A Grasscloth Furniture Makeover: From Basic To Beachy

I hope you’re all having a great week so far! As you may have seen in my Instagram stories this past week, I’ve been having fun making over the hall tree that we have in our back entryway. This part of our home doesn’t receive a ton of natural light after the early morning hours, and since we refinished our floors with a darker stain, I’ve been wanting to lighten up this piece of furniture. Primer, a half gallon of paint, new hardware and some beautiful grasscloth wallpaper can make a dramatic difference! I can’t wait to show you the before and after! Here in this post, I documented each of my steps, as well as the products I used in case you want to try a little grasscloth furniture makeover of your own!

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Before The Hall Tree Makeover

I originally purchased our hall tree from Birch Lane about four years ago. The exact one is no longer in stock, however this Christiano Hall Tree is almost identical.

When I started the makeover, I didn’t have an exact plan for this piece – other than knowing that I’d be painting it white.

However, as I worked on the hall tree, I had the idea to incorporate some grasscloth wallpaper to give the piece a more coastal look. I’ve had a mild obsession with textured grasscloth wallpaper for quite some time and I’ve been looking for a way to incorporate some into our home. However, after having to strip the wallpaper that existed in our office when we bought our home, the thought of wallpapering an entire room or even an accent wall scares me. I’d honestly rather clean one thousand toilets than strip wallpaper should my tastes change! Who’s with me on that?? Real grasscloth wallpaper can run $200-$250 per roll. However, when I spotted this roll on ebay for under $40 a few months back, I jumped on it. I figured I’d eventually find a use for it!

Once I made the decision to add grasscloth wallpaper to my hall tree, I knew I’d want to swap out the hardware. I found the prettiest glass knobs, which I’m excited to show you below!

The Grasscloth Furniture Transformation Process

While the entire project took me about twelve hours from start to finish, the process was super simple! Here’s how I completed this grasscloth furniture makeover, which transformed this hall tree from basic to beachy.

1. I lightly sanded the entire hall tree by hand with fine-grit sandpaper, just to even out the surfaces (this is the exact product that I used, but you could use any 150 fine-grit paper)
   
2. Added two coats of KILZ Interior/Exterior Latex Primer to the piece

3. After priming, there were some holes in the wood that didn’t become super visible until it was primed. So I filled in these holes and uneven spots with wood filler, and let it dry for about three hours
   
4. Once the wood filler was dry, I sanded and then applied a single coat of the KILZ primer over the spots that I filled

5. I followed with two coats of Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace in the eggshell finish since we already had this paint on hand. The trim in our home is painted Chantilly Lace and it’s my absolute favorite. It’s a true bright white with no strange undertones!  

6. I then measured the space behind the shelf and placed the roll of grasscloth wallpaper on top of a spare wood board that we had in our workshop. To ensure an ultra straight cut, I used a drywall square and then cut the grasscloth with a razor.

7. Using a paintbrush, I applied a thin layer of wallpaper adhesive to the back of the grasscloth and then on she went! This is the adhesive I used, but you can find similar products at Lowes, Home Depot or hardware/paint stores.
   
8. After I added the grasscloth and styled the shelf, the existing black hardware felt too heavy. Plus, I didn’t want the hardware to distract from the shelf so I made a quick trip to Home Depot. I bought these very simple (and budget-friendly!) chrome wall hooks and these pretty glass knobs. With the addition of this new hardware, the hall three makeover was complete!

Grasscloth Furniture Makeover Reveal + Styling Details

I’m really happy with how this grasscloth furniture makeover turned out – our back entryway looks so much brighter and beachier! 

I styled the hall tree very simply so that the accessories wouldn’t compete with the grasscloth wallpaper. Several of the accessories are from Homegoods but in those cases, I’ve provided similar options below:

• Peri Home Metallic Chenille Pillow (gray) – this item is included in Nordstrom’s anniversary sale running now through August 30th, 2020. The gray color has been coming in and out of stock over the course of the last week, so if it’s sold out keep checking back!
  
• Sand + Fog Candle – the ocean mist scent is available in a white jar, or if you prefer the pale pink jar that I have, it’s available in tropical citrus.
  
• In the Company of Women – while this book does make a great accessory, it’s also an incredibly inspiring read. One hundred influential women describe how they embraced their creative spirit, overcame adversity, and sparked a global movement of entrepreneurship. Definitely pick it up if you’re looking for a fantastic book to read or are interested in entrepreneurship.
  
• Why Not Me – written by Mindy Kaling, need I say more? She not only cracks me up but her book matches my decor perfectly!
  
• Picture Frame – similar 4×6 on Amazon with free shipping for Prime members.
  
• Artificial succulent with a very similar gray and white pot.

If you’re looking for some other shelf styling ideas, take a look at this “Five Coastal Bookshelf Essentials” post. It includes some suggestions and links to a variety of coastal objects, decorative boxes, frames, greenery and books that would look amazing on any shelf.

As you can see from the steps I took to make over this hall tree, the process was extremely straightforward. Truly anyone with a little bit of time can transform an existing piece of furniture in their home – without spending a lot of money! I find these transformations so gratifying once they are done, and know you would too! If you have any questions at all about the process or the products that I used for this grasscloth furniture makeover, drop them in the comments below and I’d be happy to answer them!

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