I love a good Ikea hack.
It allows me to shop inexpensively and create a gorgeous, high-end look for right around $100 bucks. Many of the hacks I create, I do because I know the specific style of furniture is a fad and will not be a timeless investment...in steps Ikea.
So, if you haven't seen the flooding amounts of light-colored dressers with the circle ring pull hardware on Pinterest, you must not follow any bedroom accounts...I can't seem to get away from them.
Examples of bedside tables and dressers:
Source - unknown
Erin Gates Design // Michael J. Lee Photography | Pale Powder - Farrow & Ball
Suzanne Kasler-designed bedroom. Photo by Pieter Estersohn. Featured in Architectural Digest.
Above are four of my favorite bedside tables in four very similar, yet very different rooms. I like the idea of using a chest (if you have the space) for a bedside table. Originally, I had your classic, very small bedside tables and they just didn't cut it. I needed more storage. (I like clothes, okay?)
I shopped and shopped and searched and searched for a dresser like the ones in the photos and found that this high-end trend I loved also came with a high price tag.
Starting from top left to right:
One day as I was walking through Ikea and I spotted the Hemnes 3-drawer dresser in a bedroom they staged. It was sturdy, a beautiful shade of white and had amble storage space. I measured them, knowing what size I needed, and they were going to fit like a glove! I purchased two on the spot.
The next step was finding hardware. I currently have lots of antique gold finished in my home. I'm a sucker for gold and brass. Growing up southern, it's everywhere in antique homes. Frankly I don't remember seeing much silver at all other than a tea set or a good mint julep cup.
My home has quite a few antiques. For a while it was starting to feel a little stuffy. You know those homes you go into that look absolutely breath-taking but you feel like if you sit down on anything or you're going to ruin it? I never want my home to feel like that.
When I started designing my home, I would tour Mrs. Howard's showroom in Atlanta - among many others. She has a great way of mixing timeless, feminine decor with modern, fun accents. As soon as you'd walk into a room you'd know it was pricey, but you couldn't help but want to plop down on the sofa and sit for a while. That was my inspiration. Classic style with a comfortable ambience.
Since then, Phoebe Howard has become my FAVORITE designer of all time. You may have seen a few of her books as popular coffee table reads in nice home stores:
My first book purchase from her small collection was The Joy of Decorating. In that book, I read about how she keeps her rooms from having that 'stuffy' feeling. The trick is to start with a few classic anchor pieces - this could be a great Governor's desk or a thick wood armoire (etc.), add in a few trends - like a cool coffee table, a sexy lamp or some fun throw pillows, and then style it with other pieces that have personal meaning yet still fit the room. Sounds simple enough, right?
Well I'll say she didn't get where she is today from being a simple designer. Interior design takes serious talent and a lot of work - mainly finding the right pieces to use! The internet and home stores have SOOOO much to choose from, you could spend days or even weeks looking for one great piece or accent. In which case I'll save you the time and do some of the looking for you. ;)
So, after scouring a few hardware sites, these are the ones I liked the most for this hack:
Zig-zag from top left to bottom right:
If you loved the Beverly dresser from the photo list above (with the extra pizzaz for $1,800) you can recreate that look as well.
If you are brand new to the Ikea hack world, allow me to introduce you to a company called O'verlays.
The two photos above are both custom fit for the Ikea Hemnes 3 dresser drawer, and are my two favorites for this hack. They have tons of overlays for a number of different projects and make the DIYer's job much easier....could you imagine trying to make those wood frames yourself? I'll pass.
For my hack, I wanted to keep my bedside tables pretty simple because I have a lot going on already with my fabric choices. If your bedding is fairly simple, jazz up your hack with an overlay! I've also seen other bloggers use fabric and nailhead trim for theirs which is amazingly creative and beautiful.
To make my bedside dressers, you'll need to purchase two of the three drawer hemnes dressers, and twelve hardware pieces in satin nickel. Follow the assembly instructions by IKEA and skip the section at the end about installing the black handles. Take a screwdriver or a drill and on the front of the dresser, hold your hardware and on the inside of the dresser screw in the screws the hardware company provided to you. Repeat this step until each drawer has two pulls.
You're done!
Pretty easy hack, huh? And can you believe the same dresser is going for $700-$1,800??? You just saved yourself about a thousand bucks...now what can you decorate with that extra cash?
If you'd like to see more of my bedroom and get details on the pieces, let me know in the comments below!
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