An Aussie mum has impressed thousands of fellow “upcyclers” after she managed to turn a plain-looking cube unit from Kmart into an incredibly stylish cabinet – you would have thought it was a designer piece!

Sharing her latest DIY project on Facebook, Sandra from Victoria used an eight cube unit from Kmart and some recycled materials to make the stunning decor.

Here’s how she did it.

Credit: Kmart (left), Facebook (right).​

Before we let you in on Sandra’s process, some words of advice, folks!

This project involves a bit of woodwork and basic construction, so if you’re looking to try this project yourself, we suggest having someone with you to lend you a helping hand.

Sandra began her DIY project by closing off one side of the eight cube unit. To do this, she attached panels of plywood at the back of the unit and secured them using nails and a hammer.

Once her cabinet had a “wall” inside, it was time to add more of a foundation to the cabinet. So, she hammered solid timber onto the top and base of the unit (as shown in the photo below).

Credit: Facebook.​

Then, using scrap MDF boards, she made the cabinet “doors” and attached them using hinges. Once all the doors were attached, she painted the wooden exterior black.

To create the mini fake “drawers” attached to the doors, Sandra cut scraps of wood into 120 cm by 120 cm squares (as shown in the photo below). Using wood glue, she stuck them onto the cabinet doors and painted them the same shade of black.

Credit: Facebook.​

Then, using some individual handles she bought from Amazon, Sandra attached them onto the fake mini “drawers” to give them a “handle”.

As for the cabinet’s interior, she used some scrap materials to come up with a makeshift vintage wallpaper.

She finished the DIY project by adding a wooden plank on top, attached using wood glue. Sandra topped the cabinet off with her favourite decor pieces and a pot of plants.

Sandra’s post on the Facebook group gained over 5,000 likes and over a hundred comments from fellow DIY fans. Some called her a “genius” for thinking of upcycling an already functional cube unit. Meanwhile, others couldn’t believe the before and after photos.

“Well, isn’t that genius. I’ve used cube units in all sorts of ways but this takes the cake!” wrote one person. “Well done! It’s awesome,” they added.

Another said that this looks like the designer pieces you would normally expect from an expensive shop. “Oh my god, it looks amazing!”

Sandra’s repurposed cabinet. Credit: Facebook.​

 

[leanneh]

This is an absolutely beautiful piece of furniture. No-one could possibly imagine it's humble beginnings. Congratulations on your creativity and wood working skills. You could easily market these to the public.

 

[Vidbri1953]

Amazing! Great project which I may try myself. thank you.

 

[Ricci]

Not my cup of tea but I can fully appreciate the amount of work that went into producing it. Having the imagination to see what something could become is half the job, and that's where I stumble. To me a thing has a stated purpose and that's what it'll be till the day it dies and has to be replaced.

 

[MarieT]

Plain-looking cube unit from Kmart TRANSFORMED into a very stylish cabinet!​

An Aussie mum has impressed thousands of fellow “upcyclers” after she managed to turn a plain-looking cube unit from Kmart into an incredibly stylish cabinet – you would have thought it was a designer piece!

Sharing her latest DIY project on Facebook, Sandra from Victoria used an eight cube unit from Kmart and some recycled materials to make the stunning decor.

Here’s how she did it.

Credit: Kmart (left), Facebook (right).​

Before we let you in on Sandra’s process, some words of advice, folks!

This project involves a bit of woodwork and basic construction, so if you’re looking to try this project yourself, we suggest having someone with you to lend you a helping hand.

​

Sandra began her DIY project by closing off one side of the eight cube unit. To do this, she attached panels of plywood at the back of the unit and secured them using nails and a hammer.

Once her cabinet had a “wall” inside, it was time to add more of a foundation to the cabinet. So, she hammered solid timber onto the top and base of the unit (as shown in the photo below).

Credit: Facebook.​

Then, using scrap MDF boards, she made the cabinet “doors” and attached them using hinges. Once all the doors were attached, she painted the wooden exterior black.

To create the mini fake “drawers” attached to the doors, Sandra cut scraps of wood into 120 cm by 120 cm squares (as shown in the photo below). Using wood glue, she stuck them onto the cabinet doors and painted them the same shade of black.

Credit: Facebook.​

Then, using some individual handles she bought from Amazon, Sandra attached them onto the fake mini “drawers” to give them a “handle”.

As for the cabinet’s interior, she used some scrap materials to come up with a makeshift vintage wallpaper.

She finished the DIY project by adding a wooden plank on top, attached using wood glue. Sandra topped the cabinet off with her favourite decor pieces and a pot of plants.

​

Sandra’s post on the Facebook group gained over 5,000 likes and over a hundred comments from fellow DIY fans. Some called her a “genius” for thinking of upcycling an already functional cube unit. Meanwhile, others couldn’t believe the before and after photos.

“Well, isn’t that genius. I’ve used cube units in all sorts of ways but this takes the cake!” wrote one person. “Well done! It’s awesome,” they added.

Another said that this looks like the designer pieces you would normally expect from an expensive shop. “Oh my god, it looks amazing!”

Sandra’s repurposed cabinet. Credit: Facebook.​

Fantastic, well done!