The Ultimate Baby Wardrobe

I have this wonderful antique armoire in our bedroom. It was a very generous housewarming gift from our friend & former landlord. The armoire is old, weathered and full of character. Ornate silver sheeting cover areas in the aged wood that have seen better days.

I used it to house linens and bulky items, but with the addition of our baby, Milan, I decided to convert it into this treasure trove of baby clothes.

As you can see from the before picture, the inside of the armoire was a little too rustic to serve as the Ultimate Baby Wardrobe.

I didn't want to devalue the piece by painting or permanently altering it in anyway, so I decided to make it extra special and "girly" by upholstering it with a richly embroidered heavyweight fabric. The fabric is something I had in my collection for quite a few years and never found the right use for until now. It doesn't scream baby but is certainly very feminine, and will easily lend the armoire to repurposing once Milan moves into her own bedroom complete with her own closet.

The armoire is delicate so I used lightweight Styrofoam to make the upholstery panels you see. I picked up full sheets of thin Styrofoam at Home Depot for about a $1 a sheet. A major score! They were used as packing material for another product and had no real value to the store. The Styrofoam also has the added benefit of acting as an insulating barrier to keep moisture & island critters out of the furniture and off of the baby's clothes!

The project was super easy and can be finished quickly. Here's the how to:

1. Measure & cut pieces of Styrofoam (about 1/4" thick) to fit the top and sides of your furniture. I cut top and bottom notched pieces for the side panels to accommodate the clothing rod. Make sure you label your panels for easy placement later.
2. Use spray adhesive to affix batting to the Styrofoam. The batting will soften the edges and give you a smooth finish.
3. Measure & cut enough fabric to wrap around the Styrofoam with a few inches to spare.
4. Wrap & tightly stretch the fabric around the Styrofoam panels. Secure the fabric inplace with staples and/or duck tape.
5. Use double stick velcro to secure the panels to the inside of the armoire. This way the panels can be easily removed withoutdamaging the furniture.

My armoire doors have deep recessed panels which I turned into pockets for extra storage. The pockets are the perfect place for grab and & go baby items like bibs, blankets & hair accessories.

1. I made simple 2" deep pockets and sewed them a few inches from the bottom of the cut fabric. Reinforce the pocket by sewing a 1/2" cotton twill ribbon along the pocket edges before sewing the pocket to the fabric.
2. Stretch and secure the fabric & pocket to the Styrofoam door panels as instructed above.

This project lends itself to all kinds of other uses and variations. For example, you can use this technique to upholster the inside of other pieces like cabinets & bookshelves. Or make it fun & colorful by using a mix of different fabrics.

I hope you love it as much as I do!

CC