See how three Style at Home design editors revamp the same IKEA Tarva dresser with their easy DIY projects, showing off their beautiful and very varied styles.

The blank slate
Naked ambition IKEA’s inexpensive wooden Tarva dresser (a mere $99!) was the perfect blank slate for our three design editors to show off their mad makeover skills.

Inspiration: Pink ombre cake
Luscious twirls of pink icing going from the palest petal through to blush and cerise on this Glorious Treats cake from their blog were what started Ann Marie Favot thinking about her little girl’s whimsical bedroom scene.

Pink paints

• Wild Pink 2080-40 paint.
• Rosy Glow 2084-50 paint.
• Early Sunrise 2084-60 paint.

All paint colours from Benjamin Moore.

The reveal: "Polished pretty" by Ann Marie Favot
Regular readers are well versed by now in senior style editor Ann Marie Favot’s good-mannered elegance, and this sweet girl’s room is a perfect example of her graceful, charming style. Annie’s take on the Tarva involved painting the three drawer fronts in an ombre effect, moving from pale pink on the top drawer to a rich raspberry on the bottom. Glass knobs complete the simple, refined look.

• DRESSER Tarva dresser, IKEA.
• RUG Erslev flat woven rug, IKEA.
• DRESSER PAINTS Chantilly Lace OC-65, Wild Pink 2080-40, Rosy Glow 2084-50, Early Sunrise 2084-60 dresser paints, Benjamin Moore.
• KNOBS Glass knobs, Anthropologie.
• WALLPAPER Thibaut Ingrid T4974 wallpaper in raspberry on white, through designers, Kravet/Lee Jofa Showroom.
• ROCKING CHAIR Eames children’s rocking chair, Advice from a Caterpillar.
• LAMP Mushroom lamp, Advice from a Caterpillar.
• CASE Floral case, Advice from a Caterpillar.
• TOY Baby carriage toy, Elte.
• POUFFE Knit pouffe, Elte.
• QUILTS Auggie quilts, Elte.
• DOLLHOUSE Elte.
• FABRIC Bunting fabric, Designer Fabrics.

 

Inspiration: Luxe silhouette
Vintage Hollywood Regency case goods designed by James Mont and this tuxedo chest designed by Suzanne Kasler for Hickory Chair were the jumping off points for Jessica’s sophisticated scheme.
Paints and utensils

• DRESSER PAINT Valspar high-gloss enamel Ultra White 7006-24 paint, Lowe’s.
• TRIM Wood trim, Lowe’s.
• DOWEL, Lowe’s.
• WOOD GLUE, Lowe’s.
• PAINTBRUSH, Lowe’s.
• ROLLER, Lowe’s.

"Gilded glamour" by Jessica Waks
Design editor Jessica Waks, with her love of vintage design and rich fabrics and colours, is our go-to girl for all things sophisticated and self-assured. This Tarva, kitted out with oversized rosette pulls and trim that she gold-leafed (not a technique for the faint of heart!) more than holds its own in this high-style sitting room vignette.

• DRESSER Tarva dresser, IKEA.
• WALL PAINT Valspar Escape 4007-7B wall paint, Lowe's.
• ROSETTES Wooden rosettes, Michaels.
• TABLE LAMP Elte.
• VASE 1212 Decor.
• TOSS CUSHION 1212 Decor.
• PRINTS Vogue prints, PI Fine Art.
• GOLD LEAF DeSerres.
• ADHESIVE DeSerres.
• PEN Gold leaf pen, DeSerres.

Inspiration: Raw materials
From jars of paint to rustic fibres to weathered surfaces, the unrefined, rough-edged beauty of the images in Swedish stylist Hans Blomquist’s book he Natural Home fired Tara Ballantyne’s imagination for this makeover.
Paints and utensils

• Behr Silver Drop 790C-2 paint.
• Behr Anonymous 780F-5 paint.

Both paint colours from The Home Depot.
"Salvaged chic" by Tara Ballantyne
Style and food editor Tara Ballantyne took us by storm when she arrived at our offices earlier this year – and our pages haven’t been the same since. Tara’s dramatic aesthetic is part Scandi-chic and part raw refinement, but whole, pure beauty. For her Tarva makeover, Tara went for a spare, graphic look by distressing the dresser’s edges, stencilling numbers on the drawer fronts and adding casters for a locker room-style laundry area with practical punch.

• DRESSER Tarva dresser, IKEA.
• SHELF Lack shelf (painted), IKEA.
• BOX Aluminum box, IKEA.
• DRESSER PAINTS Behr Anonymous 780F-5 & Silver Drop 790C-2 dresser paints, The Home Depot.
• DRAWER PULLS The Home Depot.
• CASTERS The Home Depot.
• LAMP HomeSense.
• TRAY HomeSense.
• CANISTERS HomeSense.
• LAUNDRY BIN HomeSense.
• TOWELS HomeSense.
• SCRUB BRUSH HomeSense.
• WIRE BASKET HomeSense.
• BUCKET Porcelain bucket, Stony Lake Furniture Co.
• RUG Olin rug, Crate and Barrel.
• WALL PAINT Pale Powder 204 wall paint, Farrow & Ball.