IKEA just released something I never imagined in all my years investing in the brand's elaborate flat-packed furniture - a Skryim mod. No really, Kallax Storageborn (via YouTube) is a legitimate mod that you can download from the Bethesda Creations website that allows you to adventure throughout Tamriel with a white shelving unit as your companion.
For years now, I've been using the $79.99 (via IKEA) Kallax (and versions of it) to store and display my favorite game merch, so it feels entirely apt to see it get a Skyrim cameo. However, I'd have sooner expected the Kallax to be nothing but an in-game piece of furniture designed to declutter your homestead instead of also being a companion character fully voiced by Matt Berry.
Unfortunately for me, my real-life Kallax doesn't sound like Laszlo from What We Do in the Shadows. Regardless, the real deal is a fixture of my gaming room, and IKEA's bizarre yet hilarious new mod has reminded me just how much I cherish the versatile piece of storage.
You can grab the Kallax in various different sizes, but the one seen in the mod will set you back $79.99 / £49.
If you stumble into any gaming nerd's room, you're likely to come across a range of IKEA furniture. My office and gaming space is so overrun with flat-packed pieces that you could mistake it for one of the example rooms on the store's showroom floor. While typing these very words, I'm sitting at a Linnmon corner desk, while a Billy bookcase and old Detolf glass cabinet are sitting behind me, displaying my ever-growing physical video game collection.
Some people may be bothered by the sterile modern aesthetic of too much IKEA furniture in one place, but I don't mind it as they're affordable and most importantly pretty versatile. But no piece of IKEA furniture is just as versatile as the Kallax. At the moment, I have the very same Kallax as featured in the Skyrim mod sitting right to my left. I use it as both a room divider and a way to display an assortment of my precious video game merch, and I adore it. The 39 cm deep squares can store plenty, as you can clearly see from my vast selection of Persona goodies in the image below. There's a wealth of items in there, from artbooks, figures, and even a little Morgana plush, all of which I'd struggle to squeeze into another brand's similar-sized unit.
My absolute favorite thing about the Kallax isn't that its shelving is deep, but that you can buy accessories for it. While these seemingly don't feature in the Skyrim mod, you can pick up $25 (IKEA) drawer units or a $30 (IKEA) insert with a glass door. The latter is my absolute favorite addition to the Kallax, as it can allow you to transform it into a perfect display piece for video game collectibles.
Glass displays help keep out dust and prevent merch from accidental damage, and they used to be IKEA's bread and butter. Just about every collector I know has had the brand's Detolf cabinet in their gaming space at one moment or another. Sadly, these were discontinued, but with these inserts, you can tailor your existing Kallax display to your liking and add more glass displays into your setup.
If you want to try out the Kallax Storageborn Skyrim mod, you can download it for the PC and Xbox version of the game via the Bethesda Creations website. According to the official FAQ as found on the official IKEA website, PlayStation players will have to wait a while longer to experience some Kallax-fueled adventures of their own.
If you're feeling impatient, there's nothing stopping you from picking up a real-life Kallax and dragging it around. Just be warned it won't sound like Matt Berry, and just as the manual recommends, you should lay down a carpet first to avoid ruining any precious hardwood flooring.
- View all display shelving at IKEA
Love video game collectibles? Check out the best Lego sets and the best Legend of Zelda merch worth adding to your Kallax shelves.
