furniture upcycling

Spoonflower staffer Caitlin Topham of the modern quilting blog Salty Oat shares how she gave an old bedside table new life with paint and Spoonflower’s new Woven Peel and Stick Wallpaper.

A few years ago, before moving to North Carolina, I bought a bedside table at a thrift store for $10 (you can see proof of it on my blog here). While the table was solid and sturdy and generally in great shape, I knew from the start that I wanted to give it a makeover.

Fast forward two years and three moves later, and I was finally ready to do something about it. I hemmed and hawed about what color to paint it, but after seeing this amazing dresser makeover, I knew I’d found my palette: robin’s egg blue and black.

To start with, I removed the hardware, sanded the entire bedside table down, washed it with warm soapy water, and, once dry, primed it white.

Next, I spray painted the table using an aqua blue spray paint I’d picked up at the hardware store, applying two to three coats in each section. I had to be careful to keep the coats light and even, to avoid having the paint run down the sides.

To revive the sad-looking drawer pull, I spray painted it black.

To add more personality to the piece and make it unique, I decided to line the drawer and inside shelf with Spoonflower’s peel and stick wallpaper. I pored over all of the choices available, and eventually settled on Ninaribena’s black and white raindrops. I loved the bold, graphic nature of the design and thought it’d work well with the table.

First, I cleaned out the inside of the drawer with soapy water and measured it, to determine how much wallpaper I’d need. For a single drawer, I needed a 15″ x 15″ section of wallpaper. Since I was using the same pattern for the inside of the table, the safest bet was to buy a roll of peel and stick wallpaper.

Next, I cut a 30″ x 30″ portion of the remaining roll into four rectangles using a rotary cutter and cutting mat. Each rectangle was sized to fit the back, sides, and bottom of the shelf. I applied one side at a time, being sure the print ran in the right direction each time. Whenever possible, I also tried to match up the raindrops along the edges to make the design as seamless as possible.

I am so, so happy with the end results—I now have a completely unique piece, and love how it adds a pop of color and a bit of whimsy to the side of our bed.

About Our Guest Blogger

When she’s not working behind the scenes at Spoonflower, sourcing fabric, Caitlin can be found quilting in her home studio or blogging over at Salty Oat.