8 Great Stenciled, Papered, and Painted File Cabinet Makeovers

It’s one of those things that nobody wants, but everybody needs in their home office. A utilitarian fireproof file cabinet is a must to keep your important documents safe and in order. But you don’t have to settle for the metallic beige eyesores of your parents’ den circa 1970.

You can take an old cabinet (or a new-to-you one from a flea market or thrift store) and tailor it to suit your home office with a fresh coat of paint, wallpaper or patterned vinyl. Just follow the lead of these posts from around the blogosphere.

Take a cue from the ladies of A Beautiful Mess and give your cabinet an inspirational makeover. Or plaster it with phone book pages to get a textured look, like Shannon of Shannon Makes Stuff. And if there’s one thing to take from this post, it’s that blue seems to be the color de rigeur for turning boring office staples into fresh pieces that pop.

Give it a try and see how you can DIY your way to a new file style.

1 & 2. A pop of pink file cabinet from It’s All About the Little Things
3 & 4. An inspirational cabinet makeover from A Beautiful Mess
5 & 6. A “blueprint”-styled file cabinet from Dollar Store Crafts
7 & 8. Another newly blue file cabinet from Casa Cullen
9 & 10. A vinyl patterned file cabinet from House of Sarager
11 & 12. A phone-book papered file cabinet from Shannon Makes Stuff
13 & 14. A stenciled fuile cabinet from Two Twenty One
15 & 16. A wallpapered file cabinet from flickr user cbb0104

(Images: As credited above, 15 & 16. flickr user cbb0104, used with permission)