Ikea Hack: Ikat Rast Chest

I think by now you know we LOVE Ikea in our home!  I’ve shared how I turned a new stool into a vintage looking piece for our kitchen here and I also shared Ikea in our home reviewing various items we purchased through the years here.  Well, I’m a big lover of Ikea hacks online.

On our last trip to the Swedish superstore, I picked up a Rast three drawer chest.  This piece is plain pine and unfinished – so really the upcycled possibilities are endless and I’ve seen so many fun variations.

Here is the RAST Chest before:

I saw tremendous potential and I thought, at $34.99, was affordable for most budgets.  This piece would be great for a child’s bedroom, bedside tables or as storage in a small space apartment.  It would be perfect upcycled as a cocktail or beverage station for a summer party, too.

To take this piece from plain Jane pine to sleek and sophisticated, I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White, the Khanjali Ikat Stencil by Royal Design Studio and a mixture of Provence Chalk Paint and Antique Gold Stencil Creme.  You can see the full tutorial over on Paint + Pattern here.

I don’t usually use primer with Chalk Paint but with this piece I did.  I wanted to make sure all of those knots didn’t bleed through.  If I was going for a washed effect, and wanted the wood grain, then I wouldn’t have but I wanted this little number to be sleek and sophisticated.

Stenciling is a great way to add character to plain pieces and it is so easy to do.

I’m also really loving mixing some metallic in with matte paint.  This antique gold has become a favorite.  You may remember that I used this color on my Indigo Tablescape for the napkin rings.

The whole piece is sealed with Annie Sloan Clear Wax and buffed to a shine.

Here it is all finished and ready for summertime cocktails:

Here you can see the detailing on the drawer fronts:

The gold shimmers in the sun while the cool blue reminds one of the tranquil ocean on a warm summer’s day.  This Ikat pattern is gorgeous and I could picture it on a wall or even on fun throw pillows.

The pulls are a show stopper.  They are silver beaded knobs from Hobby Lobby.

What do you think of this little Ikea Hack?  Would you give it a whirl?

This piece will be available for sale at our booth at the Vintage Bazaar later this month.

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