UHeart Organizing: A Custom Kid's Credenza

There are endless ways to store toys big and small, however, I am personally partial to finding pieces that are versatile enough to remain functional in the home, once the kiddos outgrow the toy stage {because sadly, that does happen}.  So whether you use a dresser, entertainment center or dining buffet, you will get more bang for your buck when the item lives on and takes on a new storage life.  Anneke from This, That & Life, is here today to share with us how she found a fabulous credenza on Craigslist, and with the help of a little paint and some inexpensive storage bins, she gave her kiddos some super great organization in their playroom. 

 

When it comes to DIY, people definitely do it themselves for a variety of reasons. A couple of reasons I personally LOVE to DIY and upcycle furniture is 1} Because the area I live in has SO many great second hand treasures, and 2} Because I absolutely LOVE the custom look you can create. I would rather build or refinish something that will fit my space perfectly, not cost me a "custom" fortune, and give that special touch to our home. Usually I don't go very bold within our own home and stick to coastal casual look, but as I contemplated on what to do in our kiddo's playroom, I just knew it was the perfect opportunity to really have fun with it! Situations like this are so fun to let loose a little. I wasn't worried about resale, just finding a great organizational piece of furniture that I could have some fun with. Our kid's playroom toys were getting out of control! I went full blown gold and am in LOVE with how it turned out!

I picked up this credenza not too far from our home from a Craigslist ad for just $75. This thing is HUGE, about 80"+ long! The knobs were already perfect and the piece itself was in great shape, just a simple light wood finish. With the curved lines, I knew it could handle a little modern touch of drama, and the inside was PERFECT for storage!!! Just look at that top drawer!

The fun thing for me is that this was a pretty simple piece to refinish. If you are looking for a piece to refinish, you really just need to take a look at the dimensions and lines of the pieces, and it can be transformed into almost ANYTHING. This piece of furniture could have been painted any color, pattern, etc. I could have changed out the hardware for long vertical bar pulls or who knows what else. I guess that's the fun part! I wanted to make this piece fun for the kids with the chalkboard front.

Awhile ago, I posted on my blog about some gold paints that I love. The paint I used for this piece is a Krylon Outdoor Spray Paint, listed at #5 on my list here. It has a nice sheen to it, but isn't too in your face, if you know what I mean. 

When you open up the inside of the credenza, you see a couple shelves and a drawer. The standard clear totes I already had fit perfectly! I just spruced them up with some ever-so-amazing gold Duct tape and labels.

The top drawer fits the kids paper art supplies perfectly.

I can't even believe how much this makeover has really worked for our three kids. It's so easy for them to see what they have, pick a box, play, and then put away. So far, so good! And this can really apply to all ages and not just toys.

After my sister of Kayla J Photography took these photos for me, the kiddos came in and got to work doing what they do best! I love the artwork they came up with!

I hope this inspires you to be brave and take some risks in some of the DIY furniture makeovers you take on! There's still plenty of time with these last weeks of nice summer weather to tackle some DIY painting projects and get organized for fall! On another note, we're in the middle of a big move to our beach house, and my first task is going to be finding a clothes organization solution for our three kiddos who will be sharing ONE room together that has NO closet whatsoever! This is going to be interesting folks. 

"Hi everyone! I'm Anneke and you can often find me working with some tools, browsing for great furniture finds, or getting all girly for a date night! Like many of you, I'm often looking for ways to make life run more smoothly amidst kids, messes, responsibilities, and limited time. I recently celebrated the awesome 3-0, ten crazy years of marriage with my hubby Michael, and have the privilege of being a stay-at-home mom to 3 amazing kiddos, not to mention our sweet miniature schnauzer. We live in the beautiful Northwest, near Seattle.  Although I have a degree in Music, my brain spins with ideas about DIY projects, interior design, health, and family, all of which I blog about over at This, That and Life.  I am beyond thrilled to be a part of the wonderful contributing team at IHeart Organizing and can't wait to get to know some of you better as well!"