Hi, my honeys! My 5’3 self needs all the help I can get in the height department, especially since our kitchen cabinets are tall AF! I knew I needed a step stool in the kitchen, but because I’m constantly needing to reach for things it had to be one that’s cute enough to leave out. Serena & Lily has the cutest mid-mod step stool, but your girl is on a beer budget these days, and I cannot afford the hefty $128 price tag! Enter IKEA and it’s unfinished $20 step stool! In this post, I'll show you how my momma and I transformed a basic, cheap step stool into a cute piece I keep out in our kitchen at all times!
I'll be honest, as gorgeous as this teak step stool is from Serena & Lily, I just could not rationalize spending $128 on a stool even if I was made of money--sorry not sorry! Of course, I love its mid century style, but what I like most about it is the two-tone color. I love the mix of the wood tone with crisp white because it matches the aesthetic of our kitchen. Here's the infamous stool in question. You can click on the photo to shop if you're about that expensive step stool life, LOL!
I decided to take what I like about the step stool and try to find a less expensive one with a similar two-tone style. Would you believe I couldn't find ANY reasonably priced two-tone step stools? How rude! I set out to find a way to make my own! It was then that I stumbled upon an unfinished step stool from IKEA for only $19.99! You can click on the photo to shop.
The raw wood would allow me to recreate the wood and white mix; I just had to do it myself! Also, it was not lost on me that I would have to assemble a piece of IKEA furniture, which is also just rude. However, I had my mom and dad in town, and I knew between myself, my husband, and the two of them, we'd figure it out haha! Yes, sometimes it does take four different sets of eyes to assemble an IKEA piece.
To my surprise the photographic assembly instructions (why no written instructions still, chief?) seemed very easy with few steps to complete. We decided (my momma and I) that we would tackle the project ourselves--GIRL POWER! We made the call to paint and stain the stool pieces before assembling to make it easier on us! I grabbed some of my favorite Rustoleum 2X Spray Paint in Linen White for $5.99. I also purchased a gel stain in Walnut color for the actual steps on the stool if that makes sense. Use whatever brand you like, and whatever color you like! I used this one that I got at True Value, and it's cheaper to buy in the store. You only need a small amount so go with the smallest size they sell. I purchased mine for around $6. That brings our total for this DIY two-tone stool project to $32, a far cry from $128.
We used old washcloths to stain the steps and spray painted the rest of the pieces of the stool. I'd like to say we waited the full 24 hours for the stain to fully dry before assembly the stool, but that would be a lie. My mom and I are impatient so we put it together with the stain rubbing off on our hands, but it didn't effect the look of the stain. Don't do this. Wait the 24 hours before assembly because we had to wash our hands a bunch of times to get the stain off, LOL! If you want, you can seal the stain and paint with a coat of clear spray paint, but I left mine as is because I like the rustic look and will enjoy it even more as it gets scuffed and scratched up a bit! You can take some sand paper and achieve that rustic look now, too.
I hope you like the assembled result. It took no time at all, and only $32. I love our little two-tone step stool in our kitchen, and it serves it's functional purpose and looks cute, too! If you want to see more hacks, or little DIY projects, let me know! Don't forget to subscribe to my blog, too! The subscribe section is on the main page of my blog. Thanks for reading!