Habitat bright ideas with Fleur Thorpe – DIY projects
Having friends and family over for drinks? Surprise and delight them with the cheerful wallpaper inside this drinks cabinet.
Fleur gave this drinks cabinet a tropical twist with Resene Wallpaper Collection 807509, but you could use an Art Deco design or a metallic wallpaper for a more classic look.
Make your own vintage drinks cabinet with a stylish surprise
Step 1
Start by removing all the glass, mirrors and hardware from the cabinet.
Step 2
Use a medium-grit sandpaper to sand down all the areas inside the cabinet that will be painted. Wipe the dust away with a slightly damp cloth.
Step 3
Use painter’s tape to cover up anything that needs protecting or can’t be removed and apply Resene Quick Dry to all the surfaces. A lot of the areas will be covered up with mirrors and wallpaper so there’s no need to paint the entire surfaces. Once the primer is dry, lightly sand it with a fine sandpaper and then remove the dust with a damp cloth.
Step 4
Paint two layers of your favourite Resene colour, Fleur used Resene Warrior, allowing for the first coat to dry before applying the second coat.
Step 5
For the lid, cut a piece of wallpaper to size and then use wood glue or strong PVA glue to glue the wallpaper down. Fleur used Resene Wallpaper Collection 807509.
Step 6
For the bottom cupboard, paint in a contrasting colour, Fleur used Resene Sunglo and applied more Resene wallpaper to the back of the cupboard and to the back of each door.
Step 7a
Once the paint is dry, put all the glass and mirrors back in and reattach the hardware.
Step 7b
Fleur added new knobs to the front and made some new legs from a length of 45mm x 45mm untreated pine and painted these in Resene Warrior.
Finished cabinet (closed)
A close-up of the finished cabinet project with the doors closed.
Top tip: Let your Resene wallpaper guide your complementary Resene paint colour. Pick out one of the feature colours in your mural and use that in your Resene paint finish to bring the complete look together. Use a gloss finish such as Resene Enamacryl for the brightest finish or choose a lower sheen for a more subtle finish.
Styling and images by Fleur Thorpe. Feb 2022.
Habitat bright ideas
Need to add colour, pattern or a little creativity to your place? Check out these easy step by step DIY project ideas created in collaboration with Fleur Thorpe. We hope you enjoy making and painting these bright ideas and bringing colour to your home inside or out.