IKEA® furniture is ideal for customizing with a little creativity.
My kid was moving into a new apartment and needed a nightstand. With a short time frame, I couldn’t search for an appropriate vintage piece much less complete a makeover. However, IKEA® had a basic nightstand I knew I could do something special with before the move.
Here’s where I started.
This is the IKEA® Knarrevik table. Super simple to put together but very basic. With my passion for remaking furniture, I wouldn’t be satisfied to just hand this over as is. I wanted to make it unique.
My kid is a drummer.
As a consequence, I’ve been stashing away broken drumsticks hoping to create something cool for him. A light bulb went off. I could use these to embellish the table!
I cut all the sticks to the same length.
Using one of my favorite tools — my compound miter saw (aka chop saw) — I cut the sticks in groups. I removed the tip ends as that is where most of the sticks had shattered. Why the painter’s tape? It helps prevent splintering along the cut line.
A perfect pile of wooden dowels!
To smooth the rough edges, I hand-sanded the raw ends with a bit of 220-grit sandpaper. Now they were ready to accent this table.
Time for the glue!
I placed the rods evenly between the top of the table and the shelf on three sides, leaving spaces for visual interest. After applying E6000® glue, I taped the rods in place since clamps wouldn’t really work in this case. Once the glue dried, I crossed my fingers and removed the tape.
Not bad for broken drumsticks!
Now my kid has a distinctive nightstand with a nod to one of his passions. While I’m always in favor of remaking old furniture if possible, sometimes circumstances require a quick IKEA® hack!
More from my workshop next week. Direct any Qs about items on my blog to my contact page and follow me on Instagram (@serendipitysequelsmn).