Spruced up step stool: IKEA Bekvam

If you have the pitter patter thundering sounds of little feet in your home (or perhaps you just have high shelves) chances are you have a step stool.  You might even have IKEA's Bekvam step stool like we do.
We got the Bekvam when Quinn turned one back in November.  When I went searching for a toddler step stool, I quickly discovered that most were too short and/or too industrial-looking.  We love that the Bekvam has two substantial steps, making it the perfect height(s) for a growing toddler.  It's simple silhouette isn't the most compact, which would've been nice given how tiny our kitchen is, but that's OK.  Perhaps one day we will get our dream kitchen ;-) The little hole in the middle's great for the 'one-handed grip' to bring it over to the kitchen sink or counter. It's sort of old school & that's why we heart it.

Quinn's grown quite attached to this little step stool.  She scales it to the top, causing my heart to skip several beats & grey hairs to sprout on my head (but that's nothing new).  She hides underneath it & sits atop it to watch me cook for you know, 47 seconds.  She perches on the edge of it to read books.  She even colors on it.  I scrubbed most of it clean, but there's still traces of Crayola's cornflower blue & rose red (as seen above). It's her flair.

Recently, I gave this step stool a simple paint job.  {Note: IKEA recommends that you don't paint this step stool due to the increased risk of slipping, so proceed with caution.}  I've seen many painted Bekvams/step stools, so I'm not exactly a trailblazer here. I just added some stripes & a reverse stenciled "1" & "2" (numbers are fun). I used painter's tape, number stickers I've had forever, & leftover paint from Quinn's art table (Benjamin Moore White Dove, my trusted white paint for the past few years).   All it took was a foam brush & two quick coats.  About 30 minutes to take it from taping to painted. Tip: Remove the tape fairly soon after painting.  For the number stickers, I used the blade from an Exacto knife to coax a bit of it up (my clumsy fingers would've smeared the wet paint), then carefully peeled it off.

* Frog Tape did not sponsor this post. Ha! *

As you can see, the lines aren't perfect & there are still traces of Quinn's handiwork.   That just adds to the charm. That's my story & I'm sticking to it.

It makes me smile every time I see it.   Much like the sassy girl who uses it.

Now that I'm seeing it from all angles, I can't help but think dipped legs would be a fun look.   Maybe in soft sorbet colors like this? Love! Is this a DIY blogger affliction?  We can't leave things well enough alone?  ;-)


P.S. My girl Michelle at Ten June gave her Bekvam step stool a sweet makeover & I'm now super convinced I want to dip those legs!  I adore that gal; she's one of my most favorite people I've never met.  Hand us each a bottle of red wine & watch us perform some IKEA hack magic.  It's a beautiful thing.