Turn An Old Dresser Drawer Into A Functional Printer Cabinet For Upcycled Brilliance

Nothing clutters up a creative mind like a messy office space, and nothing clutters up an office space like papers, office equipment, and the associated cables. So, when it's time to decide how to create a home office, a functional printer cabinet is practically obligatory. There is an abundance of options available, but converting an old dresser into storage for your printer is far more aesthetically pleasing (and professional looking) than just plunking it down on a rolling cart. In fact, with the right dresser and some elbow grease, you can give your home office a complete makeover with a beautifully refurbished piece of furniture.

The type of dresser you choose will be the primary factor in how your new storage solution performs — and how much work you'll have to put in to get the style and functionality you're after. Repurposing a dresser into a printer cabinet by reconfiguring the doors or drawers is a relatively easy way to customize it to your needs. You could create a sliding printer tray or modify an existing drawer to do the job.

Adapting or repurposing a dresser you already own will eliminate the hunt for the perfect dresser. If that's the case, planning your conversion operation is your next step. However, if you're hoping to find your perfect dresser-turned-printer-storage by browsing flea markets or thrift stores, you'll want to have a good idea of what you're looking for first to minimize the construction elements. Keep in mind when selecting your furniture piece that you'll need to be able to connect your printer to your power source.

Make sure you have your printer's measurements in hand when you head out shopping. If you're lucky, you'll find a piece that accommodates your machine without any structural modifications. A piece that has at least one door may give you a bit of a head start — although, even if you fall for a dresser made exclusively of drawers, you could still create cabinet-style accessibility. Simply remove the drawers and the associated bracing and hardware, then add a cabinet door in their place and a sturdy plywood floor if needed. (Then, cleverly repurpose those old dresser drawers in another way around your home). Set your printer inside, and it will be discreetly — and easily — hidden away when it's not in use. Add a sturdy riser underneath your machine to provide storage space for extra paper, and bring your printer a little further from the floor.

Another option would be to DIY a sliding pull-out tray to hide the printer in your home office. Install the receiving half of a set of drawer slides to the inside of the cabinet portion of your dresser. Then, add the roller part of the slide to the platform on which your printer will sit. You'll want to make sure the base is sturdy enough to support the weight, so go for a solid piece of wood. Now you've got a tray for your printer that hides away behind a cabinet door and offers easy access. Of course, if you have an existing drawer that's wide and deep enough, you could simply repurpose it.

Reusing an existing drawer requires you to cut the sides of the drawer down and change the way the face of the drawer is mounted. Start by removing the drawer, then take off the face and cut the sides down to just above the sliding mechanism. Re-attach the drawer face to the dresser with hinges on the bottom or the side of the cabinet opening to allow the front to flip down or open out of the way so you can pull your printer out on the slide tray.

The final consideration is your power source. You may decide to cut a small circular hole in the back or side of your dresser or cabinet to channel the cable. Of course, if you don't use your printer all that often — or if it's important to you to preserve the integrity of your dresser — it may make more sense to run a power strip to a sufficient proximity and plug in the printer when you need it.

This stylish way to store your printer adds another decorative element to your office space, not to mention loads of additional storage, which is particularly useful considering that hiding your printer and other accouterment is only one element of creating an orderly and efficient home office. Keeping everything tidy with organizational elements like a paperwork storage organizer you can make from a few dollar tree items will help you create a well-organized working space that feeds your creativity.