Just because something is made for the kitchen doesn’t mean it has to stay in the kitchen. Take the humble mason jar for example. The canning staple works wonders in a host of other spots—corralling odds and ends in the bathroom or housing flowers in the foyer. 

Fortunately, for budget-conscious home designers, the same is true for some larger and more foundational items, like Sektion, IKEA’s kitchen system. Though these boxes are designed to be the basis of your kitchen cabinets, fans of the beloved Swedish company are all in on a not-so-little secret: The cabinets create highly functional storage space in just about any room of the house, including the bathroom, laundry room, mudroom, and even the living room (and look great when styled with Semihandmade doors!). Here’s proof: 

The Kitchen

Photographer Jenna Starr shows off just how elevated owner and designer Shannon Morscheck made IKEA’s Sektion cabinets look in their natural habitat—the kitchen. Using a combination of Semihandmade Supermatte White Shaker fronts and Chris Loves Julia Cove fronts, Morscheck’s style expertly toes the line between rustic and chic. 

The Pantry

Jessica Jones paired IKEA’s Sektion bases with Semihandmade DIY fronts painted in Benjamin Moore Creamy White then fastened each one with knobs from RK International and poles and vintage notches from Emtek. The result is a sophisticated European feel that makes the pantry feel like a true extension of the kitchen. 

The Laundry Room

Laundry doesn’t have to be a universally-hated chore—especially if your work space is as stunningly beautiful as this one is. To make the workspace feel fancy, owner and designer Mable Cheung hung a combination of Supermatte White Slab fronts and Chris Loves Julia Cove fronts onto the Sektion bases in her Ontario kitchen. 

The Living Room

To solve a storage conundrum without sacrificing on the style of her living room, owner and designer Celine Ord turned smaller upper cabinets into hidden shelves for records and other personal items. Who needs a custom built-in when you can simply add Impression Sonoma fronts to a set of Sektion cabinets?

The Bathroom

Sektion cabinets get a more contemporary look in this bathroom designed by owner Mary Ellen Arnold, thanks to Semihandmade DIY slab fronts and streamlined black hardware. While the Godmorgon vanity is great for smaller powder rooms, using Sektion in the primary bathroom allows for more (and much-needed) storage.

The Home Office

Floating shelves and Sektion cabinets complete with DIY Slab fronts are painted a moody blue to match the walls, resulting in a fully custom look that makes Annette Vartanian’s Los Angeles space feel more like a fancy library than a home office. 

The Playroom

Here, designer Jenna LeBlanc solves a perennial problem for parents using Sektion cabinets: where to store all of the kids’ toys, art supplies, and homework needs. The DIY Shaker fronts and brass hardware make the space feel more high-end (without being precariously so) than your average bonus room—especially one frequented by children. 

The Mudroom

A set of Sektion cabinets with Supermatte Light Gray Shaker fronts adds necessary surface space (think: mail, outgoing packages, and more) to a catchall mudroom designed by Gina Gutierrez.

The Home Bar

Designer Becky Daly uses Sektion cabinets topped with DIY Shaker fronts to quickly transform a little bit of extra wall space into a coveted wet bar. Our favorite home bars are built into extra (or those that are too small or oddly placed in the layout) closets. Simply remove the doors, add cabinets, and enjoy.