Our New Bedside Tables…With A Thousand Possiblities (IKEA Rast Hack Ideas)

Well, my days of using a step ladder as my bedside table are over.  We sprung for two brand new bedside tables, and only the best would do for us.  😀  Yes, we spent and entire $75 (including tax) for our two new IKEA Rast three-drawer chests.

I have wanted these silly little things since the day we moved into our house.  The problem is that the closest IKEA is in Austin, which is 90 miles south of Waco, and I could just never find a convenient time to make the trip.

So when my sister told me that she and her hubs would be in Houston for a week, I asked if she would swing by the IKEA there and pick up two of these for me, and she kindly obliged (even in the pouring down rain…now if that isn’t sisterly love, I don’t know what is!!).

I am so stinking excited about the possibilities for these cheap little chests, and I’ve really been keeping an eye out for the perfect “Rast hack” idea for our bedroom.

Now just in case you’ve never seen the amazing things that people have done with these little chests, let me show you a few of my favorites.  Prepare to be amazed.

Ben from The House Of Lists turned his Rast into this Anthropologie-inspired chest with numbered drawers.

And then he turned another one into a more traditional style bedside table with brass bin pulls.

Kimberly at Swoonworthy turned her Rast chest into a campaign style chest in a gorgeous blue with brass hardware.

This Rast hack from The Abundant Abode is one of my favorites, with a beautiful nailhead trim design and a marble top.

And then there’s this fancy chest from Crafty Sisters, where they used a wood cutout to create a design on the front.  Amazing!

This Rast hack from Sarah M. Dorsey Designs really makes a bold statement covered in red and white fabric.  She covered the entire thing in fabric and then added cute little clear casters.

This is a similar idea from Simple Details, only Pam covered hers in faux ostrich vinyl and then added some amazing gold detailing on the edges.

This one from IKEA Hackers is pretty darn amazing, made to look like a vintage steel sideboard.

I could go on and on (and on and on), but you get the idea, right?  The possibilities are absolutely endless with this little wood chest.

I admit that I’ve become just a tad bit obsessed with finding the perfect inspiration for my own Rast chests (as well as another dresser and chest of drawers that I have and want to make over) that I’ve become a bit of a collector of ideas.  So much so that every morning when my Joss & Main email arrives in my inbox, I don’t head over to see if there’s anything I want to buy.  Nope.  I head over to see if there’s any inspiration for my IKEA Rast chests and the other dresser and chest of drawers I have.

And I always find inspiration.  (All of these are from Joss & Main.)

This has been one of my favorites for quite some time now.  I love the stained wood drawers combined with the white body.  And the drawer hardware and little turned bun feet are just perfect.

And of course, y’all know I have a thing for stripes.  I can’t seem to get enough of them!

While this one has doors, and the Rast chest has drawers, I still think it would be fun to create some sort of wood cutout like this to accent the drawers.

And then this look would be very easy to do with just the perfect fabric.

As you can see, the possibilities are endless.  Narrowing it down to the single, perfect idea for my bedroom is going to be quite a challenge, especially with my indecisiveness and second-guessing.  But I’m confident that I’ll decide on something soon, because I’m anxious to get started!