Dumpy Dresser to Toy Storage

Anyone else tired of tripping over toys?

We love that our kids have toys and that they actually do play with them, but we're over having them litter the floor in. every. single. room.

After dissecting the dresser below I ended up with one toy shelf, one under-the-bed toy drawer, and two more drawers to turn into whatever:

so excited about my first under-the-bed-storage-drawer!
I wanna make more!

This ugly swan of a dresser was posted on Craigslist free. Originally it was going to go in my closet (after a makeover) but plans changed in the master bedroom. After a stint storing scrap fabric in the basement, a new purpose was found...pending the makeover it still needed.

original state

the back....not so steady

original insides, pre "gutting"

The back was attached with wood glue prior to installing the middle shelf, it popped off when I pushed too hard while sliding the shelf in. Not sure if I want to reattach it with hardware or add pallet slabs to the back. ~pondering~

middle shelf was placed according to
the height of the toy houses
Doubles as a doll/pony house now.

My four-year-old wanted to help paint the monkey.
Not a bad job for his first furniture makeover!

old toy chest
If you listen quietly, you can hear it scream: paint me!

holding wiggly baby + taking a picture = blurry photo

new toy chest

casters: $2.47 each at Home Depot

I wanted to add a different drawer pull but nothing in my stash fit the current holes...and I was NOT about to add wood filler and measuring/drilling to this project list. The painting and re-painting was taking long enough. We needed something functional sooner rather than later, that toy chest was overflowing onto the floor. The same apple tart blended it nicely into the background.

There are two more drawers from this dresser. One is in the mental-idea-box/pending-projects for an under-the-bed-drawer for my daughter's horses....a rather extensive collection.

The other...maybe a drawer planter? as seen here.