Large companies are always changing their furniture and you can often get their old stuff for a bargain. The only problem is it usually looks like old office furniture with no character. Case in point, the hubby got a boring little set of drawers for free when the bank that he works for decided to re-decorate their offices. And it was just blegh. So with the help of a few license plates, we revamped that office storage and turned it into this beauty.
This is what she looked like before her makeover.
Not pretty but very functional and perfect for storing things in his man cave. I could probably just have painted it, but it would still scream “boring office storage” with those handles. I knew I could go one step further with this makeover.
But I’m getting ahead of myself ;-) Before I share how to revamp office storage, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll never miss a post!
How to give office storage a unique makeover
Now I don’t know if you remember all those license plates I bought at the China Mall? Yup, we’ve already used some to make a light for Calin’s bedroom, but I have lots more. Some of the number plates have this gorgeous rusty look that I wanted to try to reproduce using some leftover paint we have lying around. Plus the license plates would be perfect to hide those handles.
Don’t they just scream, I belong in an office?
To create a rusty look I started off by painting the drawers and the storage unit a grey graphite color.
Once the paint dries apply random streaks of Metallic paint all over.
Then dry brush on a coat of white following the grain of the “wood”. Well, it’s not really wood, it’s that mock stuff (I think it’s called Formica) that they put on chipboard to make it look like wood.
Wait for the paint to dry and then sand.
In some places I sanded all the way down to the original mock wood stuff and in others I just gave it a light sand.
Play around until you’re happy with the look.
Apply three coats of clear wax to seal and protect the paint.
Screw the license plates onto the drawers and add new drawer pulls that match the revamped office storage look.
Boring begone!!!! Here’s a look at the before again.
And here’s the all-new, revamped office storage after an hour’s worth of work.
Totally worth it in my humble opinion.
What do you think?
When it comes to furniture makeovers this is one of my favs. Our epic stack of suitcases still wins still takes first place but that one took a little longer.
And if you having some boring office furniture that you want to revamp, then why not pin the idea so you can comeback to it later.
BTW, If you don’t want to go to all that trouble and find some of the materials we used, we’ve got you covered.
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And as always wishing you a very happy, craft-filled week.
Last update on 2026-04-11 / Source Amazon Affiliates
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