DIY Stylish Storage Boxes

August 6, 2013

A while ago, the folks at Storables kindly gifted me these white storage boxes. Since then, I’ve been happily employing them in my home– storing gift wrap, DVDs, and the like. They were doing their job splendidly and would have continued to, only, well, please don’t excommunicate me for saying so given how many times I’ve professed my white-session to you– they were really white. Like stark. And sort of plain?

So I did what any self-respecting blogger would do: I slipped on the DIY gloves and whipped out the gold spray paint. You shall see.

See? White. Really really, white.

The good news is that sprucing these storage boxes up with some spice of life was just about the easiest project I’ve undertaken recently. Here’s the rundown for you, should you feel inclined to try this at home.

Supplies: Box, painter’s tape, ruler, pencil, paint.

Naturally you can decorate your storage boxes in whatever manner you see fit, be it with abstract art, polka dots, chevron patterns, you name it, you paint it.

I went for stripes. Because stripes. And gold. Because gold. How’s that for an explanation, eh?

I got busy with my ruler and pencil, measuring and drawing lines. This was the most arduous part of the process, given that I’m anal retentive and wouldn’t rest until things were evenly spaced to the 32 of an inch. Many revisions were involved, lets leave it at that.

I finally settled on vertical stripes confined to the front of the box.

Once you’ve drawn your pattern, get to taping. If you have the same kind of storage boxes (they’re common goods at organizational stores and office supply departments) you’ll know their texture is rather papery. Because of this, I initially had some concerns about how the box would fare with tape being applied and removed. This worry was abated by way of a test strip on the box’s back–success, not a strip or the slightest hint of one.

So taping is a cinch. The only tricky part might have been taping off the label, but that too was no biggie; apply a piece of tape that extends further than the outer edge of the label. Use your pencil to trace the label’s edge onto the tape. Remove the tape, cut along your line, and…

Presto. Perfectly protected.

Once your tape is in place, you’re ready to paint. I went for the spray variety because the efficiency just can’t be beat, but you could certainly use a brush application if that’s your jam.

One coat, let it dry. Second coat, dry.

Peel off the tape and wha-bam! DIY stylish storage box.

The first one I did turned out fine, albeit a little boring. So I did a second, this time with horizontal stripes that wrapped the box’s exterior.

Paired together, I actually think they look quite nice, all the more so because they differ slightly.

That’s that. Now I just need to redo the labels and I’ll be set. It’s the silliest little project, but it added just the oomph those boxes needed.

Look around your home for ways to customize your storage. Doing so will only form a tighter bond between you and it, which perchance, will lead to a furthered desire to utilize them in a orderly way.

What think you on this Simple DIY? Try thee it out at home?

P.S. My latest post for Somewhat Simple is up, this time tackling the matter of fruit flies and how to abate them. Peruse if you choose.

6 Comments

  1. Heidi on August 6, 2013 at 5:08 am

    love the finished look! 🙂 very fun!!

  2. Melissa on August 6, 2013 at 5:28 am

    They look lovely. Do they hold DVDs easily? I am looking for some storage options for our DVD collection.

    • livesimplybyannie on August 13, 2013 at 9:35 am

      Yes! They fit DVDs rather perfectly.

  3. Serena on August 7, 2013 at 1:34 am

    Super cute Annie – and not too hard to do myself! Is there anything white and gold cannot do together? 🙂

    • livesimplybyannie on August 13, 2013 at 9:35 am

      Gonna go with.. no?

  4. Metáltapaszok a láthatáron — Dekorella on November 10, 2015 at 12:52 am

    […] […]

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply





Other Posts You May Love

6 Comments

  1. Heidi on August 6, 2013 at 5:08 am

    love the finished look! 🙂 very fun!!

  2. Melissa on August 6, 2013 at 5:28 am

    They look lovely. Do they hold DVDs easily? I am looking for some storage options for our DVD collection.

    • livesimplybyannie on August 13, 2013 at 9:35 am

      Yes! They fit DVDs rather perfectly.

  3. Serena on August 7, 2013 at 1:34 am

    Super cute Annie – and not too hard to do myself! Is there anything white and gold cannot do together? 🙂

    • livesimplybyannie on August 13, 2013 at 9:35 am

      Gonna go with.. no?

  4. Metáltapaszok a láthatáron — Dekorella on November 10, 2015 at 12:52 am

    […] […]

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply





Welcome

Search The Blog

Simplify Your World

Sign up for the email list to get inspiration and simplified tips sent right to your inbox.

On Pinterest

pinterest-1
pinterest-3
pinterest-2
pinterest-4

Other Posts You May Love