Ikea Dresser Hack

Sorry I am just getting around to showing this to you. I totally forgot to post about it until I was going through photos and there it was. Better late than never.

 If you remember a bit ago, I finally switched out my son's Ikea dresser for a big boy dresser. It only took me 10 years.....poor kid. But the Ikea dresser was in great shape and sturdy so I didn't just want to throw it out but I knew I wouldn't use it. So I decided to hack it!

No I didn't use it for firewood but I did do a simple paint hack that turned out kinda groovy!

Here's the before. 

 If you look on the right vertical bar you will see two black rivets at the top and bottom. I knew I wanted them to show up so I taped over each if these first. Then I just taped away with a random, devil may care attitude! No proper spacing or straight edges. Just placed the tape and made sure the edges were down well.

Then I really channeled the devil and painted it black.

 If you notice here as well, I made sure that the placement of the handles would also be noticed by taping down the  middle and on either side of the holes. That way the pine color would show up behind it and make the hardware more visible. I was set on not reusing the handles that came with it because I didn't think they would work. Thank goodness I saved them because I love them!

After I removed the tape.....this is what I got!

I love that it is not precise and I love the contrast. No one else in the house likes it of course! They call it the referee or jailbird dresser. It's a good thing I don't get insulted.

 I just keep shaking my head and tell them they have no vision. 

 They volley back with "Oh, we have vision...double vision!!!" and then they dissolve into fits of giggles.....

Anybody know of a good home for wayward children????

So of course I forgot to take a final photo at home with the hardware on it so you'll just have to suffer through iPhone shots of the after.

The Antiques Mall does not have the greatest lighting in the world but you get the idea.

What do you think? Should I be locked up?

you can see another Ikea hack right here!

Always being renewed,

Please see the link party page to see where I link arms with those blissfully beautiful bloggers that host every week. So gracious they are along with these other sweet ladies!

Read more at http://diyshowoff.com/2013/04/01/that-diy-party-10/#xgMAcRCgRocl5vmh.99       

 

 

How to unify painted furniture

So many times people ask me how to unify furniture through paint. Well, really only two people have asked me but I figure you all were just too shy to speak up. So I am givin' you the lowdown on something you never knew you needed to know! I am a quite generous when I want to be!
 I have always believed that paint makes everything look better. But I do have two schools of thought on unifying furniture through paint. And it definitely depends on the person and the color of paint. Sometimes matching the paint is the way to go as in this example where I took two completely different styles of furniture for a client but painted them the same way.

You just have to look for similarities in the furniture and the matchy-matchy idea works better as the choice. Both pieces had several drawers and a shell that could be painted black so they looked similar. Adding the same hardware in the same configuration also pulls it together.

Sometimes color dictates that you unify in a way that is not match-matchy. Take my desk turned baby changing table for example. This green is great on a single piece of furniture. 

But another piece might be way too much apple green, and you know I loves me some color. But sometimes restraint is the name of the game. So how do you unify then? 

Keep the pop of color as an undercurrent on your new piece!

Yes this baby dresser is going in the same room as the baby changing table but we painted it white. Underneath it is painted the green and through distressing you can see the green poke through  along all of the edges in a subtle way.

 Another clever trick I used is that I painted the backs of the knobs the green and kept a ring of green in the middle of the knob as well. 

Now these two very different pieces are cohesive just by borrowing some of the pop of color from the changing table and layering it underneath for the dresser.

Simple but effective.

Now if we could just get congress to unify, we'd be set and outta debt!

Always being renewed,

Please see the link party page to see where I link arms with those blissfully beautiful bloggers that host every week. So gracious they are along with these other sweet ladies!

Read more at http://diyshowoff.com/2013/04/01/that-diy-party-10/#xgMAcRCgRocl5vmh.99