I shopped around for new nightstands for awhile. I was having a really hard time finding ones that I liked, until I found these beauties at West Elm.
Unfortunately, we definitely could not afford $300 a piece. Then I found this Ikea hack on Pinterest. It was the solution to my problem and I immediately started planning out how I wanted our nightstands to look.
Here's what I used:
Expedit shelving unit
Expedit drawer insert
these gorgeous knobs from Anthropologie
6" round tapered legs
angle top mounting plate
Minwax stain in Early American
Minwax polyurethane in clear semi-gloss
painters' tape
sponge paint brush
Start by building the shelving unit and drawers, and inserting the drawers according to the instructions provided. If you're going to use different drawer knobs than those provided, leave out the ones that came with the drawers.
Turn the unit upside down and measure out where you want your mounting plate to go; mark with a pencil inside the screw holes. Carefully use a drill to make holes for the screws and attach the mounting plates.
To stain the legs, first tape off around the edge of the metal feet so that you don't get stain on them. Apply as many coats as you like until you get the shade you want; I only did one coat. After the stain is completely dry, apply a few coats of polyurethane to protect the wood from moisture and warping. I stained and sealed the entirety of the exposed wood, including the top where it attaches to the mounting plate.
Once your legs are dry, attach them to your nightstand and put your knobs on.
Now you're done and ready to use your new nightstand! What do you guys think? I seriously am so in love with these! And the best part is, they cost us $140 for both! Here's the cost breakdown: the legs and hardware were $33 a with coupon code, the shelves were $35 (we found one in the as-is section for $15 and it only had one tiny ding in it that ended up on the bottom in the back, so you can't even see it), the drawer inserts were $40, and the knobs were $32 with shipping. We already had the other supplies on hand. Much better than $600 for two! So, what do you guys think?
