I left the dowels and glue to dry for about half an hour and then drilled some holes in the middle to attach the gold handles. A small bedside table is perfect if you simply need somewhere to place your phone. If you want enough space for bedside lamps, candles, plants or other decorative items – then you should be looking at bigger bedside tables with larger surface areas and maybe even storage space beneath. Bedside cabinets have small cupboards or drawers where you can store additional items out of sight.

Measure and cut the stripwood. Starting with the drawer fronts, measure the width and cut down x2 stripwood into the given length. Keep in mind that the drawer front is a different size to the top of the unit.

Get inspired with these IKEA Malm dresser hack examples

I then measured out the remaining space and starting from the bottom, cut the length of half dowels with a 45-degree edge and then measured from top to bottom to cut the corresponding half dowel. I did this until it covered the whole drawer. I measured the height of the drawers and cut 7 half dowels for each drawer Making sure they fit! Creating the pattern Happy with the results! This took a bit of trial and error (note to self, buy a miter box! ), but once I was happy with how the pattern looked, I then glued the dowels onto the drawer using No More Nails. A little bit of glue to hold the dowels in place Practicalities aside, you’ll also want to choose a nightstand which suits your interior taste. A bedroom is a truly personal space where you can express your style freely – so it’s worth finding a bedside table that truly captures the look you wish to accentuate. A nightstand should look great beside your bed, so browse the IKEA selection for one that would look right at home in your own bedroom. I loved the wood pattern on the drawers so decided to do something similar, painting the rest of the bedside tables green and using gold handles to add a bit of luxury detailing. Can You Paint Ikea Furniture? I love to upcycle furniture so I decided to keep the bedside tables as there was nothing wrong with them. They were sturdy, and a good size and it would have been a waste of money to try and resell them and buy new ones.

Optional step: you can either keep the wood as is or dye the wood to a different tone. If you do choose to dye the wood, dab a cloth with the dye each time, rub it into the wood and leave to dry (we gave them two coats). They were easy to attach, I just drilled some holes in the bottom of the bedside tables and screwed them in. Easily screwed into the bottom of the tables. Standing pretty Bedside Table with Drawers If you’re planning to paint an Ikea piece, it’s important to first clean it thoroughly and then sand it lightly to help the paint adhere better. It’s also a good idea to use a primer before painting to ensure a smooth and even finish. Repeat the last 3 steps for the top of the unit. And et voila, you’ve got your very own upcycled Ikea Malm unit. Finally, I wanted the wood half dowels to be a bit darker and more of an oak color. I bought some Ronseal Satin Dark Oak varnish and gave the drawers a few coats. Ronseal Dark Oak You can see the difference immediately First coat on First coat, you can see the difference between the 2 drawersFirst of all, I took the drawers out and lightly sanded the table and drawers to give them a smooth finish. I then cleaned the table with sugar soap and applied a wood primer. Simply painting the units a mohogony color can give it a retro feel, but adding these handles gives it some authenticity. Naylasmith.com This Malm makeover delivers a boho feel… Now for the creative and fun part! Using a tape measure, pencil and saw, I cut 7 half dowels to match the length of the drawers and sandpapered the edges.

Storage & organisation Furniture Textiles Kitchenware & tableware Kitchens Lighting Decoration Rugs, mats & flooring Beds & mattresses Baby & children Smart home Bathroom products Laundry & cleaning Plants & plant pots Home electronics Home improvement Outdoor living Food & beverages Christmas Shop Shop by room You can use a variety of paints for Ikea furniture, including spray paint, chalk paint, or latex paint. Just make sure to choose a paint that is appropriate for the material you’re painting and the look you want to achieve. Painting the IKEA bedside tables Once the paint had dried, I decided to add feet to elevate the tables. To begin with, I wasn’t going to do this, but I felt the bedside table with drawers still looked like a cheap box without the addition of some legs! Whether your style is traditional or modern, bold or minimalistic – you'll find a nightstand that complements your bed at IKEA. Bedside cabinets

Style and taste – a traditional or modern bedside table?

Start with sanding. Remove drawers and lightly sand down the surfaces/drawer edges using light sandpaper. However, I realized it was too similar a color to our bed so decided to go for a lighter green, Dulux Midnight Garden, to help the bedside tables stand out more. Using a small roller brush, I initially painted the drawers dark green… Sustainability: Repurposing, upcycling and painting Ikea furniture is an environmentally friendly way to reduce waste and extend the life of products. Prepare with primer. Using a white multi-surface primer, paint the whole unit on the sections which will be visible. You can paint the inside as well if you wish, but it’s not necessary.

Changing the color adds a sense of uniqueness. Customise the color of your IKEA cabinets to match it to your existing furniture, or even your room decor. This example does this fantastically well. scandinaviangrey Add an handle to make it more convenient… Winter holidays Furniture Storage & organization Beds & mattresses Kitchen & appliances Home textiles Lighting Baby & kids Home décor Kitchenware & tableware Rugs, mats & flooring Bathroom Outdoor Plants & planters Home electronics Pet accessories Home improvement Laundry & cleaning Smart home IKEA Food & Swedish restaurant Home AccessoriesMany Ikea products are made from materials that can be painted, such as wood, metal, and plastic. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the material of the furniture will affect the type of paint and preparation needed for the best results. Our IKEA bedside tables have always let our bedroom down. I would paint the walls, put up wallpaper and decorate the bedroom with art, patterned bedding and rugs and our bedside tables would stand out like a sore thumb. Once the primer was dry, I then painted the tables and drawers. Initially, I went with Valspar Blue Jade as we had some of this paint left over and I thought the dark teal color would be perfect for our bedroom. Practicalities aside, you’ll also want to choose a nightstand that suits your interior taste. A bedroom is a truly personal space where you can express your style freely – so it’s worth finding a bedside table that truly captures the look you wish to accentuate. A nightstand should look great beside your bed, so browse the IKEA selection for one that would look right at home in your own bedroom. Whether your style is traditional or modern, bold or minimalistic – you'll find a nightstand that complements your bed at IKEA. Bedside cabinets with drawers