apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

If you can find a piece of glass that is the right size and is inexpensive, that would be the best bet for preserving the table. A very inexpensive option would be to get a couple of colorful place mats to use when you are eating - those would protect the table and add some color too. If you get a desk blotter or some vinyl place mats you could use those while doing other activities at the table (paying bills, playing cards, etc.) to prevent scratches.

for the table you could also try and get an acrylic top
(not as heavy or expensive as glass I think). A friend did that with a very similar ikea table. She also got really nice textured paper from and art and hobby shop and 'wrapped' the top of the table with it (taping it underneath) and put the acrylic or whatever it was over it to protect it, with small rubber dots in each corner to hold the top in place.

Other options are collage or fabric underneath. Not as permanent as decoupage, easily switched if you get bored!

Can you maybe change the hardware on the cabinet?

Clairepetrol, I just came back to suggest acrylic as an alternative :) Definitely lighter than glass. I love your suggestion to put something underneath the acrylic. Fabric or textured paper would look really interesting. In a recent issue of Domino, I'm not sure which one but it was an article on displaying photos, somebody put pictures under their coffee table top and used it as a revolving photo display.

Another alternative for your table that would add some fun and a nice pop of color to the kitchen would be to cover it with oilcloth. It's inexpensive and easy to cut/work with and could also be changed frequently if you tire of the pattern. http://oilcloth.com/cutandsewn.php

If you want a completely different look you could build a type of "slipcover" box that would literally slip right over the tabletop and hang over the sides a bit. Then, you could paint it, stain it, or whatever you wanted. I've seent his done on a number of home decorating shows and it's a really inexpenseive way to change the loko and preserve the table underneath.

Jocasta Innes' The Thrifty Decorator gives the scoop on painting melamine. It can be done. You need to give it a good scuffing with sandpaper, and you need the right paint. Now that oil-based interior paints have vanished, my first thought would be the spray paints designed for plastic -- but doing that requires some convenient outdoor space for spraying and drying.

I 2nd the glass top for the table idea.

For the cabinet, possibly cover it with fabric? They did this to closet doors on Desing on a Dime last night.

I have had mirrors/glass custom cut a few times and there is no WAY you will be able to do it for less than $30 the table cost - I suspect this will be true of acrylic as well, which will also be more prone to scratching. I do think some nice table runners which will be reusable make more sense than investing a significant amount in a piece that cost this little.

As for the cabinet, I feel your pain - I have gone through four different looks for an Ikea TV armoire because all the nicer alternatives out there cost a ton. It has beechwood trim with grey metal doors, and for a couple of years I had left the doors plain; then I covered them with a rough oatmeal colored linen; then I painted them with an ivory and gold crackle finish.

The ivory and gold had to go when I moved to a pure white and green Hollywood Regency look in my bedroom, so I ended up spending over $100 on wallpaper from FlavorPaper (Kabloom in silver) to cover it up! But it worked, because I actually really like it now and have felt no need to replace it.

For your problem cabinet, I think paint is the best solution. I would recommend spraypainting the sides/top with black to match your other pieces, then creating a series of large squares in different colors on the doors to match your fabric squares, possibly divided with black lines? If you're not a careful painter this may not end up looking that great however, in which case wallpaper or contact paper will conceal a multitude of sins ;-).

I'd probably pain it to match your wall art. There are plenty of paints out there for that pressboard/mdf stuff that won't risk it getting wet and ruined. I think some nice squares that match down the front of the cabinets (maybe 2 or three each side?) maybe even in a contrasting color..red maybe..

I'm a big fan of pulling out a sharpie and doing line art on white Ikea/Target melamine. I recently got myself two of the small Lack coffee tables expressly for that purpose.

If you're not a huge drawing person, you can borrow an overhead projector and project something on the cabinet and then trace the lines from that.

I'd like to see line art of buildings on a cabinet. There's also been a trend of silhouettes of trees with birds in them. I'm not sure how I feel about the trend, but it would not be difficult to execute.

For the armoire, you might think about a wall graphic like the ones from Blik. It might spruce it up a little without overpowering you with an overall strong color or pattern.

For the table, first I'd suggest putting a shelf above it, to hold the misc items you have sitting on the table now. It should be the same width as the table. I like the Ikea Lack shelf in white for you. Make sure to anchor it into the wall; I've used these a lot & they do need more support than the mounting materials provided in the package.

For the table, I'd suggest a tablecloth... so simple, right? I think plexi or paint would scratch after a while and look icky.

Table -> acrylic scratches really easily right?

Armoire -> you could also consider replacing the handles to something more high-end. Try leevalley.com

For the cabinet, why not tray Blik surface graphics?

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/artwork/blik-surface-graphics-000532

http://www.whatisblik.com

oops, i meant "try" not "tray"

surface graphics = great idea

I also suggest lamps. Lighting would change that room alot . . .

No one suggested ikeahacker? www.ikeahacker.blogspot.com
Lots of examples there of painting and decoupaging Ikea stuff.

Check Curbly.com too.

I love the contact paper butterfly Lack table, which I think has been blogged here too. http://www.curbly.com/lilybee/posts/1159-Bug-Table-Ikea-Hack
I plan to steal the idea with my bookshelves, but think I will put a coat of polyurethane on top so the contact paper doesn't peel up.

Love the sharpie idea!

Also I know they make paint especially for plastics, which would seem to be the best choice for melamine. Haven't tried it.

It's not melamine, but Pink Mohair wallpapered her filing cabinet and it rocks!
http://pinkmohair.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/03/this_is_the_fil.html

Nick Olsen of Dominomag.com wallpapers a fridge with rubber cement. http://www.dominomag.com/daily/blogs/dailydose/the_deal_hunter (This has been blogged here too, I think.) If it sticks to a fridge, it should stick to melamine, right? And wouldn't any heavy-duty paper work? And he did your electrical tape idea on the cabinets.

Jocasta Innes has fabulous ideas as Wende states.

I've painted melamine a number of times and currently have a piece I did in chocolate (its a tall narrow 6 drawer piece) and put bronze chinese drawer pulls on it.

You can paint anything if you use the correct primer - on melamine, if you don not, the paint will simply peel off. So do as Jocasta does and sand for some "tooth", prime, and paint.

Suggestion: if you like silver, melamine is a nice surface on which to put silver leaf. you can paint a background color and do silver leaf (easy) without expecting perfection, and when done, rough it up a bit and coat in water poly. Nice, nice effect. Put new knobs on it and maybe some trim.

I love the idea of an acrylic or glass top for the table. You can do reverse painting or decoupage on the underside.

Thanks everyone for the ideas. I don't mind spending up to $40 on the table, it was only $30, most tables cost way more, and it's perfect size for the room, so I don't mind investing more money in it so that we may keep it. I really like the acrylic/glass idea, more the acrylic, but I'm worried because people are saying that acrylic scratches really easily, which I don't want because it'll look sloppy. But, for curiousity sake, where would one get a piece of acrylic cut in Manhattan? I love the idea of putting fabric or placemats underneath for color!

Some great ideas for the cabinet, I'm going to investigate them further. Daily Nuance - I saw that episode of DoD and really liked the closets, too!

You could stencil an all-over pattern on the cabinet picking up the colors of the fabric-covered squares -- maybe copy a tile or the print on a favorite piece of clothing (or check out a textile design book for inspiration). Something geometric could be easy because you could just use tape to paint most of the lines at once.

It wouldn't fade into the background any more, which could be a plus or minus.

For the table -- cork tiles? You can get corkboard in sticky-backed squares at office-supply stores (they're meant for the walls)

I would just let the table slowly get trashed and search craigslist for something better in the meantime. You can do all kinds of crafty stuff til the cows come home, but a table should be sturdy and durable. Adding accessories/glass/cover ups to it is just investing more money into what is essentially a crappy desk. I have the Bjursta dining table from IKEA (which I love) so I'm not even talking about "real" furniture necessarily. This melamine stuff is fine for shelving but that's about it. Just removing the clutter will help a lot. And don't cut on it! :)

I like the idea of moving the cabinet and replacing the hardware. I would not embellish it more than that, myself. Better to let it "blend in" than stand out and emphasize its cheapness. Also, don't put anything on top. I grew up putting bread and stuff on top of the fridge so I had to break myself of this habit and it looks much better. Let the eye travel to your furniture and artwork, not crap stacked up high.

Hope this helps!

The blik surface graphics, paint, primer, fabric, etc. cost more than this whole desk.

Sharpies = bad. While fun and spontaneous sharpies aren't archival. The marks will start to turn brown around the edges, sometimes as quickly as a year. Quicker if in direct sunlight.

At IkeaHacker someone used the Ikea hemmed fabric to wrap a room divider. I'd say tack it under one edge and go over the top of it.

Alicia,

Definitely glass for the table, not acrylic. Glass is not only cheaper, but it serves the purpose better - acrylic will get scratched up in no time. The only downside is that it will be heavier and more delicate to transport when you first get it.

Where can I get glass cut to the size I need?

this is similar to what commentator said, but what about a cork and white board face for the front of the cabinet? It could serve as a message centre. I've even seen holders you can attach for pens, mail, and other things. if you changed the hardware to something more personal I think this could be a nice option.

Or you could buy nice fabric (you wouldn't need very much) and stretch it over the doors and staple it at the back. This could be pretty inexpensive if you find cheap fabric.

my suggestion is that if you are redoing the upholstered panels why not do a smaller or larger version on the cabinet doors. hang the panels with hook and loop tape to keep it changable. the panels could help the cabinet recede and increase the art factor.

If you decide to paint any or all of the surfaces us XIM brand of primer first and anything goes.

Okay,I thought some more and love the glass cover for the table. But if you want something a little softer looking find an old lace panel curtain and stretch it over the surface and spray paint, lift the panel off and you have a lace pattern painted on. You could do this on paper if you like lots of change in your life.
I'd use glass to cover table instead of acrylic as acrylic will scratch as badly as the melamine.
Lacy effect not for you use lots of the dots that hold the glass up off surface as the design statement.

Also, will the cheap Ikea build of this table support the glass? Well actually I can't see why not.
Anyway I found Sundial-Schwartz online at nymag.com as 2006's best glass cutters... anyone ever used them? I figure glass might be about $30, perhaps less. Then I'd put some fabric under or make something, I don't know yet

I second the oil cloth. Here is my source: http://www.sewmamasew.com/shop/index.php/action/category/id/7/ You can staple it on or even just pull it to the other side and use painting tape or duct tape for more permanence.

The idea of glass on the IKEA table is a good one, but before putting that on top, I suggest buying a fabric like seagrass or something thin but texturally interesting and wrapping the table top in it. You can adhere the fabric to the underside of the table using any means that work with the table material - heavy duty stapler. glue gun, wood glue, it depends on the table. Then put the glass on top of that. You'll have a custom colored tabletop with textural interest and it will be protected by the glass you can have cut at Home Depot or Lowes.

Or if you're really bored and the table isn't too big... you can get a piece of concrete board cut to the table size and use it as a base for a mosaic. To save time you can buy large cut mosaic tiles. It can add flair and interest. This is what I did to my previously ugly side tables and they ended up being the best looking thing in my living room. Good luck

A few people suggested that I cover the sides of my table, but if I do that with fabric, and put glass on the top, what's not covered will get gross what with spills and wear... wouldnt it just look better to cut the fabric to the size of the tabletop?

In the above post of 3.29.07 that included the odd looking men and stuffed seal, there was also the item about chairs. If you look at the chairs on http://www.mossonline.com you will see a cabinet that is done in a large black and white print.

Now that would be something fabulous to do with your white cupboard/closet!!!

Here's a source for the glass:
Capitol Glass
401 Washington St. New York, NY
(corner of Laight & Washington Sts., Entrance on Laight St.)
Monday-Friday 7am-5pm
212.243.4528
These guys are fast, and have an excellent selection - nice people, too!

And I think I'm loving the wallpaper/rubber cement idea for the armoire, something like Jaima Brown's Retreat collection Twiggy in Robin's Egg Blue would be gorgeous with what you have going on. If you were inclined, you could put it under the glass on the kitchen table, too, for continuity.

http://www.jaimabrownhome.com/index.php?option=com_collections&task=view&id=206

Another option would be to paint the sides and base of the armoire as suggested above (maybe in Benjamin Moore HC-72 Branchport Brown) and just wallpaper the doors & get some nice new door handles at Gracious Home.

Acrylic cut to size in Manhattan:

Canal Plastics

http://www.canalplasticscenter.com