Something Borrowed (and painted white of course)

So you may have different (or better) taste then I. However this is something we all can do regardless of our taste in furniture.  I happen to be in love with Hemnes from Ikea.  Now in the spirit of supporting capitalism, I own a beautiful black queen size Hemnes bed frame that I truly adore.  However, I have very cheap bedside tables and  a very orange coloured oak desk from my parents house.  How to fix this?
Clearly we must refer back to the previous post of painting items white to solve your woes.  So what did I do to that ugly old desk (okay this isn't the desk cause I was dumb 2 years ago and never took a "before" photo but believe you me, it's close):


Except it was LITERALLY this colour


I painted it white.  Then I went to Ikea to the Customer Service Department and asked them for some Hemnes knobs.  They charged me 20 dollars or so and voila, I created my own Hemnes desk.  EASY PEASY.

My next project will be getting creative with some cheap bedside tables to make them Hemnes-esque, and this time we might venture into realms of other paint colours ... dove grey perhaps.  If you don't share my deep love for Ikea, find your inspiration elsewhere.  Perhaps this FANTASTIC new display from Restoration Hardware, my other true love.  Whatever your taste in furniture, reviving old, borrowed, or found pieces from craigslist with a fresh coat of paint and new knobs is your friend.  (Let's all just take a minute to acknowledge how hilarious the word knob is shall we, and perhaps start using it as an insult like the British do). All it will cost you is a can of paint, and maybe $2.50 per new handle.  Some examples of knobs (haha) awaiting your freshly painted furniture? If you're like me you can go directly to the source of your inspiration and ask the store if they sell knobs (haha).  Or like my Mom did for her melamine cupboards, you can source the massive selection at Home Depot, cheap and chic.

A lovely cheap glass knob from Home Depot

Restoration Hardware can give you fake vintage ones for more money but hey they're pretty: 


If you're feeling trendy and want to reward yourself for a job well painted, peruse Etsy's masses of vintage, hand stamped, or cutesy knobs that await you.  Examples: 

Vintage Inspired Typography cabinet knob from Etsy seller VintageSkye 

Beach Rock Cabinet Knobs (how freaking adorable is this idea) from etsy seller Aimee's Rock Works 


Just a few examples of the variety you'll find on Etsy. 
Happy painting and knob (haha) shopping! <3 


1 comment:

  1. Nice work! As a fellow used furniture junkie - huge props for reimagining ugly furniture and saving it from the dump!

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