IKEA Office Drawer Makeover {Mod Podge}
I’m loving this IKEA Office Drawer Makeover!
It’s time to get craftin’ around here a bit more. I have been spending the last few weeks really cleaning out my craft room and getting it organized. It’s getting to be pretty awesome. Now all that remains is plowing through some projects so that I can clear off the bed, since the room is also technically a guest room.
I’ve had this little drawer organizer for over 10 years. It’s one of the first things I ever bought from IKEA, and it’s one of the only things I’ve bought from there that did not require assembly. I LOVE assembling IKEA furniture. I’m weird like that.
I decided that since we are going to be in this house until our kids are grown and in college, it’s time to commit to spiffing this thing up. I also organized all of my office stuff, and purged a lot, so it’s much more feasible to use this in a logical way. The little orange tabs you see above are what I used to temporarily label the drawers while I pondered what to do with this thing.
You may or may not have seen my sewing & crafting organizers, but this is the same fabric. Here’s my before and after; below you’ll see a bit about my process. Doesn’t it look soooo much cooler?!
To prepare the fabric, I measured the width of the drawers. I know that fabric tends to stretch a bit when you use it with Mod Podge, but I also wanted a wrap around on the drawers, so I added about 1/2 inch to the measurement. I pressed my fabric in the middle of the pattern- you can see the crease below. Then I measured the height of the drawers and cut very precisely. I actually had to do this twice because I messed up and Mod Podged a piece on upside down. Whoops. Note: once you put the fabric on, it’s never going to be the same, so if you mess up, you mess up. It’s best to have extra fabric for this project, unless you are perfect in every way. Ha.
I knew that I’d be working on this in spurts, so I labeled the pieces of fabric with the corresponding drawer and also an arrow to remind me which was way up. To do this, I used tailor’s chalk so it just brushed off before I Mod Podged. I didn’t want to leave anything to chance- that’s dangerous for me.
To attach the pieces, I applied a layer of MP to half of the drawer face, pressed the fabric down, and gave it a good rub down. Then I did the other side. Before the MP dried, I also poked a hole where the drawer pulls would go back in later. I just used a sharp pair of scissors. On the right, below, you can see the little bit of fabric that wrapped around the edge. These were stubborn- I had to hold them down for about 30 seconds while the MP did it’s work. I coated the top of the fabric with two coats of MP.
For the top, I measure the fabric and cut to size. There’s a metal trim, and the fabric stretched over it, so after it dried completely I used an exacto knife and trimmed it off. I coated the top with Hard Coat Mod Podge, and then sprayed acrylic sealer on it (just one coat) so that it wouldn’t be tacky on the top where I am putting some often-used supplies.
The drawers I labeled with vellum so that the pattern of the fabric wouldn’t be interrupted. I just love it.
Click here to see all of my Mod Podge projects!
Here’s the before and after again:
Also, you may have noticed my sewing machine cords back there on the left. I stuck two 3M Command Strips to the wall and I hang my sewing machine cords on them. That way, when I’m not using my machine and it’s covered up, the cords aren’t under the table getting in the way. Genius, right?! :)
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i love the fabric! what a difference. wondering what I can do with some Mod Podge around my place.
Thank you, Wendy! It’s definitely an adventure with Mod Podge. Let me know if you need any tips!
Looks great! Love the fabric choice! Such a great way to transform furniture.
Thanks, Kristen! I sometimes wonder if my entire house might end up Mod Podged.
Such a great makeover, and I agree with the commenter above, great fabric choice!
Thank you, Amy! That means a lot coming from an official Mod Podger!
Wow, what a beautiful makeover. I’ve done a lot of decoupaging but I have not yet tackled fabric. You’ve inspired me and I’m going to start looking for a fabric decoupage project.
That’s awesome, Peg! And thanks for commenting! Fabric is definitely different than paper or other mediums, so be sure to play around with it before you start. Let me know if you have any questions, too!
i LOVE how this turned out. i have this brown ugly cabinet we use for the kids craft closet that sits in the playroom. it’s getting a fresh coat of paint and THIS treatment!! thanks for sharing!!
I hope you can share with me when it’s done- I’d love to link up!
Please do share where you got the fabric!! It would go perfectly with the colors I have going in my craft room! (pretty please with a cherry on top!!) wink
Hi Jenny! I live in San Diego and I believe I got the fabric at a Home Fabrics store in Clairemont. I haven’t seen it anywhere else, but I also haven’t shopped for fabric lately. Hope you can find it!
I just LOVE this project! I’ve never used Mod Podge before but I feel absolutely compelled to do so now
Thanks, Emma! I love it, too- it’s such a fun piece now. I encourage you to try Mod Podge- I started out with a love-hate relationship with it, and now it’s just love.
Sweet! I’d love to try this some day.
LOVE this idea and love this look! Very nice.
would this work on compressed wood? i am so ready to go buy some fabric! i got MP already but have only done small projects w it…
I’m so sorry I missed this! I think it would work on compressed wood just fine- just work slowly and carefully. Let me know how it turns out!
Genius! Just now seeing this and I love it!
Thanks, Danielle! I need to get some better pics up of it- but right now it’s buried in this room with all of our bathroom stuff- ha!
What type of Mod Podge did you use? Just regular? Glossy or matte? The semester is almost over and I’m looking forward to having time to be creative!
Hi Carly! I think I used glossy for most of it. I do remember that I put one coat of “Hard Coat” on the very top since I knew I was going to be putting things on top of it. And I also sprayed the top with acrylic sealer so it wouldn’t be tacky/sticky. Let me know what you do- I’d love to see!
Love the idea – and the fabric, too! =) I have never really covered anything in fabric because I am always afraid of what might happen after a few months, but that’s probably because we don’t have mod podge in Germany. Too bad, I would love to try it now!
PS You are not the only weird person who loves assembling IKEA furniture!
Thank you, Anja! I’ve found that the fabric is holding up. I also did a coffee table with fabric and mod podge, and it’s holding up surprisingly well. The trim I put on has seen better days but the fabric itself looks just the same. I bet you could get some Mod Podge through Amazon. And I’m so glad to know someone else loves assembling IKEA.