IKEA BEKVÄM STOOL UPDATE

I mentioned last week that our main bathroom is receiving a little love due to a broken vanity.  And the reason for the broken vanity is that the bathroom was lacking in the stool department {so punny right?}, and the vanity drawers were being used as steps.  Before we open the updated bathroom back up to the boys, I knew I needed to add a step stool that they can use day after day with ease.

We already had one of these BEKVÄM stools from IKEA, and it was used all over the home until it landed in our utility room.  Knowing how much we love the stool and how sturdy it is, I decided to snag a second one for the main bathroom.

The stool comes unfinished so it really is a blank canvas.  I knew right away that I wasn't going to leave it the natural finish, but still liked the idea of bringing some wood tones into the bathroom.  Using leftover stain and poly from our bookcase makeover project, it became a beautiful walnut finish.

The stain caused the grain to raise a bit and in the morning I had noticed some small drips had formed.  Because the stain is a stain/poly mixture {I used this one specifically}, I was able to lightly sand it and touch it up.

I wanted to bring in a new color to the bathroom, and I knew this was the perfect place to start.  I dug through my paint sample bin and found a beautiful coral color called Strawberry Rhubarb by Behr.  Using painters tape, I measured and taped a few stripes on the top of the stool.

Two coats later, and I was ready to peel the tape!  Don't you get so giddy when you see a nice and crisp line?

As soon as it was cured, I placed the new step stool into our half completed bathroom.

I am kind of obsessed with it.

We don't have a rug down yet, but I added a few felt pads to the feet so the stool can slide nicely across the floor to the sink.

The bathroom seems to be moving pretty slowly for the little amount of work we had to do to make the update, but we are now near the finish line!  Just a couple more finishing touches and I can share the entire thing soon.  Until then, let's slow clap over this charming little coral addition.

I really could snag a few more of these guys for all over the house.  They are just so great for little toes.

And for some added fun, I rounded up a few more amazing BEKVÄM stool hacks from around blogland.