This weekend we took part in the One Nightstand Challenge in support of Habitat for Humanity. The challenge was to take a basic nightstand and transform it. We used a map to put an upcycled spin on it! Read on to see how we tackled the challenge.

For the One Nightstand Challenge we were given the IKEA Tarva Nightstand. It’s quite a basic nightstand. The nice thing about it is that it’s solid wood, not chipboard. We’re sure there are tons of similar nightstands that to be found second hand.

This challenge was presented by Rust-Oleum Consumer Brands Canada. We were given a whole box of paint to choose to work with, it felt like Christmas!

We chose to work with the Rust-Oleum Chalked in Dusty Pink, the Zinsser Bulls Eye Primer, Painter’s Touch Satin Blossom White and the Varanthane Triple Thick One Coat Clear Finish in Matte.

The first thing we did was taper the nightstand legs. We found the original legs to be a bit chunky and wanted to give our piece more of a mid century modern feel. We did this with a table saw and a jig.

Our upcycled element for the One Nightstand Challenge was the map. Maps are beautiful for home decor. We thought a map would be the perfect design twist for our piece.

We added lots of top coats so that the nightstand surface would be smooth and protected against moisture.

We think the grain of this wood is quite beautiful, so we left a side stripe as a tribute. We also left the knob natural to tie in the natural side stripe. Here’s a before and after of our piece.

We were honoured to be included as 1 of 5 participants in the One Nightstand Challenge.

Here’s a look at all of the pieces together.

It’s so interesting to see the different takes. No 2 are alike!

The pieces were up for silent auction during the Vancouver Fall Home Show, October 26 – 29, 2017. All of the auction proceeds went to support Habitat for Humanity Society of Greater Vancouver, which provides local families with a safe, affordable place to live.