The Upcycled Home: Eighteen Wicker Basket Makeovers

How to Repaint Wicker Baskets

Your ultimate stylish home storage is just one makeover away!

Wicker baskets are so useful, and yet for some reason they’re also the most susceptible to looking dated or tacky. The varnish color alone can age a basket. If there are any other embellishments, they’re likely to be agonizingly country or twee or 90s in a bad way.

Don’t let a wicker basket’s unfortunate appearance blind you to how versatile it can be for containing and organizing your clutter in an attractive way. Read on for a selection of easy tutorials that remake, remodel, and otherwise transform any ugly wicker basket into the perfect home accessory.

The Tutorials

How to Repaint Wicker Baskets

interior house paintAdding the most perfectly matched wicker basket to your home decor is as easy as repainting it with the same paint you used to paint your walls. It’s hella thrifty, too, if you’ve got the leftover paint on hand.

spray paintSpray paint isn’t as eco-friendly as painting a basket by hand, but it sure makes the work go quickly!

add a mirrorHide a tattered bottom by gluing a mirror over it. The mirror will reinforce the basket, and it will also look awesome whether you keep it on a counter or hang it on a wall.

stencilsSurprisingly, considering their uneven texture, wicker baskets take quite well to stenciling. Stick to a fairly simple shape, but enjoy that pop of color!

fabric-covered insertsHere’s another way to make a disparate set of baskets match. It’s perfect for party décor or holiday decorating!

whitewashIf the color of your wicker basket is a little too intense, try a coat of whitewash to calm it down.

French Basket Via Artsy Chicks Rule
French basket image via Artsy Chicks Rule

image transfer. Skip all the fussy painting or painstaking stenciling when you instead use an easy-to-apply transfer image. Afterwards, seal your image to keep it fresh.

paint dippedThis is the perfect transformation for a basket with a good base color. Add interest and some color that complements the rest of your design all at once!

add a tabletopTurn an especially sturdy basket into furniture by adding a large-scale wood slice to make a table. Bonus: use the inside of the basket to store off-season blankets or throw pillows.

add wheelsAdding wheels to a basket makes it so much easier to bring it in and out of storage, or to keep seasonal items or kid toys transportable.

chalkboard sign. Keep all your items organized and labeled with a DIY chalkboard sign.

drawer pullHere’s another fun little detail to add interest to your basket.

Basket Liner via Polka Dot Chair
Basket liner image via Polka Dot Chair

fabric basket liner. A basket liner is a great way to cover up most of the body of a basket, and it works even better if you first paint the basket a neutral color. Consider sewing a set of seasonal liners that you can swap out for a full year of decorating.

fabric coveringFabric is a great way to change the vibe of a basket. This tutorial shows you how to recover the fabric top on a basket and how to place fabric where there was none before.

remove the handlesSometimes the only thing aging a basket is its handle. Snip that problem piece away and now your basket can sit on any shelf!

add decorative handlesBut what if your wicker basket doesn’t have handles and you want it to? Sisal rope and hot glue make for realistic, if entirely decorative, handles.

mend with fabric stripsIf the rim of your basket is starting to look ragged and over-used, here’s an easy repair that, as a side-effect, also makes the basket ADORABLE.

stadium snack basketThis is a fun–and useful!–part decoration! Alter the details to make this snack basket suitable for a variety of parties. It could be a Quidditch pitch, ocean full of pirate ships, dinosaur landscape, or fairy village!

How do YOU use baskets in your decorating? Tell me about it in the Comments below!

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