DIY Apothecary Ikea hack with Conservatory. Everyone loves an IKEA hack! They are inexpensive, good quality, and can make a big impact on a room. Follow along to see how this plain wood Tarva Dresser becomes a stunning Apothecary cabinet.

Materials Used

• Fusion Mineral Paint Conservatory
• Golden Pine Stain & Finishing Oil
• 1” Staalmeester Flat Brush
• Chip brush for staining
• Fine sandpaper
• 6 – 8 ft. length wood picture moulding
• Wood glue
• Wood filler
• Pin nailer
• 6 drawer Ikea Tarva chest
• 18 card catalog hardware pulls

DIY Cabinetry

After assembling the Tarva chest, we gave it an overall sanding with very fine sanding paper as it was rough in some spots.

We removed the fronts of all 6 drawers and divided each front drawer into 3 parts by marking our lines in pencil. Our plan is to make the front of each drawer look like it has 3 small drawers, imitating an old card catalog chest. We made three cuts on each drawer with a saw blade about 1/8 inch deep. Since we will be replacing the hardware we filled the old holes with wood filler.

Next is to cut, assemble and glue the picture moulding.

You will need 36 pieces each of picture moulding cut in two different sizes. We cut 36 pieces to 7.5 inches (190.5 mm) and 36 pieces to 8 inches (203.2 mm). The smaller of the two cuts is for the sides of the square, and the larger is for the top and bottom.

Once all your pieces are cut, glue the picture moulding in the center of each square on your drawer fronts. We also pin-nailed them for extra durability.

You can drill new holes for the new card catalog drawer pulls once all the carpentry work is done.

Staining and Painting

We chose to stain part of the Tarva chest. We applied Fusion Stain & Finishing Oil with a chip brush to the top and bottom of the chest in the colour Golden Pine. After wiping back the excess let the stain dry overnight.

We chose one of our brand new colours Conservatory. This piece was made for this stunning green. using the Staalmeester 1” brush.  Since we had many small squares, this size seemed to work best. Two coats were applied in all.

After the paint dried, we screwed on the 16 new card catalog drawer pulls.

Introducing a new colour – Conservatory

Our Inspiration for this classically elegant colour comes from the historically painted conservatories. This energetic green is inspired by nature. See more about this colour here.

Conservatory is fresh & inspiring, bound to become a favourite. Pair it with Peony for a fresh look or try it with Champlain for an organic vibe.

DIY Apothecary Ikea hack

The end result of this DIY Apothecary cabinet with Conservatory is nothing short of stunning! Apothecary cabinets are still on-trend and desired for their vintage charm and style.

This DIY Apothecary cabinet in our new colour Conservatory has us totally obsessed. We think this colour was the perfect shade for this project. Let us know in the comments where you would use this beautiful shade?