Out of the Dark and into the Light

We all went through it, that chocolate wood phase.  And while I have been able to replace some of the cheaper, less sturdy items from that time with some good mid century finds, it is not practical or environmentally friendly to replace everything.  We have a set of these nightstands from West Elm (discontinued) scored years ago via Craigslist.  And while I have grown tired of the color as we have lightened up the rest of the wood furniture in our bedroom, they remain incredibly useful mini dressers.  So instead of replacing them, it was time for a hack.

Now I am always up for a furniture refinishing challenge, but as a working mom with no garage or workshop, often have to make sure my projects can be completed within a few hours. So those were my parameters for updating these chocolate bars.  I had thought about possible painting them, but then became inspired by some things I found in the One Spot at Target.

So with some wrapping paper that reminded me of this iconic wallpaper pattern from Ferm Living and a bit of Modge Podge (first time user), I lightened up this bad boy to get me through the years until I can reach my goal of a capsule wardrobe (easier said than done, but this is my inspiration of one well done).  Now the thing with working in kraft paper and Modge Podge is that it is nearly impossible to get it completely smooth, even with a brayer, which I used.  But in natural light you don't really notice the bubbles unless you are really looking for them.



The nice thing about this hack is that it won't be too hard to sand the paper off if I ever decide to take the time and paint these nightstands.  I have an idea about painting them the same color as the wall, but will wait in case I get the urge (ok, let's be real, act on the urge I already have) to repaint our bedroom. So what do you think? Not perfect, but hopefully an improvement over last decades fad color.