I can’t even begin to explain how good that feels to be able to say it’s DONE. Phew!
I am so pleased with how it turned out – the ultra-marine blue paint color brings such LIFE to our bedroom without being overwhelming, or too in your face.
I am in love with how it all turned out, but it was a LONG road to get here… let’s start at the beginning…
Ikea… on a Saturday… NIGHTMARE. I got in, I got out, and a glass of wine later, I was ready to get the party started get this dresser built.
Step one: organize nuts, bolts, and assorted other random pieces Ikea packages up.
The tinted primer won’t be as dark as your paint color, but it helps SO much. It went on a light blue (pictured above) – I did 4 thin coats with a roller (to be sure none of that oil from the wood came through over time), let it dry, sanded it, wiped it down really well.
Then it was time to paint.
I just did regular water based paint (for easy clean up) in a semi-gloss – three coats with a roller later, and these bad boys were drying in the living room…
The dresser was in our room, just waiting for those pulls, and when they came, I was even more excited with how cute these guys were! Quite sassy if you ask me.
Our old problem was that the TV stand that had been in here was too low to the ground so we couldn’t see the TV from the bed… especially once we bought our giant California King, with the extra high box spring.
Now, as you can clearly see, the TV is at optimal viewing height…
This room is SO TRICKY to photograph – it’s not big, and so this was the only angle where I could really get the whole dresser in. Awesome photography skills – clearly.
And as I’m posting these, I’m realizing that there are a few unintentional selfies where I’m reflected back in the TV. In my pajamas. Awesome.
On another topic, how awesome do those navy and white curtains look with the dresser??? Totally baller.
Next up on the list… what do we do with this wall above the TV??
It’s a HUGE improvement to have the TV higher on the wall, but it’s still very empty feeling. I know I have a bit of a problem and want to put something on every wall, but I swear to god, this wall NEEDS something. I was thinking sconces, but the lazy part of me is like… ehhhhh.
If we didn’t have so many freaking mirrors in this room already, I’d consider a trio of round convex mirrors, and I haven’t completely ruled that out, but I’m trying to think of something other than another mirror…
Here’s a photo of our lovely dresser from the bathroom door looking back towards the hallway and our dining room / office area. I love that the spaces have a really cohesive feel…
Oh, and don’t forget to notice our dust ruffle on the bottom of the bed. It’s a subtle change, but a HUGE improvement since you could see all the crap stuff we were storing under there and it just looked so unfinished, and ugly, and messy, and terrible. UGH.
Now it’s hidden and I’m SO much happier.
This next photograph was taken from an angle I don’t often capture since the salmon tile in our “art deco” (aka old as hell) bathroom is all up in your face.
What you can’t see (thank god) is that the shower was re-done at some point since the 1930’s, and in an attempt to match the coral tile, they went with pink. Pepto bismol pink. That doesn’t match. Not even close. Oh well…
And just for good measure (and since i was already in there with the camera) I got a few photographs of the headboard and new bedding together.
I’m liking this combination for fall, and I love that the Duralee fabric on the bolster ties in with the other colors in the room, and brings a punch of color to wake things up a bit – as you can see, I’m still on the hunt for euro shams.
Standing a bit further back, you can see yet another empty wall that kills me a little every time I see it. The wall above our bed and headboard just needs SOMETHING.
I think I nice oversize clock would be nice here – again, trying to stay away from more mirrors in here… plus it will help keep me on time as I get ready in the morning…
So that’s it! The new dresser / TV Stand / Ikea hack is complete! If you need to find me, I’ll be in bed watching TV from now until forever.
Just kidding. Kind of.
Happy Tuesday!!
Get it girl!
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nicely done!!
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I found your blog through a random Google search for painted curtains, and I love your projects! I have to say you hit it out of the park with this Ikea hack. Really good work here!
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Love the dresser! The color is perfect and the lion pulls are over the top. Great job as usual! Could always go with mounted antlers above the TV… xo
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Hello Becky! My name is Katy and I'm the social media coordinator for KILZ brand products. Your IKEA dresser looks fantastic! We are glad our primer worked great for your project and we would LOVE for you to share your experience by writing a review. Visit our review page, select a product you used, rate and write a brief review and hit submit – it's that simple! We appreciate the feedback! Thanks!
Link to review page: http://www.kilz.com/primer/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=8ad359ff4f72d310VgnVCM100000176310acRCRD
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Thank you – I'm still absolutely LOVING the color!
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Good call on the antlers… still on the hunt for the perfect pair 🙂
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Absolutely! It worked like an absolute charm 🙂
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Awesome hack! Beautiful home also 🙂 I have just become obsessed with hacks and I'm using your hack as inspiration. I have one question though, where did you get (and what are they) the gold corner plates on the dresser?
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I just picked up the corner plates from the hardware store near my house – they aren't vintage or really unique. I'm sure you could find them at a big box store like Home Depot or Lowes, or something smaller even like an Ace Hardware. If you're local, head to Fredrickson's on Fillmore (off Union) in the Marina (San Francsico)
Would love to see how your Ikea Hack turns out!! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
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Hi there! Can I ask what color paint you used? Not sure if I missed it in the post. It's gorgeous! Thx!
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I just dug out my can of paint, and it's slate teal! It was a close call between a few different colors, but it had just enough green in it for me…
Thanks for stopping by!!
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Hey, I just saw your blog as I was looking for reviews of the IKEA Tarva, I'm planning on doing a hack as well! It just so happens that I'm also an interior designer.. I think you should really look into wall papers for the walls which you feel are missing something. If you can afford it, perhaps a Phillip Jefferies (or knock off) with neutral tones that goes well with the paint you have, but adds texture. Hope that helps!
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Hey Annie! I would SO LOVE to do wallpaper, but we rent so unfortunately that's not an option… one day though 🙂
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These lion pulls are adorable! Do you mind sharing where you found them?
Thanks!
Jane
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Absolutely!! I actually ordered them on Amazon in the end:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GGXBUE/ref=pe_54300_32388460_email_1p_2_ti
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Love it! For your empty spaces have you considered buying some blank canvases? You could either paint them with some basic geometrics or abstract design or buy some fabric and cover them. Pretty cheap, a little artsy and renter friendly. I just put some tacks in the wall and hang the canvas on them. Cheers! -Julie
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I think (after, like you, squinting and puzzling and running several sample interpretations through my brain, some of them quite silly) the Ikea picture instructions are saying “assemble this on carpet since dropping the partially assembled frame on the hard ground can break the edges”.
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What a great idea!! We're in a new apartment now, and we ended up building a gallery wall around the TV in the bedroom, but that's so clever! Thanks for stopping by Julie!
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Haha!! Love it – I actually helped a friend put together another piece of Ikea furniture recently, and the pictures get me every time!
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I was just at fredrick's yesterday getting paint for my own larva hack… came across your blog when looking for instructions for this damned dresser. It is truly in 700 pieces. Love the dresser and love knowing other folks in my hood are funking it up!
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Ha! I love it!! What a small world 🙂 Would love to see how yours turned out! I’m actually thinking of re-doing ours… maybe painting a glossy white this time…
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