It’s been a while since my last post. I’ve been super busy. We bought an apartment (yay!) and getting settled has been work. With that said, I have a series of DIY projects to do. The first is the makeover of my new nightstands – a pair of Ikea RAST chests.

Inspiration for this project came from textile designer, Caitlin Wilson’s vibrant and colorful bedroom featured in the April 2013 issue of House Beautiful magazine. The article was about her beautiful fabrics, the use of them in her bedroom on her upholstered headboard and decorative pillows. However, when I realized her nightstands were a pair of Ikea RAST chests she transformed from unfinished to fresh with paint and new knobs, I knew I had to get them. I was on the hunt for nightstands anyway and at $35 a pop, they were the perfect DIY opportunity. I wanted to luxe mine up a bit, after a few days of contemplating I decided to stain the frame and paint the drawers. I had my vision for what I wanted, but out of DIY curiosity, I searched the web to see if anyone else had made over these chests. To my surprise, the web was flooded with makeovers. I found a similar makeover as mine, here – let’s just say great minds think alike.

The project cost $164 ($70 chests + $24 supplies (brushes & stain) + $72 knobs)
Knobs: streamline knob from Anthropologie.
Paint (Drawers): Benjamin Moore – Snowfall White (in semi-gloss) – leftover from a previous project.
Stain (Frame): Minwax PolyShades – Mission Oak Gloss oil based wood stain and polyurethane combo (saves a step).

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