Posted by Eric Teng on August 18 at 10:18 AM
There's nothing more satisfying than the sense of accomplishment that comes from knowing you've transformed something ordinary into something amazing that exceeds all your expectations. Such is the case when I recently took on a weekend project of giving two unassuming dressers a makeover.
.jpg)
.jpg)
I will admit that I'm generally pretty lazy when it comes to DIY projects that involve refurbishing or "remixing" furniture. As much as I love reading about the before and afters in shelter magazines or watching them on HGTV, the thought of doing it myself just stresses me out. I'd rather just go online, or to Warren Street in Hudson, in my case, and overspend on the real thing. That was before I read this blog entry from Penny People Designs (thank you, Lindsay) and had a change of heart. I was inspired and determined to see this through. Besides, I was getting tired of using mismatched end tables, which were the wrong height, as my nightstands. They were an eyesore to say the least, and very bad feng-shui I'm sure.
So with an Allen wrench, a little elbow grease and some patience, I am now the proud owner of two fabulous nightstands that look mid-century chic, and didn't break the bank. The total cost of this entire project came to about $170 bucks. Here's how I did it:
-
You'll need 2 IKEA Rast 3-drawer dressers. They come in natural unfinished pine and cost 40 bucks a piece. Put together the whole thing but don't put the drawers in yet (you'll need to paint them first). With a rotary sander and fine sandpaper, give the dresser and the drawer fronts a good overall sanding. Doesn't need to be super-smooth, you're just prepping the surface to be primed. Make sure to wipe all surfaces with a damp cloth afterwards to catch any dust before you start painting and staining.
-
One can of MinWax stain (I got Dark Walnut). I found that for me, two coats gives that mid-century walnut-color that I'm after. Apply long, even strokes WITH the grain to cover the entire top, sides and bottom of both dressers. Now here's the hard part: you have to wait a good 6-8 hours for them to completely dry before applying the second coat (I did mention this is a WEEKEND project). Trust me, it's worth the wait.
-
One pint of oil-based primer, one pint of high-gloss white paint. While the stained dressers are drying, apply the primer to the fronts of all the drawers with a roller brush (provides a more even coat). Wait two hours, then apply two coats of white paint with waiting time of an hour or two between coats. While any finish will do, I prefer the high-gloss. It gives the drawers a more expensive-looking lacquered finish.
-
12 drawer pulls. Forget the boring, wooden, round knobs that come with the dressers. I bought these cool handles at Home Depot (Liberty 3-11/16" Hourglass Knob, in Antique Brass, $5.74 each). A few turns of the screwdriver should do the trick.
Slide the finished drawers into the dressers and these beauties are ready for their close-up. From ho-hum to white-hot in one weekend! I couldn't be happier with my new "pimped out" nightstands. Hope this inspires you to do the same; or be even more adventurous! Meanwhile, I'll be plotting my next makeover.
Topics: design SHARE: 
26 Comments so far...
Beautiful work Eric! The drawer pulls work so nicely with your lamp and your whimsical pillowcases. The stand helps pull everything together without becoming matchy-matchy.
Posted by Amanda on August 19 at 12:22 PMYes I agree with Amanda! Eric, I foresee a second career as a guest designer on While You Were Out!
Posted by Annie on August 19 at 1:49 PMEric this is amazing! I'm feeling so inspired to try this!
Posted by Roslyn on August 19 at 2:08 PMFabulous! I have some furniture that could use your special skills and eye. I do not trust myself to do nearly as great a job. Can I get an in-home appraisal and proposal? :-)
Posted by Gina on August 19 at 2:40 PMLove the nightstand, but that comforter tuck is awesome!
Posted by Jason on August 19 at 4:35 PMI don't know why I am surprised at all that such an amazing creative director is also such an amazing interior designer. Good job, my friend!
Posted by Atherton Bartelby on August 19 at 5:01 PMI'm desperate for new nightstands! This might be the answer for me! I actually just started a new blog on all my favorite before & afters, I'd love to feature you! c'mon over: http://www.betterafter.blogspot.com
Posted by lindsey on August 20 at 10:07 AMI've been looking at these nightstands thinking they were perfect candidates for painting and fixing up with new knobs. I hate how expensive nicer nightstands are!! Yours look fabulous, now I need to make a trip to IKEA...
Posted by Jess on August 20 at 10:28 AMHey! So glad you were inspired!! :) I love your version! Lindsay http://pennypeople.blogspot.com/2009/06/re-post-ikea-hack.html
Posted by Lindsay on August 20 at 10:58 AMAwesome! Did you use a paint roller for the white paint, or did you switch back to a normal brush?
Posted by Erin on August 20 at 1:13 PMUsing a paint roller for primer coat as well as paint coats is best! So glad everyone is inspired by this, and thanks to all for the great responses.
Posted by Eric Teng on August 20 at 1:24 PMJust wondering if you put a gloss/polyurethane coat on the wood after the stain? These are fabulous!
Posted by Kara on August 20 at 1:33 PMI'm totally inspired now - thanks for sharing the how-to! And congrats on being on D*S! :)
Posted by Trude on August 20 at 1:45 PMBetter to use tack cloth instead of a damp cloth to pick up excess dust.
Posted by Kaki on August 20 at 2:03 PMThat's it. This is my kick in the butt to actually complete this project. My RAST dressers have been sitting in their flat pack boxes for about a month now...
Posted by Michelle on August 20 at 5:38 PMWould you mind telling me where the pillowcases are from? They look so familiar...Thanks!
Posted by Jessica on August 20 at 7:46 PMPlease - I second the request for info on the pillowcases! (I liked the rest of the post too, btw)
Posted by Lori on August 21 at 12:55 PMPillowcases + bedding is from Dwell Studio and the collection is called "Chinoiserie". As you'll see, this site has great stuff. Happy shopping! http://dwellshop.com/b2c/ecom/ecomEnduser/items/Products.aspx?store=&currpage=1&searchby=undefined&lookfor=chinoiserie&lookfor1=undefined&siteId=1&searchMethod=Contains
Posted by Eric Teng on August 22 at 8:07 AMOops, one thing I forgot to mention for all that are interested: you can buy the MinWax variety that has the stain and polyeurathane finish in one. Way more efficient, and seals the wood nicely.
Posted by Eric Teng on August 22 at 8:12 AMWhat an amazing transformation! I've been swooning over these similar, WAY more expensive nightstands: http://www.moderndose.com/productinfo.php?cPath=2238&products_id=636. Now I'll just complete this project! Thanks, great job.
Posted by Courtney on August 24 at 5:01 PMThis is one of my favorite furniture revamps so far. Excellent insight - they're perfect in their new setting.
Posted by KGB on August 30 at 4:43 PMI already own one of these nightstands and i can't believe your hack is the same thing! i'm moving soon and now i'm totally inspired to get 1 or 2 more and line my office and put on a table top to make a counter. thank you!!
Posted by Ryan on October 1 at 2:10 PMHelp! I just finished making these nightstands, but I am having a huge problem opening/closing the drawers - they are sticking together from the paint and cannot all be closed at the same time. I was wondering if you painted the perimeter of the drawer fronts or literally just the front panel??
Posted by Courtney on November 3 at 10:29 PMCourtney! So very sorry for the delay in my reply. In response to your question, no, I did not paint the perimeter, only the fronts. I figured since you never see the perimeter when all the drawers are closed, there's no need to paint them to begin with. But I have a solution that's worked for me in the past on projects like these. If you've painted the perimeter, some gentle strokes with a sanding block on all sides should do the trick. I would start in with a fine grade sandpaper first and see if that helps before moving to something coarser. And if the block doesn't take off enough of the paint, you may have to switch to the rotary sander. The other factor that might be a "sticking" point (sorry I went there) is the weather. Depending on time of year, or where you are geographically, warmer temperatures will surely expand the wood, making the drawers stick/hard to close. I hope this was helpful, hopefully you've already found a solution. Apologies again for my poor blog-etiquette!
Posted by Eric Teng on November 22 at 7:55 AMi love this. thanks for sharing
Posted by eo on February 26 at 6:36 PMI found my over to your blog from Better After and I had to come and see if anyone was having the same problem as I am. I just finished finishing these last week and I had the same problem as Courtney. It is so frustrating after putting all that work in, that I haven't touched them since. So as a warning to everybody, DO NOT PAINT THE PERIMETER, JUST THE FRONTS. By the way, Eric, your dressers look great!
Posted by Cathlene on April 15 at 12:04 PM