I Gave This Spiderweb-Coated Nightstand an Adorable Makeover (I Used Only Leftovers!)

Ashley Poskin
·3-min read
Dresser before being hand painted.
I let this secondhand nightstand I rescued sit in the garage for months before deciding what to do with it. Credit: Ashley Poskin Credit: Ashley Poskin
Vintage dresser before being painted.
Even after giving it a deep clean, I knew it was going to take more than paint to make this thing look cute in my home. Credit: Ashley Poskin Credit: Ashley Poskin
Purple drawer pulls on hand painted dresser.
Flower painted dresser.
I had used the fabric for another project and had just enough left to ModPodge onto this nightstand. Credit: Ashley Poskin Credit: Ashley Poskin
Phone on top of painted nightstand.
I trimmed the excess fabric with a supersharp utility knife. Credit: Ashley Poskin Credit: Ashley Poskin
Purple drawer pulls on hand painted dresser.
I also updated the old handles with a more fun color. I can’t wait to explore covering even more furniture with fabric! Credit: Ashley Poskin Credit: Ashley Poskin

ABOUT THIS BEFORE & AFTER

PROJECT TYPE: Furniture

STYLE: Colorful, Eclectic, Maximalist

SKILL LEVEL: DIY

RENTAL FRIENDLY: Yes

I’m a serial secondhand treasure hunter. If my brother only knew how on-the-nose his nickname for me as a kid would be as an adult. “Trashley” is how I refer to myself every time I drive the Chicago alleys and rescue cute furniture pieces my neighbors don’t want, but that I can see the potential in.

This summer I found a really homely nightstand that was so pitiful that I second- (third-, fourth-, and fifth-) guessed myself after bringing it home. I let it sit in the garage for months before acknowledging it.

Once I’d dusted the spiderwebs and wiped away the years of nicotine and grime off the nightstand with disinfectant spray, I got to work measuring and cutting strips of fabric to give this furniture a makeover. This piece needed a BIG change, and it was going to take more than paint.

Vintage dresser before being painted.
Credit: Ashley Poskin Credit: Ashley Poskin
Flower painted dresser.
Credit: Ashley Poskin Credit: Ashley Poskin

I transformed nightstand with head-to-toe fabric.

I decided to cover it with my very last scrap of House of Hackney Hollyhocks fabric. I had purchased a 2-yard remnant for $40 from a local designer and had already used most of it to make a headboard for our bedroom as well as a book cover, and had been holding on to this last little bit for over a year. The scrap was about 18”x36”, just wide enough to cover the drawer fronts and piece together strips for the legs. It was meant to be.

Because the Hollyhocks pattern is so busy, I wasn’t worried about matching the print, and ended up with just enough fabric to cover everything except for the sides of the back two legs.

Purple drawer pulls on hand painted dresser.
Credit: Ashley Poskin Credit: Ashley Poskin

I also used ModPodge, a utility knife, and a little bit of paint.

I used ModPodge to adhere the fabric and trimmed the excess with a really sharp X-ACTO knife once it had dried. Any fabric that had been covered in ModPodge was really easy to trim and didn’t fray the fabric.

I’m really excited with how this piece turned out — including the hardware that I painted lavender — and can’t wait to explore covering even more furniture with fabric!

Inspired? Submit your own project here.

Further Reading

We Tested (and Rated!) All the Sofas at Ashley — Here Are the Best to Suit Your Style and Space

Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About Article’s DTC Furniture

We Asked 8 Pro Travelers What They Never Pack in Their Carry-On, and Here’s What They Said

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