DIY IKEA TARVA DRESSER | NURSERY PROJECT

When I was shopping for dressers for the nursery, while pregnant, I couldn’t quite find what I was looking for. I wanted something neutral, modern, maybe white or a light wood, and something that didn’t break the bank. Everything I found was $1000+ (including this one I had been eyeing) and I just wasn’t ready to be that spendy.

Enter the Ikea Tarva dresser, a quick internet search for DIY’s and with the help of my parents, we turned this basic $200 piece into something extra special. I’d love to share how we did it if you’d like to see…

What I loved about this dresser to begin with, is that it’s solid wood. I knew I’d be able to change it up easily, and know that it’s going to last a long time (especially with child wear-and-tear to come 😉 ). We started off by assembling the dresser, which was probably the worst part–as it usually is with Ikea items–but worth the labour (thanks Dad!).

From there, I filled in the knob holes with wood filler, sanded that down the next day, and my Mom and I painted the drawer fronts white. I wanted long brushed gold handles, but the holes didn’t line up with the current ones, so once the drawer fronts were dry, my Dad measured and drilled two holes in each to fit the new pulls.

SEE THE FULL NURSERY TOUR HERE

Next, we removed the drawers to paint the fronts, white washed the rest & once dry, drilled the holes for new handles.

I used a white wash paint for the top, sides, legs and front of the dresser (with drawers removed), which really softened the look of the pine. In fact, it almost matches perfectly to the crib we chose, which is made of beautiful beechwood. I didn’t bother doing the inside of the dresser, however, you could, but TBH, it doesn’t bother me.

The last step was to secure the dresser to the wall. The dresser comes with attachments to do this, but to create a more streamlined finish, my Dad used the original knobs with the attachments to make it look nicer should anyone peak behind there (such a great, innovative idea). We did this while I was still pregnant, and I honestly thought we could do it at a later date but my parents insisted. Now that Hendrix is 16 months old (and constantly opening & pulling on his drawers), I’m so thankful we did it then because as they say, time flies (and there is little time to get much done once baby arrives!).

D R E S S E R D I Y M A T E R I A L S :
IKEA DRESSER | BRUSHED GOLD HANDLES | WOOD FILLER | SANDING SPONGE | WHITE WASH PAINT | OPAQUE WHITE PAINT

If DIY isn’t your thing, here are a few dressers below that caught my eye & would be beautiful in any space.

Hope you girls are having a great week! xo


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