Homes

Chest of drawers makeover

Maximum impact, minimum effort.

Using any item of furniture – with lots of drawers – can work. (We found this guy above for cheap at a local thrift store!) All you need are some test pots of paint for a few bucks each.

For colour inspiration, it can be as easy as grabbing a paint swatch with at least as many colours on it as your number of drawers.

Whether you go bright and playful or moody and muted, it’s definitely one of those everybody-gravitates-towards projects (You don’t even have to tape things off while painting). Just remove each drawer, take off the hardware, stand it on a drop cloth so the front faces up, and apply a thin coat of stain-blocking primer, followed by two thin and even coats of paint, with a small foam roller.

HOT TIP:  On the subject of painting, to say that we’re fans of a high-quality, short-handled 5cm angled brush for cutting in or painting moulding and trim is the understatement of the century. The control that it can give you is unbelievable and it can literally cut your trim painting time in half.

Extracted from Young House Love by Sherry and John Petersik (Artisan Books, $49.99).

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