Toy Box from Desk Drawer

See the drawers on the right?  The bottom two are really just one big deep drawer with two handles so it looks like two.

A few months ago I scored several drawers from an old wooden desk similar to the one above, only painted black.  They were just too sturdy to end up in the recycle bin, and I was sure I'd be able to put them to good use one day.

That day came recently when I decided the toys being stored in different places around our house needed to be weeded out and placed in one spot, so when the kids came over they would know just where to go to find their favorites.

 

The large drawer was already the exact size I needed, so no need to do anything to the basic structure.  

The bottom of the drawer, however, was made of thin wood and would never be able to withstand the rigors of life as a toybox.  

Lucky for me I had held on to an old cabinet door that was just the right size.  

I nailed that on with my trusty nail gun.  Yes, I left it white.  It wouldn't be seen anyway, and I was on a roll and didn't want to take the time to paint it and then let it dry.

Next came these sturdy castors from Ikea.  I love their castors, even though the largest ones are quite pricey.  These are the medium size, though, and just right for what I needed.  Plus, any larger and the box would not have fit the space I had in mind.

One side of the drawer had holes where two handles had been fitted in order to make it look as if it were really two drawers instead of one deep one.  

I covered the bottom set of holes with a random piece of hardware and glued one in place on the opposite side as well, so they matched.  Then I inserted a length of rope for the handle--long enough so the box could be pulled around by someone under two feet tall, lol.

I didn't bother with repainting the box.  The color goes with the room, and I love the beaten up weathered shabby chic look.  (Even if I'd painted it, the box would eventually look like this again.  :)

The final touch was adding the label.  I used my Robocut and some grey vinyl I had left over from another project.  The vinyl sticks great, but since I knew it would get a lot of wear and tear, I gave it several coats of Modge Podge. 

The box fits perfectly under the bench in my entryway.  Now the kids know exactly where all their toys are, and I have a less cluttered home to boot.