Redesign the Ikea Tarva chest of drawers: 25 DIY ideas for inspiration

Tarva is one of Ikea's most popular dressers and we are sure that most of you have one or more of them at home as they are very comfortable and fit into most interiors. But exactlylike most Ikea furnitureTarva is simple, and this means you have a blank canvas to personalize. So how can you redesign the Ikea Tarva dresser to suit your room, its decor and its style? We have a few ideas for you.

The Ikea Tarva dressers – perfect for DIY projects

Tarva is a series of Ikea furniture that features a simple design. As a result, they are also very cheap. In addition to chests of drawers, the series also includes a bed frame and a bedside table. The material used is solid pine wood, which is sturdy and durable. Oiling, glazing or painting also makes it very durable. The products from the Tarva series are furniture with a simple design language that has a timeless design.

It's a real shame that the dressers from the Tarva series have just been removed from Ikea's range. The furniture manufacturer has not yet reported whether this is only temporary or not. We can only hope Ikea gets these back into production soon, as they really do offer great DIY projects for any room in the home. Until then, you can, for example, look for a used chest of drawers or look online for similar products.

The chests of drawers from the Tarva series are offered in three versions: with 3, 5 and 6 drawers. You can use the classic Tarva chest of drawers in more than just the bedroom. It is ideal as a sideboard in the dining room or as a changing table in the baby's room. You can also create more storage space in the bathroom with this simple piece of furniture.

Redesign Ikea Tarva chest of drawers – what options are there?

The best thing about Ikea furniture is that it can be redesigned and “hacked” as desired. For almost every piece of furniture from Ikea you cannumerous hacks and variants to spice things upfind. The same applies to the Tarva series and especially to the chests of drawers. Even the manufacturer advertises that the simple chest of drawers can be personalized with a new coat of paint. Here's an overview of the different ways you can pimp the Ikea Tarva.

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Staining gives wooden furniture a natural and chic look. Choose a suitable wood stain and use it to renovate your Tarva chest of drawers. A good idea would be to combine both paint and stain: stain just the sides and paint the front or frame the stained drawers with paint. Change the handles to match the rest of your furniture and voila – your new piece of furniture is ready! Staining is perfect if you want to give the Ikea Tarva chest of drawers a different color. However, before you stain the wood, it must be pretreated.

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This is the most popular way toPimp Ikea furniture. For example, you can paint your tarva by hand in a bold color. Various shapes and patterns can be created using stencils. You can also achieve an ombre effect by painting each drawer a different shade. However, you can create a colorful striped chest of drawers using painter's tape and paint. If the chest of drawers is used in the children's room, you can turn it into a real work of art. Paint stars, mountains, or another motif that your child likes. A few great ideas for inspiration follow.

Paint two Tarva chests of drawers blue and assemble them

Drawers offer plenty of storage space and can be used in any room. If you are one of those for whom storage space is always too limited, you can put two Tarva chests of drawers together with five drawers each and create the ultimate storage space miracle for your living room. In this example, the dressers are painted in a dark blue tone and paired with brass knobs for a classy touch.

DIY Ombre Turntable

Stain Ikea Tarva chest of drawers and paint the drawer fronts

Tarva chest of drawers for the children's room - paint white and decorate with colorful stripes

In the children's roomcan it be colorful? Even the simple chest of drawers made of pine wood can be transformed into a beautiful design for children without much effort. For example, paint the entire dresser white and then use painter's tape to create some colorful stripes on the drawers.

DIY chest of drawers mit Berge-Motif

But you don't necessarily have to paint the entire dresser. For example, you can do this with painter's tapeconjure up a simple mountain motifand the chest of drawers immediately shines in a new light. This design becomes even more playful if you color the buttons brightly.

Pimp drawers

You can spice up the drawer fronts of your dresser with more than just color. It's even easier with stickers, for example, which can be used to create great patterns and motifs quickly and easily. And if you no longer like the motif,just remove the stickers. Another option is to have various details that you can stick to the drawers to beautify them. Although this option takes a little more time and effort, the result is a chest of drawers that no longer looks cheap and plain.

DIY Dresser with Chevron Muster

With some wooden elements you can give the Ikea Tarva chest of drawers a completely new look. For this onespinning tops IKEA HackFor example, a chevron pattern is created from thin strips of wood. The round buttons from the original model have been replaced by subtle handles. You can find out more about this DIY project in the video.

Carve and paint drawer fronts

Wood carving is a beautiful art that creates great motifs on the wooden panel. However, you don't have to be an artist to carve a simple pattern on the drawer fronts of your dresser.

Geometric motifs, for example, are not difficult to imitate with a saw. Simply sketch out the pattern you want first, then use the saw to cut the lines just a few millimeters into the drawer fronts.

Spice up the drawers of the Ikea Tarva chest of drawers with jute

In this DIY project, the Ikea Tarva chest of drawers gets a new, original look with some fabric. First the wood is stained in the desired wood tone and then the drawers are decorated.

To do this, suitable pieces of jute are measured and glued directly to the drawer fronts. Then the drawers are framed with wooden strips and assembled after a certain drying time. Simple and cheap!

DIY Ikea Tarva Dresser with Strandflair

We think this DIY project is really great. With new handles and some rattan fabric, the Tarva chest of drawers is transformed into a real designer piece. And that too without painting or staining them.

All you need for a project like this is a jigsaw and the material you want to display in the resulting opening. A rectangle is cut into the drawer front with the jigsaw and then the fabric is stretched on the inside. The project is not at all difficult for a do-it-yourselfer to carry out and the result is more than satisfactory.

The inside of the drawers can also be spruced up with leftover wallpaper

Here's another great idea on how to personalize your dresser. Simply line the inside of the drawers with scraps of wallpaper or adhesive film to spruce them up.

Replace the knobs on the Ikea Tarva dresser

If just a new color of the dresser isn't enough to make you fall in love with the simple design, then you can also embellish the dresser's handles or replace them entirely. Handles and knobs are usually not expensive at all, but can completely change the look of your furniture. Here are a few ideas.

The leather handles from Ikea are perfect for pimping out the Tarva chest of drawers

Seahorses, shells and anchors as buttons for the dresser in a maritime-themed room

Mid-Century Modern Dresser: Replace the boring knobs with elegant brass handles

New feet for the old dresser

The feet of the Tarva chest of drawers are very simple - two rectangular wooden blocks. Although at first glance they don't play such a big role in the design of the chest of drawers, four new legs can completely change the look of the piece of furniture. Simply remove the old feet and attach the new ones - it's that easy. You can find great versions at Ikea as well as other furniture stores.

Instead of replacing the legs completely, you can give them a different shape. For example, cut off part of them so that they are a little slanted. This may not seem like much of an effect at first glance, but once the legs are painted and assembled the difference is clearly visible.

The wooden legs can also be shortened or left out completely so that the chest of drawers simply stands directly on the floor. If there is already other furniture in the room, simply adapt the design of the dresser to them. This way the furnishings are coordinated and the room appears harmonious.