File Cabinet Makeover: 10 Steps to Dorothy Draper Style

by OBX Interiors

It's no secret that my favorite Interior Designer is the famed Hollywood Regency Era Queen, Dorothy Draper. Her use of patterns and colors influenced everything in the home worldwide and she is crowned as the one of the first Interior Designers in America. You can see replica's of her pieces at Kindel Furniture.
So when I decided to makeover a file cabinet for my home office, I wanted to pay homage to Dorothy and her infamous Espana Chest.

10 step file cabinet makeover dorothy draper style, diy, home office

See the entire project on my blog with step by step instructions for how I turned an ugly file drawer into a Dorthy Draper inspired piece.

Consider your Design and what colors you want. I wanted the black and gold Dorothy Design of the Espana Chest. I elected not to freehand the design and wanted to use a custom stencil.

See a project shopping list on my blog.

Step 1: Find a 2 Drawer File Cabinet or whatever size you need.

Step 2: Get it home in a 2 door Mustang. hummmm... not so easy!

My poor Mustang has had to haul more stuff in it; from a keg for my wedding, patio chairs sticking out the back with bungee cords holding down the trunk, and now a heavy file drawer.

Step 3: (as needed) Sand down smooth.

Step 4: Clean it. Regardless of whether you sanded or not, be sure to clean every surface.

Step 5: Prime Coat your drawers or design area

See more to these steps on my blog.