Thursday, December 27, 2012

23 UHeart Organizing: A Darling Drawer DIY

I am a sucker for inexpensive and easy organizing solutions.  Aren't we all really?  My pal Ashli is a pro at finding inexpensive ways to create darling storage ideas on a budget and today she is here to show us how she added space saving storage to a spot that is often under-utilized; under the bed!


I cannot resist an Ikea As-Is deal! On every trip to Ikea you can find me clutching something random item, with a blank look on my face wondering what I can do with it. Last week it was two BIG DRAWERS. I couldn't figure out what to do with them but for $4 each I couldn't resist.

I eventually landed on re-purposing them as under bed storage. We have a small little bed, for small little guests and instead of storing the extra blankets and pillows in the linen closet, I thought the big drawer would be perfect. 4 wheels later and we had a rolling storage.



Here's how we did it in 2 steps.

Step 1: You'll need to cut two strips of wood. We just used some old baseboard. If you were using a solid wood drawer you wouldn't need this step, but because Ikea drawers aren't solid wood on the bottom, you'll need to add a piece so the wheel screws have something to grip in to.



Step 2: After you've placed the wood into the drawer, attach your wheels on the bottom. You don't need to screw or nail the wood in, the screws from the wheels will pull the wood tight. Screw in all four wheels and you're set!



It was a 5 minute project for a total of $8 per drawer.

I think this project would be great for anything from seasonal clothes, to kids toys, to spare linens.






"I’m Ashli from Mini Manor Blog. I live in Big Beautiful British Columbia with my Husband Lee and our 5 lb yorkie Max.  I have an organizers heart, I am a bin-aholic, and I’ve never met a wicker basket I didn’t love. During the summer I can be found lounging in the garden or at the gym . . . one of those was a lie. And in the last 5 years I’ve made more then 2000 cupcakes. I want to bake, eat and organize. Hand me some eggs, flour and an unorganized kitchen, that’s my idea of a great weekend, okay go ahead throw Ryan Gosling in there too."




23 comments:

  1. Great idea Ashli! And yes, you are always out for a bargain at Ikea!!

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  2. What a great idea, and so cheap!! I wish I had an IKEA closer to home!

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  3. Love this! My boyfriend and I recently just bought a house and we've been trying to think of creative ways to make the guest room clean and organized because we may turn the closet into a bookshelf. Under bed storage is such a great idea! I'll have to show him this post :)
    http://www.RissHomeDesign.com

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  4. Great for childrens' rooms, especially multi-child rooms

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  5. Great for childrens' rooms, especially multi-child rooms

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  6. Great way to maximize the under bed storage.

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  7. This is a great storage solution, and I must say that I am in love with that pastel quilt! So cute!

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  8. Oooo good idea! I wish I had a close IKEA! I hear all the wonders of what you can do with the inexpensive furniture.

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  9. Where did you find the big drawers for $4 each? I am heading to my Ikea on Saturday!

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  10. Thanks for solving my problem! I put together a 9 cubby closet storage piece for my workroom and really wanted to add wheels to make it easy to move. The vinyl covered particle board bottom is pretty thin so I didn't think I'd be able to do it. Now that I see what you did with the drawers, I'm pretty sure it will work with my project. Thanks! The drawers look great - that was a great find.

    Barbara H.

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  11. Such a great storage idea. Perfect for holding bed sheets, small toys and more. Will be trying this!

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  12. Wonderful way to use a potentially-wasted space.

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  13. What product at IKEA is this? the only drawer-related item I can find is a drawer front, and yours obviously came with the rest of the drawer too...

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  14. They are drawers from the clearance section of Ikea. The as is section before the checkouts has lots of damaged or just leftover bits and pieces from returns and showroom items. The drawer were just sitting there for sale.
    Hope that helps!!!
    Ashli

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  15. Oh my goodness! This project is soooo super! A perfect way to ORGANIZE the weird things I have to store under my kids' beds. Thank you!!

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  16. Oh I love the idea of a drawer under the bed. I have boxes now, but this is so much simpler!

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  17. Ashli, this is genius! Such a great storage solution for under the bed.

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  18. Fabulous! I just did almost exactly this project this month, only mine didn't have a drawer pull so I had to pick up one of those from the AS IS also. My new drawer is holding shoes under my side of the bed. YAY!

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  19. This is great - but concerned about the obvious DUST! Any thoughts?

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    1. I'm obviously not Ashli, but to avoid dust you could store the linens in plastic, or freshly launder them when you need to use them, or both. :)

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  20. Love this, thank you, just shared on my blog!

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  21. Great idea! My husband & I just got a 750sqf house. He has more clothes than me and refuses to pair down. He can keep the closet & I'll use the drawers

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