IKEA Moppe Hack: Coffee Storage Idea

Organize your coffee with this easy hack for IKEA Moppe mini storage chest.

Vintage boxes and crates are my jam.

They make the best storage containers around the house. And, finding ways to repurpose these vintage finds feels more like organizing and less like clutter. See more creative ways to use crates for home decor and organization in this post. 

In fact, that’s where I nabbed the inspiration for this Ikea Moppe hack. When you see how easy it is to transform this inexpensive storage chest into a clever place to organize your coffee -AND- make it look like you picked it up at a chic upcycle market with DecoArt Vintage Effect Wash, you’ll be making one too!

I am part of the DecoArt core blogger team for 2017-2018.  This post and paint is sponsored by DecoArt, but all opinions, ideas and creative inspo are from me.

Here’s how the Ikea Moppe mini storage chest looks when you pick it up from the store. It costs less than $20 and the drawers are completely interchangeable. 

I decided to switch up the first and second row of drawers. Because I was adding additional hardware, I also reversed all the drawers, so the little finger cutout wasn’t visible. Pretty versatile, right?

*This post may contain some affiliate links for your convenience. Robb Restyle may receive a commission, but you won’t pay a penny more. Thanks for supporting our flea market addiction. Click here to view our disclosure policy.*

Supplies Needed:

• Ikea Moppe Mini Storage Chest
• DecoArt Vintage Effect Wash in Brown
• Paint Brush
• Lint-free cloth
• Drawer pulls (These cabinet label finger pulls are super cheap and add an old library vintage feel)
• Wax Paper
• Inkjet Printer (This is the printer that I have)
• Vintage Typography (I love the Graphics Fairy and these are the images I used: Coffee Ad, United States Tea, Lion Coffee, Postage)

Transferring Images with Wax Paper

I wanted to make this storage chest look like it was made from a bunch of old coffee or tea crates that were repurposed. So I chose vintage typography art related to coffee and tea.

Have you ever transferred images using wax paper? It’s super easy… and very addicting!

I followed this tutorial by Unexpected Elegance, with two exceptions.

1. My printer doesn’t like feeding the wax paper by itself, so I simply taped the wax paper to the top of a sheet of regular paper (don’t worry about taping the sides or bottom – you ONLY need to tape the top). Then, don’t forget to reverse or flip your image before printing… because I forgot no less than 4 times. #facepalm
2. I did NOT wet the Ikea Moppe before applying the wax paper transfer. Since I wanted a more faded look and I found it wasn’t necessary. The wax paper transfer was bold enough without the wood being wet.

Once printed, the ink will be wet so be careful you don’t smudge the ink. Apply the wet side to the wood and smooth with your hands or a credit card. Be very careful not to move the paper so you don’t smear the image your are transferring. I used one hand to smooth it and kept one hand on the paper to keep it in place.

To make the front of the drawers look like they were made from a standard crate, I cut up some of the images and placed them randomly over multiple drawers and also overlapped a few.

Adding Vintage Effect Wash

Next, I removed all of the drawers and applied DecoArt Vintage Effect Wash in brown. I painted both the inside and outside of the larger box, but I only painted the outside of the drawers.

Let me just say that I hate staining things… mostly because I don’t like wearing gloves and I’m messy – so I prefer an easy clean up. That’s why I LOVE the Vintage Effect Wash. It’s easier to work with and gives the same transparent effect as a stain would.

I painted a generous coat, then immediately wiped it away with a cloth. On the outside of the box, I added a little more of the wash on the edges to darken them as if they were aged naturally.

This photo shows what it looked like before I wiped away the excess.

The Vintage Effect Wash also dries pretty quickly, which is a good thing for this impatient DIY girl.

Put your drawers back together and grab your hardware for installation. These cabinet label finger pulls remind me of an old library card catalog. The fancier handle is something we picked up at a flea market. Likely it’s from an old letterpress drawer.

Feel free to print some labels too. I used this font for mine.

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You can easily see the vintage typography and the Vintage Effect Wash makes the art feel perfectly aged.

This Ikea Moppe is such a great size for countertop storage. Plus, the drawers are so lightweight that you can pull them out easily to see what’s inside. I like to mix up my coffee flavors so this is helpful.

We can’t always score the most perfect vintage storage box at the flea market – especially something that fits so perfectly on a countertop. But, with DecoArt Vintage Effect Wash and an Ikea Moppe storage chest, we can totally fake it… and have a little fun while we’re at it!

Do you have one of these Moppe storage chests in your house? Tell me how you hacked it… comment below!