DIY Modern IKEA Tarva Hack

When I revealed Emerson's nursery a few months back, everyone kept asking how we DIY'ed the IKEA Tarva dresser in her room. So I'm finally getting around to laying out the step-by-step of how we did it!

The thing I really love about the Tarva is that it comes unfinished and is designed to be customized and jazzed up. I've seen several really awesome and inspired creations using the Tarva and I love that IKEA is creating products specifically for people who love customizing furniture.

See the full DIY after the jump!

What You'll Need

6-Drawer IKEA Tarva Dresser

CabinetCoat Paint in Satin White

6 2-packs of Round Wood Cabinet Knobs

4 5.5" Tapered Legs
Brackets for Legs
Plywood

How We Did It 

1. Assemble the dresser and leave the dresser drawers out. Give it all a light sanding (this isn't totally necessary, but I think the finish is nicer if you do).
2. If you want to use tapered legs, cut a piece of high quality plywood into a 59"X14" rectangle to screw under the dresser. Attach is to the underside of the dresser using screws, placing them approx. every 10 inches.

2. Paint one coat of CabinetCoat paint in Satin White on the dresser sides and drawers. Let it dry for 6-8 hours. 

3. Paint another coat of CabinetCoat paint and let it fully dry/cure 24 hours. 

4. In the meantime, stain the top of the dresser, the knobs and legs with Minwax Natural Wood Finish.
5. Once the wood pieces are the shade you like, cover them with several coats of clear Polyurethane (we used 4 coats), lightly sanding with a fine grit sandpaper in between each coat. 

6. Using the hardware IKEA provides, attach this thing to your wall. Please just do it. ESPECIALLY if you're using in a nursery or have kids.

And here's our nursery tour that has all the sources listed of stuff we used in this room! And as always, let me know of any questions or any future DIY's you'd like to see in the comments!

DIY IKEA Hack Modern Wall Shelf

Our bathroom renovation started right before Emerson was born and our pre-baby goal was to have a bathtub installed and the shower tiling complete. Rich finished both of them in a few weekends (at almost 8 months pregnant I was zero help) and then we took a break for awhile.

Now fast forward a few months and baby Emmi LOVES bath-time and we spend a ton of time in this bathroom. So I wanted to get a few things on the walls to make the space feel a little more finished. IKEA to the rescue. This DIY is SO simple and only takes a few minutes total to complete- which is my kinda DIY project as of late.

See the DIY and instructions after the jump! 

Okay so you only need TWO things from IKEA for this project:

EKBY HEMNES shelf in white stain

SANNOLIKT curtain rod set

Screw the two wall brackets that come with the SANNOLIKT rod set to the wall, about 24 inches apart. Then place the EKBY shelf over top. Boom. You're done. Now decorate that thing. Ridiculously easy, right?

And here's a peek at the amazing tile job that Rich completed in the shower. It's a herringbone pattern with white subway tile and white grout that I just LOVE.