Five ways to make an ugly functional piece like a filing cabinet fantastic… elevated, dare I say, to a veritable design feature? Wheeeeeeee!

1. Paint it. Paint it to blend in and disappear… OR, paint it a fun & funky accent color… {Oh my gracious, look at that blue, chalk-detailed one! GAH! Glorious!}

OR, even better, tape it off with painter’s tape and paint chevron stripes on it. Fantastico!!

2. Decoupage it. Use fabric or paper that coordinates with your decor and mod podge it onto your filing cabinet. It’s {almost} as simple as wrapping a gift.

3. Skirt it. Simply add a round piece of glass and a table cloth, or make a fabric slip cover to specifically fit the dimensions, adding a velcro, buttoned, zipped, or tied closure across the front for easier drawer access.

4. Furniturize it. [Yes, I just made the word “furniture” into a verb.] Add wooden ball feet, skirt moldings and crown moldings and a wooden top, paint it all out and elevate a functional piece to a pretty piece of furniture! WHEEEEEEE!

5. Integrate it. [Really, this is “furniturize it, part 2, ” but I thought using my made-up verb twice in a post might be pushing it.] Place two filing cabinets as a base, and add a piece of wood, countertop, or a hollow core door for a work surface.

{follow any photo link for source credit}

Wheeeeee! So there are a few thoughts… How do you file pretty?