At the moment, amongst other things, I’m working on a totally new room makeover at my hive.
It’s a little space I’ve not shared previously. I can’t wait for the final reveal though with a little pair of hands constantly clutching at my pant legs (with an accompanying unresistable “pick-me-up” whine), let’s just say progress hasn’t exactly been fast, so as with pretty much everything else nowadays, I’m not holding my breath ’til it’s done.
Anyhoo, part of the makeover involves some new shelving and to pretty them up, whilst adding some handy knick-knack storage, I wanted some cute old mini card file drawers. They are relatively plentiful (if you have patience and know where to look – eBay, oldware stores, etc.) though in many cases buying some requires a deep pocket reach and, if you know me, you’d know I’m just a bit adverse to that kinda thing. So, rather than cash, I thought I’d spend some creative energy instead and concoct my own.
I started with this cute set of Moppe drawers from IKEA (for whatever reason I could only find them easily on the UK website so excuse the link).
I’m sure you’ve all seen them before – they’ve been the victim of many a good (and maybe a few unfortunate) hacks.
And these brass plated card holder pulls I found on eBay, plus some timber stain and sealer.
I did consider painting or ageing the brass though I’m planning on using some gold accents in the room so decided to leave it as is. I’m glad I did ’cause I do really like the end result.
Because I was planning on using the pulls to open the drawers, I no longer wanted the visible finger cut-outs.
Easy solution….just turn the drawers around. I know, duh right?
I began by giving the corners of the drawers themselves a reasonably heavy sand to round them off a bit. It’s just a small detail and by no means necessary though as you can see in the ‘after’ pics it does soften the perfection of the unit and imparts the illusion of some wear.
Next I applied two coats of timber stain (I used dark teak because that’s what I found in the shed :-)
To add a soft lustre and enhance the richness of the stain I then applied three coats of danish oil. If you’ve not used danish oil before, I highly recommend it. As mentioned, it imparts a soft sheen, enriches colour and nourishes the timber. It goes on like water and, in my experience, dries perfectly every time – unlike some sealers it is virtually fool-proof.
Once the oil was dry, I attached my pulls, banging in the nails with my customary the-kitchen-meat-mallet-is-closer-than-the-real-hammer hammer (which turned out to be convenient in more ways than one thanks to its you-can’t-possibly-miss-a-nail-with massive head). For something a bit different, I aligned the pulls towards the top of each drawer. Do I like it? I’m not really sure though I think it’s growing on me. Besides, it’s a pretty easy task to relocate them if I ever feel compelled – which I probably wont.
The nails which affix the pulls will inevitably poke through the rear of the drawer fronts so if this bothers you simply file them flush or trim them down prior.
The visible dove-tails are perfect for helping enhance the illusion of a true vintage piece.
To finish I designed some simple antique style tabs for the card holders.
Sure, I coulda just hand written them and tea-stained the paper, though I decided to exercise my current love of digital graphics and instead Photoshoped ’em up using a handwritten script font and a distressed background texture.
I was pleasantly surprised with how authentic they actually look.
For your convenience I have included my graphics as free printables (see the bottom of the post)! They will fit perfectly inside the 9cm x 4.5cm (3 1/4″ x 1 11/16″) pull slots.
I was a bit sceptical at how this project would turn out though it’s a heap better than I thought…so yay!
Small Drawers (IKEA Moppe $16.00)
Card Holder Pull Handles (eBay $2.95)
Timber Stain (Feast Watson Dark Teak)
Timber Sealer (Cabots Danish Oil)
I love what you did with the moppe drawers! I live in the U.S. in the state of Illinois and Ikea no longer sells the Moppe Drawers In the U.S., and they will not let me purchase it from the U.K. Ikea web site. I am starting a campaign to bring back the Moppe Drawers to the U.S. Your projects are wonderfull!
He, he. I actually stumbled across a Facebook page a while back dedicated to bringing the Moppe drawers back! It’s so strange that we have them here in Australia and you don’t have them in the US. It’s usually you guys who have all the cool stuff! Good luck with your campaign Kim ;-)
Are you crazy! Placing the pulls high on the drawer is the thing that makes this piece seem old and as if it had a useful purpose. Do not rethink. The stain and oil are brilliant and as I understand it from your comments, serendipitous but all these things (plus turning the drawer around) have made this a very fine Ikea Hack. Kudos
Thanks so much Sallie. I kinda felt the perceived weirdness of my handle placement might need an explanation (disclaimer) though I do love them that way and they are definitely staying :-)
I love these little drawers! AND the office nook! You have so many great posts and I’ve been slowly trying to catch up.
How did you cover up the cut-out sections on the drawer fronts? I have one of the older versions from IKEA and it has the cut-out on both sides of the drawers. I do love this! And would like to try it on my set as well.
Hi Carol
As mentioned in the post, I was lucky because my drawers only had the finger holes in one end so I could simply turn them around. Not sure how I’d go about covering them. You could jigsaw out some timber pieces to fit exactly then fill around the joins with timber putty though you will definitely still be able to see where the original cut-outs were. Maybe worth a try if it’s not too much work.
Kristine
Oops, I missed the comment about the finger holes. Sorry!
Thank you for the reply Kristine.
Thanks for the inspiration and the directions! How long did it take you to complete the project? Mine is taking a long time, and the smell is pretty strong. I feel like I need to leave the drawers outside for a long time before I can bring them into the house. Were you able to bring yours in pretty soon? Thanks!!
Hi Kathy
Hmmm, this project was from a while ago now though from memory it was simply a couple of hours work from start to finish (including drying time). I think I brought mine inside right away though I probably let it rest on some scrap paper or fabric for a day or so to avoid the tacky stain or oil damaging any surfaces.
Kristine
I am jumping with glee over this hack.
I’m looking at Ikea hacks to re-do our apartment and this is a must! Thank you for sharing! I love love love this!
Soo beautiful!
I picked your idea ib my post “Ikea Hacks”, I hope you visit and like it!
Thanks, Xx
This hack is genius!! This inspires me to search for other wood products at Ikea to put some life into. Love your style!
I’m a librarian and I couldn’t resist following your tutorial to make my own library card catalogue. I’ve blogged about it at http://craftytails.com/2014/09/03/a-faux-library-card-catalogue/. Thanks for a great post!
Lovely Jenny. I might need to pick up a six drawer Moppe next time I’m at IKEA. Thanks so much for linking back :-)
PS Tried leaving a comment on your blog though for some reason it wouldn’t publish.
I have an idea for some wood little boxes I have that I want to make for a plant box, but they are already painted with a craft paint a greenish (light) color. What would the best first step be for me? Sanding it off? Painting it a different color? Thanks!
Dana
I guess it depends what look you want Dana. You could retain the existing green paint and distress it with some sandpaper, paint over it in a different colour or strip it right back (using sandpaper or a paint stripper) if you want a natural wood finish. Let me know if you have more questions and I’ll try and help.
I simple LOVE this , it’s different , unic , amazing !!!!
I’ ll try for my space !! Thanks for idea !!!!!
Even though this is a pretty old post, I’ve got to tell you, it’s GREAT! When I saw this on Pinterest just now I was sooo happy! I’ve a had one of these things for-EVER. It’s been spared from numerous yard sales and I couldn’t give you a good reason, it’s ugly. But now it’s about to be given a total make-over! I can’t wait. Yours is beautiful. Thanks:)
Thanks so much Bonnie. Although it’s an older post it’s great to hear it’s still helping inspire.
Very happy to find you because love to make things but don’t know were to buy them or get items that can be use for other projects Love it….Love it
Miriam Toledo
Sorry, but did actually nobody notice that the IKEA file drawer MOPPE pictured above is NOT the same as the supposedly finished item?
Did no one notice the big holes on the drawers so you can easily pull? Not there on the finished item.
So, the problem remains how to cover up these holes….
But thanks anyway , great idea.
He, he. You are not the first person to comment about this D-K. If you read the post it is mentioned how the rear of the drawers do not have the finger cut-outs. I simply turned the drawers around – easy!
What a wonderful blog you have and beautiful piece … thanks for the wonderful instructions! I know this is an older post but wondered if you remember what font you used for the labels? I would love to customize my own label inserts with this font. Many thanks!
Hi Sharon
Thanks. The font is listed (with a link) at the end of the post in the ‘At a Glance’ section. It’s a premium font though it’s very affordable. That said, you can cheat a little if you only need to make a few labels by creating a large preview of your text then saving it as an image and editing as needed.
Kristine