How to Turn Your Cabinets Into Rattan Sideboards
The British newspaper, The Metro, has a weekly series I quite like, “What I Own”. Each week, the Metro is taken on a tour of the home of a new homeowner, and that homeowner tells the paper how they saved up and financed their purchase and how they have been managing their funds since they became homeowners. In the last series, Meg Yapp took the Metro through her home and revealed how she turned an old, wooden Ikea cabinet into a stylish rattan sideboard.
According to the Metro, Yapp bought her home, an old mill cottage in Derbyshire in the United Kingdom, with a £37,500 (approximately $51,400) deposit last year. Since then, she has renovated and decorated her home and transformed it into a gorgeous green and pink paradise. The 26-year old self-described “country girl”, had spent several years living in different cities and had finally decided to return to the country, with her partner Jack, and their two cockapoos, Peach and Ella.
Yapp shares her adventures as a new homeowner on her Instagram account and blog. When her and her partner bought the old mill, it was in a poor state, so there’s been a lot to recount in terms of turning it into something special. One of her latest adventures involved turning two Ikea Ivar cabinets and updating them to suit her contemporary tastes.
She painted the wood and removed a few of the doors, replacing them with cane webbing. The result is absolutely fabulous. It’s not just gorgeous, it’s also cheaper than going out and getting a new sideboard. Typically, a sideboard with a similar design cost about £500. Compare that with the cost of an Ikea cabinet (£45 each). Yapp’s transformation of her Ikea cabinets also involved the use of legs, paint and webbing. On her Instagram account, she shares how you can create the same look as she created. You can get the kinds of legs you want, and the paint of your choosing, all to make the finish more representative of your tastes.
According to Yapp, you will need to get:
- One or more Ikea Ivar cabinets
- Paint
- Paint brush
- Cane webbing (11 feet of 18” wide)
- Legs
- Jigsaw
- Scissors
- Drill with a wood drill part
- Mini roller
- Sand paper
- Staple gun
When you’ve gathered all these things, your instructions are as follows:
- Remove the doors and mark where you’ll cut.
- Drill a hole in each corner. Then, use your jigsaw to cut out the centre of each door. When you’ve finished, sand the doors.
- Paint the frame and doors.
- Cut the cane webbing to the right size and staple it to the backs of the doors. Cut off any excess.
- Attach the legs.
As you can see, the process is straightforward and easy to do. You should remember to leave lots of space for you to staple the cane webbing to the backs of the doors. Regarding the webbing, you must soak the cane webbing in warm water for at least 30 minutes before you staple it. This is so that the cane is flexible and easier to cut. When you are fitting the cane webbing, keep it nice and straight so that it’s a perfect fit.
This is a wonderful story that shows what can be achieved with imagination. Of course, sometimes all your old cabinet needs is kitchen cabinet refinishing to make it look fresh and beautiful!
