Sunday, January 10, 2016

IKEA Rast Dog Bed


The internet has taught me that redoing IKEA furniture is not a makeover; it's a "hack." :) So here is my IKEA hack using the Rast chest of drawers:

When I adopted two small dogs, I wanted to provide them with a cozy bed in my bedroom. However, the only appropriate space in the small room was occupied by a Rast chest of drawers. I didn't want to get rid of the chest and lose the drawer space. Then I remembered that sitting in my basement were some of the cabinets I had taken out of my kitchen. Upper cabinets are 12" deep, the same as the Rast. Hmm...

None of the cabinets was exactly the right width, but one was pretty close. It might just work...

The thing might even end up vaguely resembling one of those "chest on chest" style pieces.

I painted the chest and the cabinet with black latex paint in a matte sheen.

The general idea was to set the Rast on top of the cabinet. To keep the whole thing from being ridiculously tall, I cut a few inches off the sides of the Rast (essentially, I eliminated the toe kick).

I had cut a piece of plywood to fit the top of the cabinet. I turned the shortened Rast upside down and attached it to the plywood with screws.

I righted the Rast, placed it on top of the cabinet, and attached it with screws through the plywood. To cover the edges of the plywood, I glued on some wood trim.

I added the same trim around the top of the Rast.

I painted the plywood and trim matte black.

Using the same black paint in a semi-gloss sheen, I stenciled a design on the sides of the piece and on the drawer fronts.

For knobs, I combined the plain wood knobs that came with the Rast with wood bat shapes I'd purchased at a craft store.

I simply drilled a hole in each shape for the screw to go through.

I painted the bats and knobs with silver (brushed nickel) spray paint. I poked the screws through the top of a cardboard box and loosely attached the knobs, allowing me to spray the tops and all around the sides easily.

I attached the silver knobs to the drawers.

I added a cushion made of memory foam inside a pillowcase.

Then, with the addition of a blanket, the dog bed was complete. Nook loves her cozy little nook. :D
Oooh, look, shiny bats!

I used the same gloss-over-matte technique on a chest of drawers and a dresser.

32 comments:

  1. Absolutely in owe of this it a wonderful idea, on how to hack an ikea pice.

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  2. My favorite is the stenciled drawer pattern.

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    1. I'm really happy with how the stenciling turned out :D

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  3. This is absolutely genius! I love the pattern and cute little bat knobs! <3

    unknownprettylies.blogspot.com

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  4. That is such a chic and functional dog house! Now to get them to use it and not just jump on your feet or head, haha.

    I didn' t know there was a part of a chest of drawers called a toe kick. Seems appropriate to me, given how many times I stub my toes!

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    1. Ha ha... so true. They do like to jump on my bed! But Nook, true to her name, really loves being in the cabinet. She takes her chew sticks in and happily gnaws away. :)

      "Toe kick" is a very apt name indeed!

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  5. Your little dog looks adorable in his new bed. Such a great idea!

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  6. Fantastic, I love it! You have such a gift with this kind of thing. :-)

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    1. Thanks so much! I do love me some upcycling. :D

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  7. Bane, you never cease to amaze me! This is awesome!!! We've been trying to figure out how to do something like this for a corner litter box. I'm tired of looking at the damned thing! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. <3

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    1. Thank you! Hmm... for a corner... How about one of those roundish or octagonal end table/cabinets with the door removed? I see them in thrift stores frequently, often in pairs. They should be roomy enough for a litter box (I remember hiding in ours when I was a kid!). You could stack two and/or add some decorative corner shelves above it for balance.

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    2. Good idea, especially since Moo is used to using a covered potty. I'm so tired of seeing the litter pan in the corner! Maybe we can find something larger for her big kitty butt? hehehe ... thanks Bane.

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  8. What a lovely project. You are so creative!

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  9. The bed/drawer looks really beautiful! I adore your sense of style. :D

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  10. This is gorgeous! I may have to use this idea in the future. I have two small/medium dogs who love comfy spaces and one in particular that likes to burrow. This would be perfect for her!

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    1. Thank you very much! Nook is a burrower, too. :)

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  11. Where did you find that stencil? I have been looking for a stencil like that for ages and cannot find one anywhere I've looked.

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    1. It was a Stencil Ease Victorian Baroque Wall and Floor Stencil. It's available on Amazon.com.

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