EASY STEPS TO YOUR BEACH HUT SHELVING

Transform basic cube shelving units into lookalike beach huts using pine and paint.

Gather your supplies

• 3-tier cube shelf unit

• 300 x 18mm x 1.2m pine utility panel

• 19mm tri-moulding

• Acrylic primer

• Acrylic paint

• Striped cotton fabric

You’ll also need Saw; PVA glue; drill; 20 and 50mm nails; sandpaper; paint rollers and trays; 30 and 40mm screws; hammer; steel rule; fabric scissors; pinking shears; 20mm double-sided hem tape; Mod Podge matte

Here’s how

STEP 1 Remove and retain backing board from unit. Using a saw, cut out 2 panels from pine to cover sides, and 2 panels for roof, one the same size as cube top and the other 18mm longer. STEP 2 Glue, predrill and use 50mm nails to join roof panels into an L-shape. Cut 2 cleats out of tri-moulding, 50mm shorter than roof. Glue to inside of the roof 20mm from ends and flush with back edges.

STEP 3 Sand cut edges and panels to make smooth.

STEP 4 Using a roller, apply primer to inside faces and edges of roof, one face and edges of side panels, and inside face of retained backing panel. Let dry.

STEP 5 With a roller, apply 2 coats of paint to primed surfaces, leaving to dry after each coat.

STEP 6 Predrill holes in sides of cube for screws, with pairs positioned at the top, middle and bottom.

STEP 7 Lie cube on nonpainted face of 1 side panel, predrill through holes in cube into panel and join with 30mm screws. Attach other side panel.

STEP 8 Put backing board, paint side down, on back of cube. Secure backing board using 20mm nails.

STEP 9 Sit roof on top of cube unit sitting on cleats. Predrill and screw down through roof and cleats and into unit with 40mm screws.

STEP 10 Measure and cut fabric to fit over roof with an extra 20mm all around. Trim short edges with pinking shears for a zigzag effect.

STEP 11 Apply hem tape to 1 long side of fabric, 20mm from edge.

STEP 12 Fold fabric over hem tape. Repeat on other long side of fabric.

STEP 13 Apply Mod Podge liberally to roof using a roller.

STEP 14 Lay fabric over roof. Smooth with a dry paint roller to remove air bubbles. Leave to set.

Bring the calm deep blue sea into your baby’s nursery

3 adventure under the sea Paint one or two nursery walls in serene blue to create an undersea experience, with whales and fish swimming around the room. Not just for decoration, they also add depth to the wall. And, once you’ve mastered the techniques, you can play with details like tails and fins to shape a school of fishy friends.

4 beautiful beachy hues Create a pale e inspired by beach glass for your nursery. Think blues, aqua, pink, mint and even yellow. Use the full range for the beach huts, matching the paint jobs to the fabrics on the A-frame roofs.

5 cool coastal classics

The cube shelves were upcycled to look like the famous beach huts of Brighton in Melbourne – built over a century ago with Victorian architectural features and now with distinctive colour schemes.

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STEP 4

Natural elements are key to coastal style – think timber and rattan for furniture, jute for rugs and woven seagrass baskets and boxes.