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Home Improvement: Home a While, DIY Style

By Family Room Contributors | May 20, 2020

With a few mix-and-match “recipes”, you can take these pieces from classic to current in just a few steps.

Not So Basic After All

I

njecting some personality into furniture pieces that have seen better days, could use a revamp, or are a bit too basic for our tastes is a great DIY project that isn’t too intimidating.

Here, we highlighted IKEA brand products, although these concepts can be applied to any furniture that needs an update or refresher. Because of the quantity of IKEA styles, and the speed with which they’re produced, their design ethos is often very utilitarian and neutral. Choosing some of their popular styles and injecting independent creativity is a sure-fire way to feel independent and adventurous, yet still with that easy, crowd-pleasing aesthetic.

With a few mix-and-match “recipes” — a coat of paint, some updated hardware, and even adding some patterned cushions — you can take these pieces from classic to current in just a few steps.

TEXT AND STYLING BY FAMILY ROOM EDITORIAL TEAM

Olive Garden

Consider a classic bench, updated with masculine, homey touches: a wash of deep green, textural additions like leather handles, and an intricate embroidered seat cover. If upholstering some bench cushions sounds ambitious, this bench will shine without. For an extra pop, paint the inside of the drawers in a denim-y blue or oppositional acid green.

HORNSUND
$199, ikea.com

LEATHER PULLS
$8.90, heirloom142.com

INDOOR/OUTDOOR BENCH CUSHION
$62.64, wayfair.ca

RIPE OLIVE
sherwin-williams.com

Super Fresh Dusty Rose

The new pink is not millennial pink, like you thought: it has a putty-like shade which adds depth, and almost a beigey-peach that feels a lot more sophisticated. Adding in jewelry-like pulls in a verdigris and brass keeps this piece feeling feminine, yet unexpected.

HEMNES
$249, ikea.com

ISOKE KNOB
$28, anthropologie.com

SANDBANK
sherwin-williams.com

Floating Shelves in Grounding Terracotta

The colors we keep seeing have a warmth and earthliness to them, which is no wonder, given the current global state. We’re gravitating towards low-key and soothing shades of cinnamon, taupe, and browns. Here, these shelves get a glamorous yet understated update with a high lacquered terracotta and a quirky-transitional brass bracket.

LACK
$29.99, ikea.com

PANHANDLER BRACKET BRASS
$50, shop.thesocietyinc.com.au

CAVERN CLAY
sherwin-williams.com

English Farmhouse Dresser

A classic mahogany-tinted dresser gets an update using of-the-moment green-blue. Adding in a marble top creates an elevated look, and pairing it with classic oil-rubbed-bronze pulls ensures that it doesn’t feel too trendy.