One of the most popular IKEA DIY projects is taking the Brimnes wardrobe and replacing the glass with cane sheeting.
This provides you with a perfect canvas to personalize the wardrobe to fit your own style and the style of the room that the wardrobe is in.
In this article, we will look at 10 different things that you can do with your DIY cane IKEA Brimnes wardrobe (You might want to check out IKEA Moppe Hacks You’ll Love).
One of the easiest ways to personalize your Brimnes is to paint the cane panels. This can provide a fun addition to the furniture and can be altered to suit whichever room you are putting the wardrobe in.
Painting the cane panels in block colors is a simple way to breathe life into the wardrobe and works with the white and black versions.
You can paint all of the panels the same color, or you could paint each panel a different color.
To get a more thorough color on the panels, it is better to paint them before they have been attached to the frame of the wardrobe.
This allows you to cover the entire panel and avoid any missed spots that can alter the effect.
If you want to have the panels look different but want to go deeper than simply changing the colors of each panel, there are different styles of cane that you can use to replace the glass.
Changing the style or pattern of the cane can create a beautiful, patchwork aesthetic that suits the rustic, farmhouse style of the material well.
This is particularly effective with the white version of the Brimnes.
You can choose a different style of cane for each space that needs filling to create the patchwork effect.
Alternatively, you could choose two or three different styles of can to create a pattern with the panels.
With two different styles, you can create a zig-zag effect across the gaps. With three or more, you can have a different style of cane on each level of the wardrobe.
If you want to get really hands on and creative with your cane panels, you can weave some fabric through the holes.
Much like the painting of the panels, this is much easier to do before you attach the panels to the furniture.
There are no limits on the amount of colors that you use or the patterns that you make. You can have free range to let your creative juices flow and create something unique and beautiful.
If you don’t feel confident to weave freehand or want to create a specific design, you can use a template or a guide. You can find inspiration for these online and there are plenty to suit any niche or style.
All you need to do with these templates is print them out and translate them to the corresponding spaces on the cane panels.
When looking for templates, it is important to ensure that the image corresponds to the pattern of the holes in the can that you have used.
If it doesn’t it will be much harder to complete the weaving unless you are experienced.
Whether you are planning to place the wardrobe in your own bedroom, your kid’s bedroom (Also check out 15 Kids Bathroom Ideas For Your Perfect Home), or even a hallway as a storage option, it can be a great idea to turn at least one of the panels into a memo board.
Much like a classic pin board, it is easy to attach notes and memos to the cane panels.
The only difference is that with the cane sheet, you can use little clips and mini wooden pegs to attach the notes to the panel.
This can be a great way to help you kids keep track of the things they need to pack to take to school with them.
It can also be an effective way to communicate small things to your spouse if you have differing sleep schedules.
If you are placing your Brimnes in a common area like a hallway, you could assign each member of the household their own panel.
The panels can be identified by either being painted a color of choice or by pinning names to them. Messages and mail can then be attached to the appropriate panel to help streamline family communication.
In a similar vein to the idea of using the panels as memo boards for the whole family, the panels also work really well as photo panels.
Using tiny wooden pegs and other cute or fun clips, printed out photos can be attached to the cane panels.
This can be a really fun way to personalize the wardrobe and create a dun bit of decor for the room.
If the wardrobe is being used in specific bedrooms, the owner can use all of the panels to display their favorite memories.
However, if the wardrobe is being used for storage in communal areas like hallways or common rooms such as the living room, the panels can be divided up.
You can divide the panels by assigning one to each member of the household like with the memo board. Alternatively, you can divide them into occasions.
You can group all of your summer photos onto one panel and all of your holiday photos onto another as a fun way to organize them.
A fun and cute way to decorate your DIT can Brimnes wardrobe is to weave flowers through the panels.
The best thing about using cane for this DIY project is that the holes in the material lend themselves perfectly to easy decorating and personalization through weaving.
If weaving with fabric seems like a difficult or laborious task, this can be an easier alternative. There are also a few options with this idea that can produce wildly different results.
If you want the design to last for a long time, purchasing faux flowers such as silk flowers in various sizes, species, and colors can be a good idea.
The flowers will last for years and you can easily purchase more to allow you to change up the color scheme with the rest of the room or even in line with holidays and celebrations.
Alternatively, if you are committed to maintaining the look of the display, you can opt to use real flowers and plants to decorate the wardrobe.
Adding in a plant such as some cut ivy can be a great way to ensure that there is some natural greenery, and it is important to remember that some flowers will be more prone to dripping pollen onto your floor.
Another idea for enhancing your Brimnes wardrobe is to add rattan furniture hooks to some of the panels.
These hooks can be attached using thin craft wire which is practically undetectable from a distance. These hooks can be both functional and stylish in nature.
They can be hung on the outside or the inside of the doors to provide extra hanging space as well as adding an extra dimension and personality to the wardrobe when hung on the outside of the wardrobe.
This can be particularly useful if the wardrobe is being used as hallway storage, providing a convenient place to hang coats and hats.
Because of the nature of the cane panels, placing lights inside your Brimnes wardrobe can create a beautiful effect that turns the piece from a simple item of furniture into a statement feature that really draws attention and finishes a room perfectly.
The use of fairy lights inside the wardrobe can create a soft lighting effect and prevents the need to intricate wiring.
If you are placing the DIY wardrobe into a bedroom, whether your kids bedroom or your own, the use of fairy lights inside the furniture can act as an effective nightlight when necessary.
Because the holes in the cane panels are small, only enough light to allow you to walk to the bathroom leaks through. Therefore, you will not be disturbed by the light as long as the doors are closed properly.
If you want to use paint on your cane panels but don’t want to simply paint each panel a single color, there are some ways that you can get more creative.
There are many different patterns that you can paint onto the panels to make more of a feature of them, however, there are some patterns that seem to fit this style of wardrobe more than others.
Adding a floral pattern can help make the white version in particular look classy and special.
Another simple way to add color and personality to your Brimnes can wardrobe is to weave pieces of ribbon through the gaps.
Because of the variety of the holes in cane sheeting, there are an endless amount of ways to weave different pieces of ribbon into the material.
You can use an unlimited amount of colors to create an impressive effect over the entire wardrobe.
Final Thoughts
Although the Brimnes wardrobe is a humble piece of furniture, there are many ways to make it look much more impressive and help it play a much bigger role in the aesthetics of your home.
Hi, my name is Maisie Park and I have recently moved into the home I renovated with my husband. It took an entire year to get it just the way we wanted it, and I learned a thing or two along the way!
We started this project together with no prior experience in renovating houses or home improvements – I think the best I had was that I knew how to change a lightbulb.
Flash forward a year and here I am, creating a website to guide others through these challenges.
Please use my website as a source of inspiration for your own home – does your porch need a fresh lick of paint, by any chance? We all deserve to live in the house of our dreams, so what’s stopping you? Let’s get started!
