A DIY pro has revealed how she gave her son’s wardrobe a budget glow-up using Dunelm bargains – and people can’t believe it wasn’t a professional job.
Melanie Lissack shared how she used a pot of cheap paint and a roll of wallpaper to transform the boring wooden storage solution.
She said: “How I created this DIY bobbin wardrobe hack using paint and wallpaper.
“My son desperately required a new wardrobe – he is now 9 years old and I hadn’t upgraded his clothes storage since he was a tiny baby.
During the short reel, she revealed how she transformed Dunelm’s Panana Double Pine Wardrobe into a unique piece for her son’s room, with bobbin detailing and a surprise print inside.
She continued: “While painting the wardrobe was an obvious but effective way to transform it, I decided to go one step further and wallpaper the inside, change up the handles and add some on-trend strip bobbin detailing.
“I built the main flat-pack structure (minus the doors, clothes rail supports and the door brackets, as these would need to be removed before painting and wallpapering anyway) and gave the exterior sides and the front of the wardrobe a light sand with fine-grade sandpaper.
“I separately sanded each door (front and back) before cleaning everything using a clean rag and some sugar soap.
“The next step was to apply two coats of stain-blocking primer to all visible exterior areas of the wardrobe and the doors.
“I also primed the interior shelf and wooden clothes rail as I thought these would look best painted.
“Once the primer was dry, I applied two coats of Dunelm’s own brand eggshell paint in ‘Ashley Blue’ with a mini low-pile roller.”
The DIY pro then went on to wallpaper the inside of the wardrobe, cutting it to shape before applying wallpaper paste and using it to cover the entire wooden interior.
To finish off the look, Melanie added some gold brass handles, and painted strips of on-trend bobbin moulding the same colour as the exterior, before glueing them to the front door panels.
Shoppers can still pick up the Panama Double Wardrobe, £199, and Ashley Blue Eggshell Emulsion paint, £18, at Dunelm.
A roll of the Checkerboard Natural Wallpaper and a set of 2 Large Knurled Cabinet Knobs cost her just £10 each.
Bobbin trim is available from various retailers, including Amazon and Etsy, with prices starting at just £9.25.
Fans loved her budget transformation, with the tutorial gaining more than 4,470 likes and 454,000 views.
Known online as @melanielissackinteriors, the blogger regularly shares DIY tips and interior design ideas with her 57,900 followers.
In the comments, Instagrammers shared their reactions, with one writing: “Wowsers!!”
“Yessss Mel,” commented another.
A third added: “What a fun wardrobe.”
Although not all were convinced, with another adding: “Or maybe don't. There's nothing more beautiful than natural wood, lightly sanded with a coat of wax for a low lustrous finish.”
Someone else suggested “Why not just buy a wardrobe you like?!”
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