Friday, May 16, 2014

Out of the box: Upcycling a thrifted chest of drawers

Often, we’ll scour flea markets and thrift shops and see a chest that seems it might look better in a different color or with different knobs or pulls. But what if upon inspection this same chest had missing or broken drawers? This guide shares a simple way of upcycling a wooden, drawer-less chest using paint and wicker baskets.

Image Source: alovelyplacetoland.com
Work on the finish

If you want to change the colors on the chest, work on this first. If you think it would look great in cobalt blue buy enough paint in the exact color you want. Get varnish as well – decide whether you prefer matte or glossy. Take some sandpaper and lightly sand the original finish all over before applying the first and second coats of paint.

Remember to sand down, paint, and varnish the insides of the chest in your desired shade as well.

Get wicker baskets
Image Source: basketlady.com
Take down the length, width, and height of the drawer cavities, so that you know what kind of allowance you have for the length, width, and height of the wicker baskets you will be looking for at the store.

Depending on basket size, you could fit anywhere from two to five wicker baskets in one drawer cavity. You want them to fit nicely with a lot of space around them to spare so they can slide in and out of the drawer cavity with ease.

Image Source: dnginteriors.co.za
You also want wicker baskets that complement the color of the chest. If they don’t mix nicely, you can always stain them a darker brown, or lightly tinge them with a color that goes well with the chest’s color.

This is Elizabeth Lesar – college student, creator, and eco-warrior. If you want more of my updates, ideas, and inspirations, follow this Pinterest account.