Outdoor Living Hacks to beautify your outdoor space and add curb appeal.

We are getting ready for a few room makeovers at our house, and the first place I turn to for renovation ideas is the lovely ol’ Pinterest (and my fellow bloggers, let’s not forget who puts all those amazing ideas out there!)

In our previous home, we had a carpenter build bookshelves from scratch and it was gorgeous but expensive. Here’s a little snippet so you can see the custom look:

The contractor I’m working with this time around suggested using stock cabinetry for the base of our built-ins that I’m adding to our office. The plus to using stock cabinetry is you can find it at big box home improvement stores, warehouse stores, IKEA, and online. You’ll want to have your design in place before looking, so you can find the correct dimensions. For example, I wanted my base cabinets to be 24″ deep but without the drawer that come on many stock kitchen cabinets, so it was a bit more challenging to find (but I did finally find them!)

Where Can You Buy Prefab and Stock Cabinets?

Here’s a few sources for prefab cabinets and bookshelves:

Home Depot and Lowes
Costco
Menards
Amazon
IKEA
Habitat Restore for pre-owned cabinets that you can refinish
local kitchen stores– they can often customize what you need if you can’t find something in stock

25 Custom Built-In Ideas Using Stock Cabinets

With all that in mind, we’ve rounded up 25 ideas for using stock cabinets to create your own custom built-ins. Many thanks to these amazing creators from around the blogosphere for these crazy amazing and clever ideas!

Gorgeous Bedroom Built-Ins by Jaime Costiglio

DIY Walk-In Closet (GOALS!) by FW Made By Carli

Built-in Office Cabinets Using Stock Kitchen Cabinets by Rain On A Tin Roof

Transform Cheap Bookcases into Custom Built-ins by Addison Meadows Lane

I’m in love with this custom closet using IKEA pieces by Making Home Base

Built-In Cabinets using IKEA Billy Bookshelves by Making Home Base

Custom Crafting Desk with Storage by Bari J Designs

DIY Office Bookshelves and Storage by Artsy Chicks Rule

IKEA Kitchen Cabinets Turned Built-Ins by Making Joy and Pretty Things

Renter-Friendly Built-Ins by PMQ for Two

Home Office Storage Cabinets by PMQ for Two

How To Make Cabinets Look Built-In by Rambling Renovators

Custom Office Built-Ins by Rambling Renovators

Built-In Entertainment Center by DIY Danielle

Built-In Office Renovation by DIY Danielle Office

Mudroom Built-Ins by My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

See how Craving Some Creativity built a custom closet door!

Custom Nursery Closet by This Is Our Bliss

Playroom Built-ins by Maune Legacy

Built-In Living Room Storage and Media Center by DIY Danielle Living Room

Laundry Room Built-Ins by The DIY Village

IKEA Bookcases to Semi-Custom Built-Ins by Lovely Etc.

Tween Girls Bedroom Built-Ins by Tidbits and Twine

Built-In Snack and Bar Ideas by Making Lemonade

DIY Bar Cart by Shrimp Salad Circus

Aren’t those incredible?! I’m looking forward to sharing the plan for my office and laundry room, I’m using stock and semi-custom cabinets to get a similar built-in look. Even if you hire someone to do the installation, it’s still much less expensive to create a built-in look using prefab cabinets instead of having them made from scratch!