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Awkward nooks typically require custom design storage solutions to match their bespoke measurements—a reality that prop and model maker Molly Hellman was all too aware of. After buying a 1904 flat in London a couple years ago, she’d started documenting each step of the ensuing renovation on Instagram. But one particular spot had left her stumped: The sliver next to her fridge, so tight it could barely fit a wine rack and a lamp. “Everything online I could find seemed to be too wide or too deep,” Hellman remembers. That left custom shelving, but a quote totaled more than $1,000. Ouch. In a last-ditch effort, Hellman took to the internet again—and came across the IKEA Lack shelf. She realized if she simply turned the wall-mounted unit to face sideways, towards the fridge, it would fit perfectly into the narrow gap, not to mention make much better use of the vertical space.
Installing it was a matter of Hellman following the included instructions, other than using heavy-duty screws and anchors that she bought separately to combat her crumbly old walls. The hardest part? Holding up the shelf and drilling it in at the same time—Hellman’s partner had been away that week. “I wasn’t patient enough to wait, so I tackled it alone. Which was difficult, but nothing ladies can’t handle,” Hellman says.
Going from one available surface to seven meant Hellman now had room for vino and lighting, yes, but also cookbooks, pottery, and pantry goods. The extra storage alone would’ve made the project worth it, but then there’s the math. All in—the shelf, the delivery costs, the screws—Hellman spent just under $200. Considering her original quote, we’d call that a steal.