When you just don’t have a dresser.

Two weeks ago we packed all of our things into a U-Haul and started our move from California to Florida. We had some furniture that we mixed and matched together to start our first home! However, we quickly realized that neither of us had a dresser AND we had a huge, empty wall in our bedroom. We searched online A LOT but just couldn’t find anything we really liked.

Being new to the area of Melbourne, FL we hit up several antique malls searching for unique pieces to fill our space. Still nothing. BUT on the way home from a shop we stopped for drinks at a brewery called Playalinda and found our inspiration – lockers they were using to sell tshirts out of. I knew we had to have something similar, just a little more refined for a house! Then we started our Craigslist hunt for lockers. Within a day we had lockers and the real journey started.

Home Depot has become one of our most visited places here since the move, our dog Pippa especially loves the free pets! For this project we needed: 3 2x6x8 construction lumber, 4 casters/associated hardware, wood stain, and a whole lot of spray paint! I come up with the ideas and, well, J is responsible for making them happen. This is just a short summary of how we went from start to finish.

The lockers

We started by cutting the feet off the lockers and removing all existing hardware from the locker; because putting blue tape over everything in perfect lines is a real hassle. It took about 5 cans of spray paint to cover all sides of the locker. When paint was dry we reinstalled the original locker handles to use as our “dresser knobs.” Quickly, we realized the doors would open 180 degrees and that just wasn’t going to do. So, my engineer quickly decided we could use some chains and a rivet gun to do the trick! And, lastly just bolt in your casters!

The Top

You could do this without adding a top, but we just thought it made it a little more unique! We cut our lumber to length and we had just enough leftover for a backboard which made it even better than expected. We pieced the wood together with pocket holes/screws. Just make sure the wood is pretty level/no bends when you buy it and it will make your life A LOT easier. We stained the wood using several different stains to give it more of a reclaimed look and finished the top by adding 2 coats of spray lacquer.

This really was a very simple DIY that anyone can do! Be on the lookout for lockers to give your home a more industrial, modern feel! We have several more projects in the works so be sure to follow along!