My DIY Ikea Hack of a Hemnes Cabinet

I’ve been hankering after a tall black cabinet with a white interior for quite some time. Somewhere to display all those little knick-knacks that I’ve collected over the years. Holiday souvenirs, favourite books, family memories, and little personal things that tell the history of my life. It had to be black because well, it’s a colour that goes with my personal style. Black also has more substance and weighty presence in a room I find. And it had to have a white interior so that all of my little treasures stood out in sharp relief. But as with anything else, when you look around for something specific it’s either hard to find or too expensive.

So, not one to give up too easily I decided to create my own bespoke cabinet using a white Ikea Hemnes cabinet and just simply paint the outside black. It does come in black but I figured it would be easier to paint the exterior from white to black than paint the interior from black to white.

If you are going to do this yourself you will need lots of frog tape to ensure sharp lines where inside and out meet. I’d also advise sanding the parts to be painted lightly and using a roller to get an even effect.

The wallpaper came later and used up some leftovers from when we decorated the kitchen. It was okay just black and white but I think the patterned wallpaper takes it to a whole new level. Instead of monochrome and modern it now looks slightly aged and so much more interesting. And my bits and bobs still stand out nicely. You could of course, use a different wallpaper for each shelf making it a lot more boho and eclectic.

Adding the wallpaper has also brought the two rooms together. It’s always nice to have some common thread running through all of the rooms in the house and my thread is fast becoming green and tropical.

Disclaimer: I bought the Ikea Hemnes cabinet over a year ago and it now seems it only comes with a glazed top and panelled doors on the bottom half. Still nice though.

 

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