This chest of drawers is unrecognisable after an amazing £20 VW camper van inspired makeover

Will you be taking this DIY project for a test drive?

If you’re a fan of the ’60s or simply a VW camper van fan then you are going to love this DIY enthusiast’s upcycled chest of drawers.

Related: See how one Mrs Hinch fan gets the look with clever DIY furniture hack

Jaynie Wilkinson from Heckmondwike, West Yorks, transformed a set of plain wooden drawers into the iconic VW camper van for just £20! Her chest of drawers proved a huge hit when she posted them on the Facebook group Extreme Budget DIY & Life Hacks.

‘Been seeing these about and loved them so much I did a pair of my own! #iloveupcycling must admit they proved to be a challenge but I am suited with how they’ve turned out,’ she wrote on the post that clocked up 636 likes

upcycled chest of drawers makeover

(Image credit: Future PLC/Jaynie Wilkinson)

To create the playful upcycled chest of drawers Jaynie started by removing the bottom wooden panel and handles from the drawers – that she had picked up for £5.

‘I filled all the holes with wood filler then sanded the whole unit down when the filler was dry,’ she explains so that she would get a smooth finish when she painted the drawers.

Using a mini roller for an even finish she covered the top of the chest of drawers and trim around the sides and front in Johnston’s metallic paint in silver. ‘I cut a mini roller into quarters and used that to paint the silver trim to get a smooth line and I measured everything so it was even on both sides,’ she adds.

vw camper van upcycled chest of drawers

(Image credit: Future PLC/Jaynie Wilkinson)

She painted the top half of the drawers with B&Q furniture paint in Toronto and filled in the bottom of the drawers with a couple of coats of 3V3 furniture paint in almond green from B&Q.

‘When it was dry I measured up the windows and used a few coats of silver paint to make the windows then used black gloss for the registration plate,’ Jaynie says.

The upcycled chest of drawers was left to dry overnight before being coated in B&Q colours varnish in clear satin.

vw camper van upcycled chest of drawers

(Image credit: Future PLC/Jaynie Wilkinson)

Once everything was dry Jaynie added the finishing touches.

‘I put silver handles on, using a drill for the holes, making them look like windscreen wipers. I then drilled holes for the smaller headlights (made out of wooden handles) on the second drawers and attached them with screws,’ she explains.

She attached the VW sign with a glue gun but opted to use velcro to attach the spotlights – she’d picked some up on eBay for £4.50 for a pack of 4. ‘I used velcro to attach the spotlights so I can easily take them off when I need to change the batteries,’ she explains.

Related: IKEA hacks – simple updates on best-selling basics that anyone can do

Have you been driven to pick up your paintbrush and attempt a DIY campervan?

Rebecca Knight
Deputy Editor, Digital

Rebecca Knight has been the Deputy Editor on the Ideal Home Website since 2022. She graduated with a Masters degree in magazine journalism from City, University of London in 2018, before starting her journalism career as a staff writer on women's weekly magazines. She fell into the world of homes and interiors after joining the Ideal Home website team in 2019 as a Digital Writer. In 2020 she moved into position of Homes News Editor working across Homes & Gardens, LivingEtc, Real Homes, Gardeningetc and Ideal Home covering everything from the latest viral cleaning hack to the next big interior trend.