Inspiration for our Tropical Drawers
We wanted to create a truly unique piece of furniture with bold and beautiful colours, so for this furniture flip, we went for the tropical theme. We found our inspiration from the vibrant colours and patterns featured in tropical plants and animals. This helped us create the eye-catching, happy vibe that we were aiming for made our tropical drawers become a reality.
Time for WoodUbend Trim
We started by heating our WoodUbend trim TR716 with a heat gun until it became flexible. WoodUbend mouldings and trims have the same properties as wood which make them super versatile. You can sand, stain, slice, paint, pre-paint and even drill them! As the bendable appliques have wooden properties, this means that they may burn if you are not careful so always keep your heat gun moving in circular motions.
You will know when your WoodUbend trim is heated enough as it will be very flexible. Once flexible, you have a choice to apply good quality wood glue onto the back of your trim or onto the designated substrate.
For a smoother look, we decided to use the mitring technique with a craft knife. This ensured that the WoodUbend trim connected flawlessly with the other segments. We were able to cut the trim as it was still warm. If your trim does cool down, don’t be afraid to reheat your applique to cut it and help it bend around uneven surfaces.
Bold Choices
Once the trim is applied, it’s onto the blending!
We knew we wanted our furniture project to be bright and colourful, which is why the drawers were designed with bold colours. The bright shade of green in this project will really liven up any room!
We used two shades of green by Dixie Belle, ‘Tree Frog Green’ for the top of the tropical drawers and ‘Palmetto’ for the bottom.
The dark Palmetto green was named around a species of palm tree so we knew straight away that this would be a great colour for our tropical themed drawers.
We paired ‘Palmetto’ with ‘Tree Frog Green’ as we wanted that rich burst of vibrant colour to shine through and give the project an energetic, uplifting feel.
Adding Character
We thought the tropical drawers needed a few more decorative mouldings so we chose the set of decorative plumes 1338. Around 90% of the 3rd generation WoodUbend mouldings come in a pack of two – including these!
Once flexible, the appliques are arranged onto the upcycling project using the 5 simple steps to apply WoodUbend mouldings:
- Heat your WoodUbend moulding with your chosen heating appliance (heat gun, hair dryer or electric griddle).
- Apply good quality wood glue to the entire back of the WoodUbend applique.
- Adhere the WoodUbend moulding to your chosen surface (WoodUbend can be applied to almost any surface!).
- Reheat the WoodUbend moulding until it becomes soft.
- Give the trim an extra push to ensure all the parts have completely adhered to your chosen surface.
Pop of Colour
Our drawers were looking very fresh and green but we still wanted to add something to highlight the tropical theme. We found a Belles and Whistles ‘Tropical Leaves’ transfer by Dixie Belle that was perfectly in keeping with our tropical style.
The transfer is divided into 6 sheets with slightly different designs on each for easy application. The colours used in the transfer complement the green tones of the drawers.
Finishing Touches
For the finishing touches, we wanted to add a pop of gold to the piece. We thought the green paint would really benefit from a glowing gold shadow.
We used Dixie Belle’s Gem Stone Mousse in Gold to highlight the WoodUbend trim and mouldings. This was achieved through the dry brushing technique. As the Gem Stone Mousse is an oil-based product it is important that this is applied last to enhance texture and detail with a metal-like flare.
We hope you enjoyed learning about the process we go through to upcycle furniture and were able to get some ideas for your own projects.
Are you more of a visual learner? We have put together a video of the creation of our Tropical Drawers from start to finish. Watch along as the WoodUbend team upcycle an old chest of drawers using WoodUbend mouldings and Dixie Belle Paint.
Don’t forget to like, share and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more interesting furniture upcycles just like this one.
