Quantcast

Bower Power

· 115 Comments

Tale of Two Dressers

Uncategorized

Weston’s room is like a snail.  A snail with chains on it’s slimy little body…if that’s possible.

We want to get this thing finished before LJ arrives (as well as the laundry room) so that means I have got to really stop mulling over decisions wondering if I am doing the best thing and just do SOMEthing.

First…Weston needed storage.  We have great amounts of closet space for the boys so naturally, I filled up Weston’s closet with craft stuff, wrapping paper stuff and just old randoms.  I need to purge in there.

But until that happens (ahemnever), we needed storage.  When I saw that the Hemnes dresser at Ikea was on sale, I jumped.  Actually there was no jumping involved…it was lifting, laughing, sliding, falling, and heaving…but no jumping.  I got both big AND HEAVY boxes in my car…as well as a bookcase, frames, kids, and a stroller.

And then came my favorite part…assembly.

I don’t know why people don’t like assembling Ikea stuff…is it the stick figure instructions?  is it the number of assembly parts?  is it the sheer hours involved?  Because frankly…I love it.  I would totally become one of the Ikea assembly people.  The ones you can pay to put your stuff together.  It really is so fun to me…maybe because there are no dirty diapers or crying or saying “NO THROWING” for the millionth time.

And I have one of the best listeners as my co-worker…

So after all that quiet time, I scooted the dresser into place to see that…whomp whomp…doesn’t work.

I am CRAZY sensitive to undertones…and this just wasn’t fly for a white guy…err…dresser.  See how the trim is bright white?  And the dresser is more of a creamy white?

Not grown sexy.  (that’s a Bachelor wedding thing Pappap)

So what did I do?  Decided to unassembled?  Sell on Craigslist?  paint it?

Oh no no no.  I moved the creamy white dresser into Will’s room (where the lighting tends to warm up his trim as well as the wall color) and drove back to the Scandinavian superstore (THE HOUR and A HALF DRIVE) and huffed and puffed and burned Ikea down.  Not really.  I just picked up the exact same dresser in black/brown.

It is so much better.  And since it is the same color as Weston’s borrowed crib…it works.  I just put it in a different spot…across the room to provide some balance in the room as a whole.

I also hung up some curtains.  I took them out of the guest bathroom where they were a place-holder-shower-curtain and put them in here.  They are also from Ikea and I like the fact that they are the same ruddy red as the giant W I made for his room.

Now comes time for some finishing touches…lengthening and lining the curtains, adding a mirror and art and photos, changing out that fugly lampshade and getting a cute fun and colorful rug for him.

So I thought that it would be really helpful to give you an update on these dressers (because to be perfectly honest, we have lived with them for several months now)….they are amazing.  The drawers hold TONS of stuff.  I am able to fit 95% of Will’s clothing in his (we hang his and Weston’s collared shirts) and 90% of Weston’s clothing in his (Weston has more clothing than Will because of the whole hand-me-down situation).  I will give you a word of warning…the tops of the  scratch really easily…so if you have a tendencies to be rough on top (I know how that sounds)…be forewarned.

The other thing is that these dressers are large.  Like Will can’t see inside the top drawers without tippy toes large.  So they may seem small here (probably because our ceilings are high and there is nothing for scale) but that is trickery of the eye.

That’s all.  (yup.  that’s how I am ending this sucker.)

0 Shares

Comments

  1. Grown Sexy. I didn’t watch the wedding, but read a quick recap about it and the theme “grown sexy.” I might have to start using that phrase now too, even though I don’t really get it.

  2. I have had that same dresser in my kids’ room for over 3 years – in blue! Ikea sells the matching stain, so I picked up a can and I’m holding on to it for touch ups. Also, be warned the little squat screws you used to attach the rails (that the drawers slide on) will eventually pull out and the holes will be stripped. Sounds bad, but we just replace them as they go with more legitimate screws. I am still very happy with this dresser. That size for such a good price. I fully expect it to last forever now that we’re replacing those screws. I even have plans to build a hutch for the top of it to add shelving in my kids’ room. Smart purchase, Bower! Oh, and I got adorable custom pulls from an etsy seller. 🙂

  3. I just love your posts and ideas and funny comments. I feel like I’d love to be friends with you in real life! Love the new dressers. Both are beautiful!

  4. I love how Weston’s room is coming along! It looks great! I also agree with you about putting together Ikea furniture. It’s so much fun.
    Quick question, where did you get the wipes container in Weston’s room? I was trying to figure out if its custom made or something you may have DIYed. It’s adorable!

  5. I have the same dressers in my boys’ rooms, same colors too. Love them!!! I find the black/brown gets scratched more easily then the white.

  6. Come put that brick wall in my room… I just love love love it. I’m glad I’m not the only one who leaves Ikea and immediately wants to go back to get something else. :-/

  7. I noticed the outlets right above the dresser. Did the house come with the outlets so high or did you install them?

  8. I can’t believe you put together two of those beats! We just bought the blue one this weekend for our nursery (due 3/15!) and it took us like 3 hours to assemble. I think my husband would have killed me if I bought another one! 🙂

    They are great dressers though!

  9. Love how Weston’s room is coming together! We’re expecting our first (!) in August and I have been eyeing these dressers for the nursery since they’re pretty huge with so much storage.

    I’m short-ish (5’4″) and was concerned that the dressers are too tall to use as a changing table. Do you find them too tall or just right?

  10. I have those curtains in my living room. I love that they are washable. I love them even more since my sis-in-law told me they look like little Jason masks (from Friday the 13th) 🙂

  13. I have two of those dressers. (We used to live a mile from Ikea- man, I miss that place!) A dark one is DH’s dresser and it’s about 5 yrs old and holding up well. The second one is in the “natural wood” color and is already 7 yrs old and holding up wonderfully. Haven’t had any issues with the screws or anything. They are really good dressers and hold a ton.

    Can’t wait to see where you end up in this room. I’m sure it’ll be great.

  15. We are going to pick up the Hemnes dresser for baby #2’s room as well- I like that it is long enough for a changing pad and you still have space for whatever else on top as well. If only the nearest Ikea wasn’t 2.5 hours away across the border- my life would be complete if they would just build one within 2 hours of me not in Canada! 🙂

  16. I feel like that wonderful red W is screaming to be hung up on that brick wall. I love how the room looks – love the bits of red!

  17. you’re so funny! always have me cracking up…i was wondering how did you know they went on sale? do you have and ikea alert??? i love these dressers, but that price tag is a bit steep for my wallet.

  18. I love putting that stuff together too!! It’s like a giant 3-d puzzle that you don’t have to put back in the box when you’re done.
    And I love the dresser. We have two pieces from that line as well.

  20. We just bought the same exact dresser (just the blue version instead) for our baby boy that’s due in May. I’m so thrilled to see what it looks like with a changing pad on top, ours is currently still in it’s box waiting for the room to be painted. Love that there’s room to the side to put a lamp, back out to the stores for me!!

  21. Tell me about this dresser sale. I want this exact dresser for my little girls nursery- due in June. Obvi I’m a sucker for a sale

  23. Hmmm that is a nice dresser. I will have to look into that line.

    Just curious but do you really still use that changing pad for Weston? He just seems kinda big to be hefting up there to change him!

  26. I have two of these dressers for my girls (one in the big size and one half size) and I love them! It’s almost amusing how much stuff fits in one, especially of baby clothes. When my first was born, I didn’t have enough stuff to fill all the drawers! Not an issue anymore though, haha.

  27. Laura, great idea with purchasing the stain! Do you happen to remember where in the store they sold it? We bought the blue one too and never thought to look for the stain.

  30. Back the train up… can we please talk about the bamboo blinds in his room for a hot sec? Are those HANGING from the curtain rod?!

  31. I too am an 1 1/2 from Ikea. I feel your pain in having to go back. But there’s no stopping us when we are on a mission–kids and all, right?! Weston’s room is looking great! Glad you were able to use the first dresser in Will’s room. And what–you like putting Ikea furniture together?! You crazy, girl!

  32. I just wanted to say I’m really enjoying your blog lately. I appreciate the frequency of the posts and the content is great! Keep it up, Katie!

  34. You must be the most patient person alive. If I bought a new dresser and it didn’t work, there would be a full-blown adult temper tantrum complete with ugly tears and snot. And there is no way I’d be patient enough to drive back to the store again with kids and buy another one. I’m amazed. On another note, I LOVE the use of stuffed animals as helpers. Best idea ever.

  37. I love the Hemnes line! I have an entertainment center in our living room from that line. The white of that is pretty bright white – definitely not creamy. Our house has a lot of white and it fits right in (it’s more of a whitewashed wood). Thanks for mentioning that the dresser is creamy. I have been pining for one for our bedroom for a while. I might paint it a fun color instead.

  38. I have had this dresser for 6 years. I love the scale of it and the skinny legs and the varied drawer sizes. The only con I have found is that it does come apart easily. One day you’ll open the drawer and the drawer face will just fall off. But, for me, those have been easy fixes with wood glue and new screws. I still love it.

  40. So jealous of that dresser! We decided that was the exact dresser we wanted for baby #2’s room, but when I went to order it, it was out of stock. Same deal if I went to the store. Boo!

  41. Ugh. I so wish Ikea white was actually white. I SO want to have white trim in the Little House, but since 50% the furniture we own is Ikea white (who am I kidding, it’s probably higher than that), it’s just not going to work.

    And that’s no bueno.

  42. It’s called Metropolitan by Benjamin Moore and we love love love it.
    It does look different in different lights so be sure to check if your lighting makes it right 🙂
    xo – kb

  43. Oh I throw temper tantrums too…mostly when my uncommunicated thoughts aren’t fully appreciated by Jer 🙂
    xo – kb

  44. Yup. I needed something in a pinch (Westons room is CRAZY bright) and these were from Will’s old room…so I decided to just hang them up and get the right size later.
    xo – kb

  45. Yup…every day! He is big but super squirmy and it actually helps me because then I don’t have to bend over quite as much #heartburn
    xo – kb

  46. I signed up for the Ikea Family thing and they post their sale items for each month. That month just happened to be the Hemnes dresser for $249.
    xo – kb

  47. I signed up for Ikea Family – which posts discounts for each month. That month (I think it had to be Sept), it was the dresser but with $50 off.
    xo – kb

  50. Well…I like that they are higher…but I am 5’7″ so that is nice for me. They are definitely higher than Will’s old dresser.
    xo – kb

  51. Nope. They were already there. We actually changed out the outlets in this room to white except the ones that were higher because we felt they just popped out too much. I think they will be useful in the future but for now, they can disappear 🙂
    xo – kb

  52. My friend made it for Will a long time ago. It’s just one of those Huggies containers that she glued fabric onto.
    xo – kb

  53. I thought I was one of the only ones who got sick pleasure out of building Ikea furniture. I love the Hemnes dresser, I have the tall version, it’s so sturdy!

  54. We have the same black/brown dresser in our son’s room. I have actually touched up some small scratches with a black sharpie and it worked perfectly, which is great because it does scratch easily- especially when you’re leaning over it to change diapers 🙂

  55. Love the room! I also experienced the let down of that dresser not being white to match our molding! Boo! But had to keep and my eyes somehow have gotten used to it in the last 3 years. I have a question– isn’t there a playroom of some sort connected to Weston’s room? Any fun things happening there?

  57. Katie! Have you done a tutorial for the white wash brick accent wall in the first picture? Did I miss it? It looks awesome!

  58. Can’t wait to see where you end up in this room. I’m sure it’ll be great.
    But I’m also curious how Will’s room is looking at the moment, since there is so much of his furniture in Westen’s room now.

  59. I loved your comment about “Grown Sexy!”

    To those looking for Hemnes dressers – I see them a lot on Craigslist. Good luck!

  61. Since you’ve mentioned about the “W”, it reminded me that I’ve been meaning to ask you about it. Do you have a post about it that I may have missed?

  62. How did you do that? Was there a special process or did the blinds come that way?

    PS- I l.o.v.e Weston’s room and the W is priceless!

  63. I’ve had that dresser (in black-brown) for nearly six years, and still love it! It is made of such sturdy pine! As you said, the top definitely gets marked up easily, but I’ve found that it’s more in the form of dents and dent-like scratches than anything that really damages the finish. It’s just the nature of the soft wood. I also love that the knobs are so solid. I was going to replace them with cute Anthro knobs when I moved, but when I was reattaching the knobs and felt how solid they are, I couldn’t part with them! It really goes to show that ikea can really pay off when you spend a little extra for their higher quality, solid wood options. I hope you and the kiddos enjoy it for years to come!

  64. I love putting together Ikea stuff too. Grown up Legos! I built all my kitchen cabinets that came from Ikea and was actually a little disappointed because they were so easy. People act so impressed that I built my kitchen but it was nothing for us Ikea assembly lovers.

  65. They have this little bracket piece that looks like a triangle already attached to them for hanging properly…we just take one of the curtain clips and attach it directly to the little triangle.
    xo – kb

  68. Oh well, we didn’t actually do much except switch out the play toy box things (Will has a white dresser now with a dark brown toy chest and Weston has a dark dresser with a white toy chest)…the old dresser in Will’s room got the boot 🙁
    xo – kb

  69. Wills room and Westons room are Jack and Jill style with a play nook coming off the bathroom area. We have done nothing to it. Not even added a light so it’s constantly dark.
    xo – kb

  71. Thank you!!! I have an addiction to letters that my husband may have me commited for. 😉

  72. In our IKEA, the paint and stain are near the shelves. They have a little DIY-corner happening. 🙂

  73. The Hemnes line is my favorite. We have a bookcase and TV stand in black-brown that are doing well, but the gray-brown dresser in my son’s room has a few scratches. Next time we’re at IKEA (coincidentally to grab two more Hemnes pieces), I’m going to buy some stain for it.

    I also love assembling the furniture…my husband, not so much. The large Expedit was his nemesis (but I sure do love the storage in that puppy!).

  74. I love Ikea and always wind up going back year after year and house after house myself. The dressers look great! Did you anchor them to the walls? Personally, I anchor any and all dresser type units in my daughters’ rooms, although I admit to being on the paranoid side when it comes to child-proofing. : )

  75. You mentioned they scratch easily. I always use a Varathane with Diamond coat in matte finish for all my Ikea/cheaper furniture. I always do a few coats on the top of the dresser and the front’s of the drawers, it helps protect the finish. The room is looking great and love the accent wall.

  79. I’ve had the Hemnes smaller dresser and two side tables in the black/brown color for YEARS! And they are holding up really well. They look great and hold a ton of stuff. I know you’ll be really happy with them in the years to come.

  81. I am also 5’4″ and have this dresser. We have it in our master bedroom so I’m not using it as a changing table but I think it would work just fine as one given your height and the height if the deesser 🙂

  82. Glad I’m not the only one to make multiple trips to Ikea in a day, especially when a completed project is at hand. But then again, as a Swede, I use any excuse to go to Ikea. (: Loving the progress you’re making and really can’t wait to see the laundry room.

  83. That looks way easier than what I was planning! The dog totally wrecked the fancy honeycomb blinds in my front windows and I need a quick fix. (not the $500 per window fix the blinds guy quoted) Clipping to a curtain rod is right up my alley! Where can I find the bamboo blinds?

  86. Hey Katie,
    This is totally random but I get your emails and I just went directly to your site today to see if you posted anything about your experience in the ‘Blizzard’ terrorizing Atlanta. Another side note you may be interested it, looks like ‘bowerpower.com’ may be available for purchase now — it didn’t resolve when I mistakenly typed it in.
    Stay warm with those kids!
    ~Beth

  91. Nope. I know that they come with the anchor kits but my boys get in big trouble for climbing on furniture…it’s one of the first things we teach. And honestly, my boys don’t tend to do it in the first place…climb up furniture that is. I know some folks view this issue very differently but personally speaking, I can’t child-proof the world so I take more time stressing appropriate furniture lessons (we close all the drawers when we are done, we never hang on the drawers or step inside, we do not climb up on the handless, etc.) I know that accidents do happen but thankfully right now they are little enough where they are never in a room alone.
    xo – kb

  93. I love that dresser! I had my dad bring one up for me for my daughter’s room when she was born since we don’t have an Ikea within 5 hours of here (horrible, horrible upstate new york!) I use it as a changing table too, and storage for closes, linens and a drawer full of art supplies for my older daughters!

  95. Hi Katie!

    Where did you get the drawers and cube shelves on the right of Weston’s room in the first picture? This would be perfect for our nursery.

    Thanks!

  96. Hey Katie do you have a link to that Giant W you made? I can’t seem to find it anywhere! Thanks!
    -Larissa

  97. Thanks Katie for giving me some self-esteem points today 🙂 I have those same curtains in my kitchen and love them! Seeing something in your house that I have made me feel all decoraterish/blogish like. So, yeah me (gives self a high five and pat on the back…but not at the same time because that would be challenging and weird) 🙂

  99. I’m totally with you on assembling IKEA furniture. I love it. I put together our entire patio set and it was pure bliss. I also watched The Bachelor wedding special and your grown sexy comment made me laugh out loud. 🙂

  101. I have the dark ikea dresser too and it started to show wear and tear because I keep my water bottle on it so the condensation was a problem. My solution was to put wrapping paper on top and then order a custom piece of glass ($60). It looks great and is easy to keep clean. If I ever get bored I can easily switch out wrapping paper for a new look. Could be an option down the road for you….

  102. Hi Katie!
    My husband and I ALSO drove 1.5 hours to buy the hemnes “white” dresser, only to find its off white, not white! Boo! So we bought the gray/ brown instead. We also didn’t realize it has a laquer finish!
    Oh well, the gray/brown will look nice in our new nursery too!

  106. I never understood the Ikea building hate either–I love it! I JUST finished assembling a couple of bookcases before taking a break to read grab a drink and catch up on my fave blogs. Ikea is happily close to us (20 minutes!) so stopping by for a quick look at their new items is always a dangerous prospect. I always wind up with at least one extra purchase–darn those labyrinthine walkways and showrooms!

  107. Ohhhh, I feel SO validated!!!! I was desperate to use some ikea throw rugs for a staircase runner so when the local store didn’t have what I needed, I definitely drove an hour to spend like $50 on the ones I needed! Thankfully they look awesome, but there was a moment 45 minutes into the drive that I was second guessing the time suck of it all! 🙂

    (Normally I don’t throw down a link, but seriously… this was the EASIEST runner and um… SO cheap!!! Seems almost irresponsible NOT to share… http://ciburbanity.com/2014/01/16/runner-for-the-win/)

    xxCharlotte

  108. Loving his room updates! His room is looking gorgeous
    I have that dresser for my 9 month old. I went with the woodlike white finish as we had the taller versions in ours and our 8 yr olds rooms and they were a bit off white and I wanted pure white for Olivia. I also use it as a change table-love it!

  109. Regarding the child proofing, we have the same Hemnes and are not big childproofers either. We are generally always in the same room with our kids who don’t climb on furniture (except for the couch). However, a scary thing happened where my husband and two year old we’re on the floor in front of the dresser. My husband was sitting cross legged and the bottom drawer was fully open. While my son was picking out clothes, he leaned on the drawer, then the dresser just toppled toward them. Thankfully, my husband braced himself against it and pushed it back towards the wall. I was standing at the doorway watching. Afterwards, we were really surprised that such a heavy dresser would fall over like that. We we’re like, oh no that was a close call. If my son had just opened the drawer and leaned on it without us in the room, he would have been really hurt by this heavy dresser. We were kind of surprised by it and wanted to share.

  113. I’ve been reading for a long time and never commented until now. While after reading the comments on the post you removed, I can see what other people are angry about, I wouldn’t take it upon myself to do what they did. I’m excited for you and your new endeavor! I can’t wait to see what you do with the place because you’re so creative. Good luck and prayers for you and your whole family 🙂

  114. I plan on getting the taller 6 drawer Hemnes in a few weeks (2nd daughter due in June, sharing a room). They only have “white stain” as opposed to “white” and I’m not sure how it will look with our white trim, crib, closet doors, door, and Target cubed bookcase….my husband will NOT be happy if I think it doesn’t work =X

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get the latest via email!