I hated my boring wardrobe – my budget glow-up using Dunelm bargains looked so good people thought it was professional
A DIY pro has revealed how she rebudgeted her son’s wardrobe using Dunelm bargains – and people can’t believe it wasn’t professional work.
Melanie Lisak shared how she transformed the boring wooden storage solution with a pot of cheap paint and a roll of wallpaper.
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She said, “How I created this DIY spool wardrobe hack using paint and wallpaper.”
“My son was in desperate need of a new wardrobe – he’s 9 years old now and I hadn’t updated his clothes storage since he was a little baby.
During the short reel, she revealed how she transformed DunelmTransform the Panana Double Pine Wardrobe into a unique piece for her son’s room, with spool detailing and a surprise print inside.
She continued, “While painting the closet was an obvious but effective way to transform it, I decided to take it a step further and wallpaper the inside, change the handles and add some on-trend strip spool details.
“I built the main structure as a kit (minus the doors, clothes rail supports and door brackets as these would have to be removed before painting and wallpapering anyway) and sanded the outsides and front of the wardrobe with a light-colored sandpaper.
“I sanded down each door (front and back) individually before cleaning everything with a clean rag and some sugar soap.
“The next step was to apply two coats of anti-stain primer to all visible exterior areas of the closet and doors.
“I also primed the interior shelving and wooden clothes rail because I thought they would look best painted.
“Once the primer was dry, I used a mini shag roller to apply two coats of Dunelm’s own brand eggshell paint in ‘Ashley Blue’.”
The do-it-yourselfer then wallpapered the inside of the wardrobe by cutting it to size before applying wallpaper paste and using it to clad the entire wooden interior.
To finish off the look, Melanie added some gold brass handles and painted strips with on trend coil bars in the same color as the exterior before gluing them to the front door panels.
Shoppers can still purchase the Panama Double Wardrobe for £199 and the Ashley Blue Eggshell Emulsion to paint£18, at Dunelm.
A roll of checkerboard natural wallpaper and a set of two large knurled cupboard knobs cost her just £10 each.
Bobbin Trim is available from a variety of retailers including Amazon and Etsy, with prices starting at just £9.25.
Fans loved her budget conversion and the tutorial received more than 4,470 likes and 454,000 views.
Known online as @melanielissackinteriorsThe blogger regularly shares DIY tips and furnishing ideas with her 57,900 followers.
In the comments, Instagrammers shared their reactions and one wrote: “Wowsers!!”
“Yessss Mel,” commented another.
A third added: “What a fun wardrobe.”
While not everyone was convinced, another added: “Or maybe not. There is nothing quite like natural wood, lightly sanded and waxed to give it a subtle sheen.”
Someone else suggested, “Why don’t you just buy a wardrobe you like?!”