Watch me give my vanity table a bold and geometric (semi Anthropologie-inspired) makeover with...$3 worth of Washi tape.

THE INSPIRATION

I wish I was a neutral-loving boho babe who lived in an all-white home with zero color. PSYCHE. I am a pattern-loving, color-obsessed maximalist ho. But, as we know, I’m also cheap as hell. Hence, I bought a cheap-ass vanity, which immediately chipped. Since it was white (and slightly busted), I could not tolerate it for one more second.

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At the same time, I’ve been crushing on the bold, geometric Art Deco patterns on these Anthropologie tables.

Optical Inlay Bedside Table from Anthropologie ($710)

Optical Inlay Cabinet from Anthropologie ($2,370.00)

Now, am I gonna spend hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars on these pieces? You know the answer is no. But they did inspire me to add this type of pattern to a piece of furniture. And since I needed to cover the flaws in my plain white vanity, it was the perfect option.

That said, I am lazy AF. We know this. Thus, I didn’t feel like figuring out how to paint on such a precise pattern. Also, since the vanity is cheap laminate, painting would be a pain in the ass anyway. And as much as I love a bold pattern, if I spent so much time precisely painting it and turned out to hate the pattern, I would hate myself even more. So, it was time to bring in the big guns (well, small and cheap) to dupe this baby. Enter….$3 worth of washi tape.

SUPPLIES

Black washi tape

THE PROCESS

Washi tape is the best because it’s cheap, damage-free, and comes in so many colors and even thicknesses. (I’ve even used it to create faux wallpaper in my house.) I figured Washi was the perfect way to test out this bold look to see if I liked it. Spoiler: I freaking love it.

This is literally the world’s easiest hack. You can do any damn pattern you want, mess up, reapply, and it will cost you nothing but time.

Using the Anthro pattern as my inspiration, I simply cut a bunch of strips and started laying out the pattern. I did frame it in black because I had a major dent, which I tried to fill with spackle, to conceal.

For the pattern, I really just eye-balled it and did it freehand hand. You could measure, trace, and mark all the guides you want with a pencil, but ya girl is impatient.

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In total, this project cost $3 and took a total of 20 minutes. Honestly, this is such a drastic makeover with such little effort. It might be the easiest and cheapest hack to date. I’m not a cheap whore for ‘nothing. 😉

UPDATE: It’s been 5 months and it’s still on strong. (Real talk: I even did my nightstands like this too. I couldn’t help myself.)

If you want to see the magic happen in real-time, watch the full episode and like & subscribe to Laugh Cry DIY on YouTube. You can also catch me on the @LaughCryDIY Instagram! Otherwise, enjoy more projects below.

✌️—Katy