Since the nursery doesn’t have a closet, we really needed a dresser–which is actually completely fine because I, personally, prefer itty bitty clothes in drawers anyway. Our friends bought the 6-drawer Tarva dresser from Ikea and it didn’t fit in their space so we offered to buy it from them after our local Craigslist was turning up dry in the dresser department for months. We absolutely loved this dresser, that we included in our mood board for the nursery:
But at over $3,000, it was so comically out of the realm of possibility we began to set out a plan to DIY our own version and the Tarva turned out to be the perfect starting point.
Executing this little makeover was pretty easy and the whole thing (including the dresser!) cost us just over $200–or, what 95% less than the inspiration dresser? Okay!
We picked up a 1×6 (for the bottom) and a 1×4 (for the top)–both poplar boards from Home Depot. I broke out a ruler, looked at the inspiration dresser and drew the design on each board and then Chris cut them out with a jig saw and sanded them smooth.
When it came time to attach the trim to the dresser, we were able to screw in the bottom piece from the back by first pre-drilling holes (making our wood less likely to split):
And then laying the dresser on its front and driving screws through the back, making the screws invisible.
For the top piece, we pre-drilled holes as well and drove the screws in from underneath:
From this point, I gave the dresser and drawer fronts a coat of Zinsser’s Bull’s Eye Zero Primer and two coats of Benjamin Moore’s (Aura line in satin) Sage Tint–the prettiest neutral mint. I lightly sanded, using a 200 grit sanding block between the first and second coat of paint and it left the dresser with such a smooth finish. Don’t skip that step.
While we were picking up boards at Home Depot, I also spotted these antique brass knobs that I thought would look good with some of the plans we have for the rest of the room.
So there you have it, a couple small details that really amped up the typical Tarva dresser. We’re so pleased with the way it turned out and can’t wait to pack it full of little tiny clothes.
Was the paint latex or oil based?
latex
Great idea! Did you use a coat of poly at all or just paint and primer? Thanks!
I did put a coat of poly on it!
[…] and Julia of Chris Loves Julia “amped up” an unfinished six-drawer dresser from IKEA and turned it into the piece they’d […]
Sorry, I know it’s been a year since you posted this and I hope your little one is doing great. Logistics question: we’re looking at the Tarva for a baby dresser/changing table, but most of the changing pads out there are wider than the Tarva, can you share if it’s been a good fit?
Yes, I was wondering the same thing. It seems that the dimensions are too narrow for a changing pad. Does anyone know if the changing pad will fit?
The dresser is moved out about an inch from the wall and the trim we added to the front holds a standard changing pad in place. Hope that helps!
Gorgeous project! Was wondering… did you use a paint brush or paint roller to apply the paint? I’ve never painted furniture before so any painting tips would be much greatly appreciated.
Many thanks!!
A small foam roller worked great!