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Roadside Rescued and Up-cycled Office Storage

Or…Every Guy looks good in Tuxedo

There’s a first time for everything, well, most things anyway.  

Stopping in the rain on a well-traveled road to adopt a discarded and unloved nightstand is a first for me.  

But, if you read many of my posts, you know I’m a big believer in kismet, and spying this neglected piece of furniture on the side of the road was sheer kismet.  

I’m in the midst of a minor redo of my office, and my new desk, while much bigger, does not have the drawers for storage that my old desk had.  As such, I’ve been brainstorming how and where to keep my office supplies and when I spied this sad little piece of furniture, I thought he might just fit the bill.

A roadside rescued and neglected nightstand is upcycled to create perfect office storage and organization | DIY


I’m not sure where this guy has been for the past while, but he clearly had been unloved and out in the elements.  The veneer in several spots was gone, the wood was warped and a tribe of roaches had made this nightstand their egg incubator and nursery…a little gross.  So after first giving him a good wash down with bleach and water, I went to town.  

The piece had been wet in its life because the drawer wouldn’t go all the way in when I brought him home.  So after cleaning him, I brought him in the house and place him directly over an air vent in the hopes that the air conditioning would dry him out and it did! 

My next task was to remove the veneer in the spots where it had partially been removed.  I used an iron and a wet cloth to basically steam the glue and the veneer came right up.  I’d say I kept the iron on the wet cloth over the veneer for about 30 seconds at a time and then used a putty knife to pry up the veneer.  

A roadside rescued and neglected nightstand is upcycled to create perfect office storage and organization | DIY

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Then, in places where it could be salvaged,  I glued some of the veneer that started to separate from the wood base.  I used Elmer’s Wood Glue, a paint stick, and some clamps.

A roadside rescued and neglected nightstand is upcycled to create perfect office storage and organization | DIY

The next step was to remove the gold feet so that I could prime and paint the wood, as well as the gold feet.  I definitely wanted to keep the feet, but they were rusted in spots and needed a good coat of gold spray paint, which just happens to be one of my current favorite things.  These feet were a bit of a pain to get off, as the nails were rusted, but with a knife from the kitchen, a putty knife and a pair of pliers, I was able to get them all off.

A roadside rescued and neglected nightstand is upcycled to create perfect office storage and organization | DIY
A roadside rescued and neglected nightstand is upcycled to create perfect office storage and organization | DIY
A roadside rescued and neglected nightstand is upcycled to create perfect office storage and organization | DIY

There were two spots on the top where the wood had separated.   I used wood filler and then followed it with a good sanding.

A roadside rescued and neglected nightstand is upcycled to create perfect office storage and organization | DIY

I  was anxious to get the primer on to hide all the nasties.  I came across XIM 11022 Primer Sealer Bonder last year and it is the bomb!  Works great on laminate, covers everything and dries quickly. The only downside is its potent odor.

Once the primer was dry, I went to town with my black paint.  I purchased BEHR Premium Plus Pure Black Hi-Gloss Enamel Exterior/Interior Paint and used my sponge roller to avoid brush marks on the finish.  

While at Home Depot for the paint, I wanted to get knobs for the drawer.  In my mind, the black gloss finish and gold feet would look masculine and classic, like my little piece was all dressed up in a tuxedo.  So of course, I searched for cuff-link looking knobs in gold.  The knobs that fit the cuff-link criteria only came in a silver…no fear!  Gold Spray Paint to the rescue.  

I also sprayed the inside of the drawer with the gold paint.  There were many stains on the drawer and not only did the gold spay paint cover them, but it also added such nice bling to my tuxedo-clad-nightstand-turned-office-supply-storage!

A roadside rescued and neglected nightstand is upcycled to create perfect office storage and organization | DIY

I absolutely love my roadside rescued and up-cycled office storage and it works great for what I needed it to do.  I bought the metal mesh trays at Walmart.  They were silver, so they got the Gold Spray Paint treatment, as did the metal mesh cube I’m using for hanging file storage.  

A roadside rescued and neglected nightstand is upcycled to create perfect office storage and organization | DIY

In the process of cleaning out my desk and streamlining its contents, I scanned and tossed 15lbs of paper and documents (!!!!!), so my hanging files are for only a few documents. I put felt on the bottom of all the mesh trays so that I can slide them without them scratching my shiny black tuxedo finish.

A roadside rescued and neglected nightstand is upcycled to create perfect office storage and organization | DIY

No view of my office would be complete without the poster on the outside of the door that my sweet, sentimental and thoughtful 16-year old son gifted me this past Christmas… Daryl, from The Walking Dead.  I am an unabashed Walking Dead groupie, a fact that embarrasses my family to no end.

A roadside rescued and neglected nightstand is upcycled to create perfect office storage and organization | DIY

So, it’s nice when something works out as you had hoped and envisioned…which doesn’t always happen. If you enjoyed this spiffy little upcycle, refurb project, you might like these other furniture refurb projects.  I’ll be back soon to show you the desk that Terry and I kinda built as I progress in my office mini-renovation. In the meantime, how about a little before and after!

A roadside rescued and neglected nightstand is upcycled to create perfect office storage and organization | DIY

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Hugs,

Thanks for making my day by SHARING!!

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43 Comments

    1. Thanks Tania. I agree, the gold feet add so much to this guy and he wouldn’t nearly have as much character without them. I’m tickled with my first ‘roadside recovery’ project and keeping my eyes peeled for more unwanted pieces of furniture. Thanks for visiting. Just browsed your site and have made a note to come back and visit for Craft Frenzy Friday!!

    1. Thanks again Kathryn for featuring my little old discarded nightstand at your party! He’s thrilled! Now he has a reason to be all dolled up in his tuxedo!

    1. Hi Debbie, thanks for your kind compliment! Just got back from visiting your site and welcome to the world of blogging. I’m a relative newbie as well, 8 months in and still feeling my way! BTW…your fireplace is beautiful. Great idea to paint it.
      Have a super day, Lynbn

    1. Thanks Mimi! Gold spray paint really can improve just about anything…trust me, I know. I’ve used it on so many things!

      Thanks for stopping by today and hope you come back soon.

      Lynn

  1. Oh wow! That is one incredible makeover and I’m a sucker for black and gold. Also, you had me at Darryl….My ipad is called “Mrs Dixon’s ipad”. I’d love it if you would link up your handsome storage and Darryl at our Best of the Weekend Link Party. We went live Friday night and are open until Wednesday night each week. Amazing makeover!

    1. Hey, you can’t be Mrs. Dixon, I am!!! I’m the only WD watcher in my family, so never get to watch it on Sunday, but all excited because today I have some projects that can be done while I watch this past week’s episode. Don’t tell me anything! Still holding out that Glenn survived.
      I’ll head over to Best of the Weekend right now.
      Thanks Jenna
      Have a great day!
      Lynn

    1. Thanks Sharilee, this little guy was fun to do and works like a charm in my office. He’s just perfect. Now I need to spy some other roadside discard…I’ve been bitten by the bug!

    1. Oh I’m so excited to be featured at your Best of the Weekend party tomorrow! Thanks for the honor. I’ll be back to visit your party tomorrow.

      Have a good weekend, Lynn

    1. Thanks Jessica…you know how somethings just speak to you and tell you what they’re meant to be? No? You mean roadside trash doesn’t speak to you? :} In any event, this little guy just spoke to me…think it was the gold feet that started the conversation.

      Thanks for visiting.

      lynn

  2. Lynn, this turned out so handsome! Who would have ever imagined that when looking at the before images, not me! LOL The black and gold is perfect, modern, clean and it does remind me of the classic tuxedo look. The feet are my favorite, I love the gold pieces and now that you added the gold accents those feet POP!!! Great job, I’m sure you are enjoying it!!

    1. Hi again Nikki! I’ve got to say that this piece is another that came out better than I had hoped and whose function truly matches its looks. I’m fond of the term ‘functional aesthetics’ and this guy fits that bill perfectly! And I agree, the gold feet make it…wouldn’t be nearly as cool without them.

      Wishing you all good things,

      Lynn

    1. Thanks Jennifer…I agree with you about the feet. I don’t think it’d be nearly as great without those feet. I am tickled that I found that little guy. So glad you stopped by today. Lynn

  3. Lovely job! Trying to get my brain around the fact of that tuxed up furnishing juxtaposed w/ the poster on the door…….!!!!!!! At least i love the table! And your furniture vision!LOL
    .

    1. Hi MJ, it is quite a juxtaposition, I agree…So glad you loved my table…and as far as the vision…I have to say that with the gold feet, he really told me what he wanted to be!

    1. Thanks Marie, I have to say that I do love this guy. It was truly Kismet when I happened upon him. Thanks for stopping by today and wishing you a wonderful weekend. Hugs, Lynn

    1. Hi Susie, thanks so much for your kind words. I really do love how it turned out…it just needed a wee bit of TLC. Looking forward to coming back to your party! Hugs, Lynn

  4. Oh how I wish I could find pieces like this on the side of the road! Your choices for this makeover are perfect! It is so classy now! Well done! I hope you have a great weekend!
    Smiles!
    Terry

    1. Hi Terry…that was the first and last piece I’ve found on the side of the road. I am keeping my eyes peeled, but haven’t seen anything since. It really was kismet!
      Hope your weekend is wonderful as well.

      Hugs, Lynn

  5. This is such a fun little piece! I can’t believe somebody left it out for the trash 🙁 I’m so glad you had vision for it and rescued it though–great job!

    1. Oh Melanie…it was such a sorry piece when I grabbed it out of the rain…and all the roach eggs…UGH! But absolutely still loving it and its functionality. Thanks for swinging by…

      Hugs, Lynn

  6. Oh I love this Lynn! You did a fantastic job on it. Every once in a while I will run across something sitting out for trash day, but never anything like this. I did pick up a little wood child’s chair the other day. But I have been watching for a chest of drawers, but nothing yet.

    1. Hi Friend! So glad you stopped by today. I was THRILLED when I found this sad little nightstand on that rainy day and I continually scour the roadside looking for new finds…but haven’t found another one since. I guess we both just need to continue our search.
      Hope you week is wonderful.
      Hugs, Lynn

  7. What a transformation! It looks beautiful. The gold accents are perfect. I would never have thought to spray the wire baskets. Great idea! I always look forward to your emails.
    Mary

    1. Aw thanks, Mary! That was the first piece of furniture I resuced like that! I think that was 5 years ago and and I still use it daily.

      I appreciate your kind words about the blog emails. I really do enjoy this little job of mine, but getting lovely messages from readers like you definitey fuels me.

      Have a great day, Hugs,

      Lynn

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