Hi guys! I am back today to share how we made a built in dresser from an old store dresser. Ryan’s room is a little more than 8 feet wide with doorways on both ends so we knew early on that we had to be creative with how we planned his furniture. We realized quickly that built ins were a must. Last week I shared his built in bed and today I am sharing his built in dresser, desk and bookshelves.
I found this secretary at our local thrift store and I think I paid $35 for it. At first we had it in our foyer but soon realized a built in entryway table would be better there. The secretary then moved to Ryan’s room as a temporary dresser for him since the previous one he had was way too big for the space.
At first Jason wanted to built him a dresser from scratch but when we put this secretary against the wall to give us an idea of what the space would look like as built in we realized it was already the perfect size. It would also save us a ton of money and time. Win, win :). Please ignore the huge pile of clothes on the floor. We hadn’t yet figured out where to put his clothes when we were remodeling his dresser :).
We drew out a plan on paper of exactly how we wanted it to look. Although, the plan changed a little it was a great starting point.
The first thing we did was take the secretary out to the garage.
Jason took off the top of the secretary and the baseboard trim first. We had not done much to it since bringing it home and it definitely needed to be sanded down before painting it white. We also took off the window trim in preparation for the bookcases we would be adding around the window.
Next up we cut and added the shelves around the window.
Then we painted the backs of the shelves and the rest of the dresser white.
The clothes are back in his dresser now and there is plenty of room few some school supplies too.
We cut a hole in the side of the dresser for cords to go through so Ryan can charge his laptop while working at his desk.
We are still debating adding a seat under the window that he could move around the room but for now we have a free curbside Ikea chair that Ryan uses when he sits at his desk.
We kept the inside of his desk wood because we thought it would hold up longer and we liked the contrast of the wood.
We also added new wood shelves to this wall nook that was already in the room. For a kid that is constantly reading you can never have enough storage for his books :).
Although, we have made a ton of progress we still haven’t finished his room yet.
Here’s what we have done so far & what’s next:
add bead board ceilingdemopaint walls navyadd wide pine floorsadd baseboard trimbuild a built in bedadd new closetbuild bookcase, built in dresser and desk- add a new doorway and door
- add a roman shade
- decorate and reveal
I am sharing our built in dresser from a secretary as a guest participant with the One Room Challenge hosted by Linda from Calling It Home.
Thanks so much for stopping by to see our progress for the ORC and the secretary turned build in dresser & desk,
Also sharing our secretary to built in dresser with Between Naps on the Porch & these other amazing blogs
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What a great idea Tara! I love it! That desk seriously looks like it’s always been there!! You two do amazing work!
Cat
Thank you so much Cat!!!
That looks fantastic! I love how you found a solution to make the piece work for you and your space. And not an inch wasted – even room for the lacrosse sticks!
Ha! Thanks Jen! Yes we made sure to make room for the lacrosse sticks :).
Love the built ins using secretary, such a clever idea
Thank you so much for stopping by Bharati!
Talk about custom built-ins! This is so cool! I see those all the time in thrift stores – the roll top ones would work too. Great job – I can’t wait to see the room come together.
Thanks so much for stopping by to check out my secretary turned built in dresser!
That is such a great idea! I love that it serves multiple purposes. That navy is delicious also!
Thank you so much for stopping by Danielle and your sweet comments!
This is amazing!! It seriously looks so beautiful and I think it looks like it has always been there and is meant to be in the space! I bet your son loves it!
Thanks Amanda!
Tara – y’all just keep getting more and more creative! This is so fantastic!
Thank you!!!
One of the most ingenious repurposings I’ve seen on ORC – such a thoughtful, smart use of the space!
Wow, thank you Merlyn!
love all the built ins in this room, so much storage. Looking forward to the reveal.
Thanks so much for stopping by Maggie!
What a great idea! It looks amazing!
Thanks Roxanne!
I can’t get over how creative you are with built-ins every week! Such a good storage solution 🙂
Thanks Nicole!
Tara – we are blown away by tis makeover! Truly smart, creative and it looks great!
Thank you so very much, that is very sweet!
Thank you so very much, that is very sweet!
Wow Tara, this is amazing, I love the idea of making that dresser a built~in! It saves space and adds so much storage with the shelves beside it as well! What a great boys room! Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing at Sweet Inspiration #4!! Have a nice week!
Thank you so much for stopping by Katrin!
Ok, this is amazing! What a perfect fit!
Thanks so much Amy!
This is amazing! Perfect fit.
Great project! It is amazing how a coat of paint and a few changes can totally change a piece. Great work!
Thanks so much for stopping by to see my secretary turned built in dresser Kristin!
Wow you guys have outdone yourselves here. I would not have been able to envision this in a million years. You created a whole built in unit out of practically nothing. And it looks fabulous against the dark wall. I cannot wait to see the finished room.Tara thanks for sharing this at Sweet Inspiration.
Thank you so very much Mary!
WOW Tara! Brilliant way to use this piece! It looks absolutely awesome! Your color choices for the room are so calming and crisp feeling! Well done! I hope you have a great Mother’s Day Weekend!
Smiles!
Terry
The Curator’s Collection & Making Broken Beautiful
Thanks so much for stopping by to see our secretary turned built in dresser Terry!
What a great idea Tara! Pretty and functional. Featured at Be Inspired this morning. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks so much Sharon!
[…] DIY Built In Bed || Secretary Desk Turned Built in Dresser and Desk […]
I love the white chair against the white built inn, It just looks so clean and stylish
Great job
Maria
Thanks Maria!
[…] DIY Built In Bed || Secretary Desk Turned Built in Dresser and Desk […]