Before and After: A Quick Under-$10 Project Gives a Plain IKEA HEMNES Some Character

Looking to give your furniture a fresh look for 2022? There are tons of options for changing up the style of wood furniture, including peel-and-stick paper, stain, and (of course!) paint. And while you can go all out with a complete overhaul using any of these materials, you can also use any of them on a smaller scale to shake up the look of your furniture without taking on a giant project.

Case in point: this IKEA HEMNES dresser makeover from DIYer Lorna (@laffsgaff). Lorna started with a plain dresser — “boring plain white drawers that most people have in their homes,” she says.

She wanted to give the piece, which lives in her 4-year-old daughter’s bedroom, a quick makeover that would fit with the rest of the space’s color scheme.

Rather than paint the whole dresser, Lorna decided on a color-blocked design. She used painter’s tape to section off a triangular shape on the front of the dresser before bringing her daughter in to help do the painting. “It was surprisingly successful given the Frog Tape protected the areas that she knew not to paint,” Lorna says. Plus, letting her chip in helped her feel included in the process of redecorating her bedroom (a great way to help young DIYers learn).

Using leftover paint from her daughter’s bedroom (Farrow & Ball’s Cinder Rose) ensured the dresser matched the bedroom exactly — and kept the budget small, too. Another budget saver? Keeping the same knobs, but spray painting them gold. In the end, the only thing Lorna bought new was the Frog Tape (£5, or about $6.84).

Now, the dresser has a completely fresh look with a custom style — not bad for a two-day, under $10 project. Want to follow Lorna’s lead with a small paint upgrade? “Grab some tape and experiment with the patterns you can create,” she advises. “Use leftover paint so it matches your existing interior and makes it budget-friendly, too!”

Inspired? Submit your own project here.