15 Smart Ways to Reuse Old Drawers
We’ve already put together tips for organizing your drawers, but maybe you have some old drawers in the garage or basement that you’re not sure what to do with. Perhaps you have a dresser that’s on its last legs, but some of the drawers are still in good shape. If so, you’re in luck! With a little creativity, you’ll find lots of ways to reuse old drawers.
Need some extra bookshelves? You can do that. How about under-the-bed storage? Old drawers are perfect! Check out these tips for repurposing old drawers for more inspiration.
If you love the ideas of these old drawer makeovers but don’t have any drawers that you are willing to sacrifice, don’t feel like you have to skip over these fun DIYs! Simply keep an eye out at flea markets, thrift stores, and even yard sales. This is a great way to find old dressers that have drawers you can repurpose at a very affordable price. If you are feeling lucky you can even try your hand at bartering!
Tips: How to Reuse Old Drawers
1. Reuse Old Drawers for a Bulletin Board
Add cork board to the drawer and hang it on the wall for a cool bulletin board. This is great for your teens room to help keep them organized with the busy school schedule. They can also use it to display their friends pictures or fun pins and decorations. Put a drawer liner in it for extra color.
2. Reuse Old Drawers to Make a Flower Box
Convert that old drawer into a beautiful flower box. Love the distressed paint look. This can really dress up any area whether you sit this outdoors or even on an enclosed front porch. Paint it to match your flowers, or leave it looking rustic like the one in the picture.
3. Create a Bookshelf and Lamp from an Old Drawer
A small drawer makes for a nice bookshelf and lamp. Yep, this one pulls double duty. Perfect for a small apartment that you are looking for ways to utilized limited space.
4. Reuse Old Drawers for Bathroom Shelves
Need a new bathroom shelf? An old drawer is an excellent choice! Use a dowel for a towel hanger below. This is a really popular design right now. Add some mason jars, succulents and you have a farmhouse style bathroom. The drawer liners give it extra character and they are easy to change out to match your space.
5. Sandwich Stations from Old Drawers
This sandwich station from an old drawer could save you so much time packing lunches every morning! Keep everything you need for sandwiches in one place so that making sandwiches is easy. If you have another drawer on hand, you can even use it to store after-school snacks so your child knows exactly where to go to grab a tasty snack.
MORE Creative Ways to Reuse Old Drawers
Don’t each of these ideas look great? Put them together in your house to create a theme of old drawers. What a fun idea!
6. Reuse a Sewing Machine Drawer
Turn a sewing machine drawer into a mail receptacle for the table in your entryway. These drawers are smaller than a typical dresser drawer and have a lot of character. They add so much charm to a room. Sit one on a table and or counter and store your mail you bring home each day, toss in napkins and sit on a table for guest at a dinner party. A very chic and versatile piece.
7. Use Drawers for a Dollhouse
Put two drawers back to back to make a dollhouse for the kids. What a frugal solution to a really expensive toy! Your child will thank you for days for a new way to play with their dolls. This is an easy enough project that they can help you paint and decorate. When you are done? A custom made home for the dolls to live!
8. Reuse Old Drawers to Make Side Tables
Make adorable side tables. Add a shelf for extra storage. Decorate them and use them for storage Feeling lucky? Paint your table a bold color to make them stand out and add some great color to your room.
9. Reuse Old Drawers as a Centerpiece
Use a rustic-looking drawer as a centerpiece for your holiday decor. Add candles and a runner underneath to showcase it. With each new season, you could add new items inside to adjust it to fit the season. You could paint it different colors to match your decor. A really fun farmhouse look.
10. Slide Under The Bed Storage
Add some wheels to the bottom for slide-under-the-bed storage for the kids’ toys. You can keep the kids toys in a convenient easy to reach place and keep the mess stowed away when its time to tidy up. So smart! (Get more toy organization ideas.)
11. Reuse Old Drawers to Create a Pattern of Shelves
If you’re a salvage junkie with lots of little drawers, create a cool pattern of shelves on your wall. This is really neat and would look fun in a game room or your basement. This one is one of my favorites. I love to fill a wall with a collage and this puts a new spin on a great idea!
12. Reuse Old Drawers to Make a Stylish Ottoman
Turn an ornate drawer into a stylish ottoman. Bonus points if it opens up for extra storage. These are also great for gifts, they are one of a kind and a versatile and useful item for your home. The before and after on this ottoman has us drooling. Repurposing gives so much life to old ignored pieces.
13. Create Open Storage Boxes
Add some legs to the bottom of the drawer to create an open storage box for toys or books in the kids’ room. Sit at the end of your child’s bed or in a corner and watch them store fun items and toys inside. They could even use it as a baby bed for some of their dolls.
14. Reuse Old Drawers to Create a Message Center
Paint the inside of a drawer with chalkboard paint and create a message center for your mudroom or entryway. You know I love anything to help keep a home organized and clutter-free. This particular one has a corkboard and hooks for keys. I love this one and I’m going to be doing it myself!
15. Reuse Old Drawers to Make a Bookcase
Paint a few drawers pretty colors to match the theme of your child’s room, and then hang them on the walls to store their favorite books or toys. This keeps the books handy and easy to find. Genius!
16. Make a bookcase to store books
Turn an old drawer into a bookcase to store your favorite books and use for a display piece in your home or child’s room. This is a fun way that your child can grab a book and read and be able to put it up after they finish with ease.
17. Create Mini bookcases to store children’s books
Or if you have minimal space, do a mini bookcase. This is fun to sit by your child’s bed so they can reach for the perfect bedtime story.
18. Reuse Old Drawers for a Boot Tray
Grab an old drawer and make this rustic looking boot tray to catch and drips and dirt from coming in from outdoors. You can paint it to fit your look of your home, or allow the wood to stand out and have that rustic farmhouse look. If you have multiple drawers, do a few so each family member has room to place their shoes.
19. Make an Antique Table
Check out this neat antique table made from, you guessed it drawers! It is so neat and I love that olden look to it. Really adds so much character to the room.
If you have drawers on hand, don’t toss them out, consider repurposing them in one of these cool ways. Or maybe these options gave you the inspiration to find a whole new purpose for it. But also keep in mind you can even repurpose the whole dresser. With a little paint, distressing, you can transform it into a whole new look. You can make dollhouses, workstations, and more. Never toss something out without really looking at it to see if you have any new uses that might be waiting for you! There are so many fun tutorials and ideas online, to help you create your vision in your head.
Where Are The Best Places Are to Find Old Drawers?
- Buy and Sell Sites
- Salvage Sites
- Antique Stores
- Old Storage Yards
- Garage Sales
- Thrift Stores
- Flea Markets
- Estate Sales
I hope these ideas for decorating your home reusing old drawers! Do you have any additional ideas you’d like to share? Send them to us or let us know on our Facebook page!
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