IKEA Hack…Take your Tarva Chest from Basic to Bananas

Hi friends!!! I hope everyone is having an amazing holiday season so far and we only have one holiday left to tie up 2017!  YAY!!!  But…I couldn’t wait until this room is completed so I HAD to share my latest DIY project that will occupy the space.  I have been working on “refreshing” my dining nook and I needed to find 2 pieces to flank either side of my patio door.  I wanted it to have storage, a little bit of height, and small enough scale to is fit into the space.  Oh…and did I mention BUDGET?!!  I needed 2 so I needed to be mindful of cost and at $99 each, it was time to get creative!  So, here is my how I tackled my IKEA Hack…Take your Tarva Chest from Basic to Bananas!!!

Ok, let’s get to bizzzzz…first you’re going to need one of these or two, infamous Tarva Chest from IKEA

and then I came across these pulls and lost my mind!  First problem was that the holes for the pulls do not line up so I have to get all MacGyver fix that problem stat!

Can we have a moment to DIE over these IKEA brass pulls???!!!!!!  Obsessed!! 

So with a little wood filler, sand paper and primer…the predrilled holes that were there…{POOF} disappeared!  Then, all I had to do was pre-drill some new hole to accommodate the new pulls!!! Well, here is basically the steps I took to turn this basic piece into some unrecognizable from its original state.  

1. Lightly sand all pieces
2. Prime wood so that the knots do not bleed thru
3. Lightly sand again, wipe down and paint
4. Start assembly
5. Touch up any paint once your piece is assembled

*** I used Behr Tsunami for the frame and Behr Polar Bear for the drawer front, both in EGGSHELL finish***

Oh…and here is a trick I use to assemble any and all furniture, especially IKEA stuff.

I sort ALL of the parts, not only to make sure I have all of pieces,  it makes the entire process move along SO.MUCH.FASTER!

Here is the inspiration board for the room they are going in

Ready to tackle your own IKEA hack?  I would love to see what you dream up!  Tag me on Instagram @makeanddostudio so I can see!