DIY is such a wonderful way for us to craft our homes. It’s been a game-changer for furniture and small renovation projects, as we see a lot of our followers customize their home with our products. We have such a wide array of colours and finishes that we can nail any look from modern farmhouse to boho and English cottage. But let’s be honest… the homes and photos that have us stopping mid-scroll are often the ones that look curated, well-loved and personalized with all the things we love. Collected over time is what is really in right now, but how do you combine that with function for hard spaces like a child’s room? You just do. The possibilities are endless, and there are no rules! For this project, we wanted to channel a southwestern rustic look with a play on some modern lines. An Ikea dresser like this Hemnes piece is perfect for customization because it’s solid pine and there are no ornate details. IKEA Meets Southwestern Rustic Vibe with this makeover!
Below is a list of supplies you’ll need to complete your own IKEA Meets Southwestern Rustic Vibe Makeover.
- Fusion TSP Alternative + Wiping Cloths
- Orbital Sander + Sanding Pads
- Spray Shellac
- Painter’s Tape
- Fusion Mineral Paint in the following colours:
- Staalmester Roller
- Matte Tough Coat
Prep
Although Ikea pieces are modern-day manufactured furniture, they are typically made with solid wood. This makes prep even easier with a simple cleaning and a scuff sand to give our surface some grip. We used our Fusion TSP Alternative and water mix solution in a spray bottle and removed the surface dirt and oils.
We used an orbital sander to remove the layer of finish on the top, then scuff-sanded the drawer fronts and sides. Once your sanding is complete, use a damp cloth to wipe away the sanding dust.
Typically, with a scuff sand, we don’t remove the finish completely. A scuff sand will roughen up and remove the sheen. Sometimes, if the prior finish is failing, it could chip or flake off, leaving your surface uneven. In the event it happens, a simple solution is to do a more thorough sanding and to give those worn areas a few coats of shellac.
Creating a Rustic Backdrop
We were torn about which colour to use in our southwestern rustic roo,m so we decided that adding a geometric mountain line on the front of the dresser would be a fun way to tie in several colours and to give a unique look to the dresser. The first step was to paint the top third of the dresser in our base colour, Raw Silk.
After our first coat of paint had dried, we used a delicate painter’s tape to tape off our mountains. We just used the corners of the dresser as a frame of reference for our starting point and taped off our mountains from one end to another. We added a little bit of clear coat to the edges of our tape to seal off the tape lines. This helps to keep the lines crisp and avoid any bleed-through.
Our next step is to paint our secondary colour, which we picked as Everett for our first range of mountains. We used our Staalmester rollers to roll on two thin coats of paint for full coverage. After our second coat of paint was dry, we removed the painters’ tape to reveal an earthy backdrop of mountains.
After gently removing the painter’s tape and letting our coat of Everett dry overnight, we taped our second set of mountains. We mixed up a beautiful terracotta colour using Fort York Red, Tuscan Orange, Mustard and Chocolate.” Starting out with equal parts of each colour and fine-tuning it by adding a bit of each when we wanted a warmer, richer colour.
We rolled up two coats of our rusty terracotta colour, overlapping the Everett mountains and let it dry overnight. Then we removed the painters’ tape and added two coats of our matte Tough Coat for durability.
IKEA Meets Southwestern Rustic Vibe
Southwestern style is notorious for warm and earthy colours and they tie in beautifully with rustic elements like natural wood and clay. Our dresser was the perfect addition to this southwestern rustic nursery, and it surely is a wonderful piece of art that is functional.
We added some brass pulls and knobs to complement our colours and to add another layer of organic elements into the mix. Here we added rustic elements like horns and animal prints. We then brought in a cute rocking horse and stuffed animals just to keep it kid-friendly.
Adding the geometric mountains to the dresser was just a fun way to add in more southwestern vibes. They were easy to complete, and make this dresser one-of-a-kind! It really grounds this room as a centrepiece.
We truly hope you enjoyed this fun Ikea makeover using our custom design and colour mixes. We hope to see more of these colour mixes and styles in some of your future projects! Let us know what you think of our southwestern rustic look on our social media!
See the full makeover here!
