before
after
I had an idea. I went for it. And it worked. I love when that happens. So I thought I'd share the idea with you. I've been using these clear plastic drawers from the Container Store for a while. Right now the drawers store out-of-season clothes — my summer sundresses and skirts are tucked inside for the winter. Since the drawers are clear, the jumble of clothes looks like a bit of a mess shoved inside plastic containers. Practical solution that works — just not so pretty nor special (a typical problem I have with Container Store storage finds.)
I've been wanting to do something with this Henry Road fabric. I just love the cross-hatch pattern, and I thought it was the perfect pattern to makeover these basic drawers. But I quickly realized that creating a bulky fabric liner for the drawers would suck up space and work against the real purpose for the drawers: to store as much as possible. I needed a paper thin solution. So I took my fabric over to the nearest copy center and spent $6 making 11"x14" photocopies of the fabric. (You could just as easily scan and print copies at home — but our printer wasn't set up.)
Next, I cut the copies down to size – one sheet for each side of the drawer. I didn't do the bottom or the back of the drawers since those sides won't be seen. And I just covered the top side of one of the drawers, since the drawers stack on top of one another. The great thing about this project is you don't have to be precise. Any paper runover can be attached to the bottom and sides. Mod Podge decoupages and seals any overlapping paper. Since the paper does not need to be cut exactly to size, you can skip the step of making a paper template.
With my trusty Mod Podge and a foam brush, I applied the adhesive to the inside of the front of the first drawer. Then I carefully aligned the sheet of paper to the top edge of the drawer. Starting from the top, I smoothed the paper down and slowly moved any excess paper toward the sides and bottom of the drawer. I added a little Mod Podge under any area of overhang. (I intentionally chose a small, dense pattern that doesn't need to be matched up. If you choose a larger pattern that does need to be matched up, you'll need to be more precise in cutting to size and matching up your sheets of paper going around.)
Then I repeated the steps on the sides. I finished on the top side of the drawer's frame. Make sure you press into the corners.
These plastic drawers are smooth on the inside with the exception of a few plastic seams. I avoided putting Mod Podge in the space right around the seams so I wouldn't get a build-up of glue. The paper sits flat over the seams (since I learned you can't get the paper to wrap around the plastic seams without rips.) This was the one tricky part. I think the paper floating over the seams actually makes it look more like fabric. Another tip: keep smoothing and smoothing your paper to remove bubbles. The more you smooth, the more the true color of your pattern shows through and the more the Mod Podge does its magic.
Here's the final makeover. I love my Container Store plastic drawers turned custom Henry Road storage boxes. Hooray, Mod Podge!
