Tag Archives: mid century nightstands

Velvet Drawer Liners for Commitment-Phobes

Last week I shared the Broyhill Brasilia nightstands I got courtesy of Craigslist (the post is here, in case you missed it) and this week I thought I would show you how I gussied them up a bit more, and where they ended up in our house.  First, a reminder of what these beauties look like post refinishing:

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Apart from their good looks, one of the things that thrilled me about these nightstands is that they have drawers–an improvement over my old nightstand situation.  But when I opened up the drawers I was underwhelmed.  The drawers were lined with baby powder-scented contact paper.  The smell was cloying, so I immediately ripped out the paper only to discover that it was masking something worse:

Red House WestAfter revealing this massive smelly (yes, smelly) stain, I sanded it down so that it was less obvious and I scrubbed it several times over.  But would this image ever leave my mind? Would I ever be able to open the drawer without wondering what created this malodorous mark?  All I know for sure is that the stain was created by . . . fluids (suddenly the word ‘fluids’ sounds gross in a onomatopoeia way).  A new liner was in order.

I had a small amount of beautiful patterned velvet that was part of the massive fabric collection my mom gave to me a few years ago.  It’s pretty and luxurious and I decided it would be perfect for drawer liners.

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I looked at a few tutorials for lining drawers, like this one, and this one, but having just sanded the inside of the drawers and gone through the whole refinishing rigamarole I wasn’t eager to make permanent alterations.  So I took the commitment-phobe’s way out, and used cardboard instead.

I measured the inside of the shelves, then cut the cardboard to size so it would just fit.  Then I cut pieces of velvet a bit larger than the cardboard so that I could fold over the edges.

Red House WestThen, using Mod Podge, I glued the velvet to the cardboard.  If you haven’t tried Mod Podge you really should.  It’s super forgiving, dries clear, and works great for gluing and decoupaging.  Basically it’s the bomb.com.

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I smoothed and stretched the front to avoid any wrinkles and then folded the sides over the cardboard.  To keep the fabric edges from fraying I put Mod Podge both on the top and bottom of the folded over edge of the fabric so that it is completely adhered to the cardboard.  Then I let it dry for half an hour, and ta-da, velvet lined drawers!

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Here is what my nightstand situation looked like before:

Red House WestAnd here is what it looks like now:

Red House WestMuuuuuch better.  It’s nice to not see the mess of cords anymore, the height is just right, and I have way more surface area for the things that I need and want like the picture of Opal and the little St. Francis statue I bought in Assisi.

Red House WestHaving the drawer is great, and the velvet lining makes it feel especially luxurious.  Chester is liking his new nightstand too.  His old nightstand wasn’t quite so ramshackle but this is still a major improvement.

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(Did you notice that I claimed the refinished version for myself and gave Chester the restor-a-finished one?  I am so that kind of wife.)

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And here is my darling Cromwell showing off his gibbous eyes and jutting chin in all their protuberant glory:

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Has there ever been a cat so weird looking handsome?  I dearly love this guy.

So that’s it, my simple, zero-committment drawer-lining trick.  Have a great week and stay tuned for a gorgeous post on Wednesday when Katie harkens back to her wedding and shares what she learned about planning the wedding you want.