Breathe New Life Into Your IKEA HEMNES With This Simple And Stunning Wood Trim DIY

Whether you're a DIY aficionado or simply a homeowner on a budget, you have likely browsed the long maze that is IKEA. While many people who outfitted their college apartments with IKEA furniture may now, as adults, turn up their noses to the idea of adding IKEA products to their home, there are actually many items that can make designing your home not only cheaper, but easier. Of course, there are items to stay away from when shopping at the megastore, but with a little bit of love and attention, you can take some really great IKEA products and make them look über-expensive. 

Some of us may already have the IKEA HEMNES dresser in our rooms — in fact, it is one of the three best-selling dressers at IKEA – and while it is quite pleasing on its own, many have found ways to take the simple design up a notch. If you are ready to truly transform your dresser, Designed to the Nines on YouTube shared a DIY project that she did to her IKEA HEMNES dresser that turned the $400 bedroom staple into a Pottery Barn look-alike. Adding some wood trim to the drawer fronts, replacing the knobs, and painting it a fresh color will transform your dresser and make picking out clothes each morning just a bit more beautiful.

Following the lead of Designed to the Nines, the first step to upgrading your dresser is to remove its current knobs, measure the length and width of the drawer faces, and cut as many of the trim pieces as you'll need using a saw. Use a miter saw if you want the angled edges of a miter joint instead of the squared-off butt joints shown in the video. Outline each drawer face with trim starting at the top, making sure it's level, then nail trim to one side, along the bottom, and the other side. This method — rather than in order of top, bottom, sides — works better because it's easier to fit each piece and leads to less gapping in the frame. 

Add more detail with a second, smaller trim layered inside the border. Then, fill all gaps and nail holes with wood putty. After it dries, sand the putty smooth as well as the existing finish. Prime and paint the entire dresser in the color of your choosing. Finally, replace the knobs with new ones.

If this project feels a bit intense for your skill level, Designed to the Nines shared a few tips to make it easier, including using a brad nailer, a battery-powered nail gun like this Amazon one that is great for drilling small, thin nails like this project calls for and leads to faster installation. She also swears by covering your clothes with plastic wrap rather than emptying all of your drawers for the painting stage.

If you are now staring at your IKEA HEMNES dresser daydreaming about ways to make it feel more personal to your individual style, you're in luck. Even if the idea of cutting wood sends you running, there are simpler hacks that can transform the dresser in the same dramatic way. Adding a decorative material to the drawer fronts creates a unique piece that will have guests wondering where you got that gorgeous piece of furniture. 

For a rustic look, try this pole wrap from Home Depot for about $80 or rattan webbing from Amazon for $35. If rustic is not your style, embrace just about any design using wallpaper or peel-and-stick tile. This cream and green floral wallpaper from Home Depot for about $36 gives cozy cottage vibes, while this hexagon-shaped peel-and-stick tile from Amazon for less than $15 feels very modern.

If even pole wrap or peel-and-stick tile is a bit much for your DIY skills, just a bit of paint and a quick change of the knobs can create a stunning new look. Designed to the Nines used these crystal knobs from Amazon to give her dresser some fancy flair, but you can also use rattan knobs like these from Amazon for about $20 for a Boho look or these gold Amazon finds for $25 for a more classic style. So, next time you feel the need to buy new furniture, consider taking what you have and turning it into something new instead.