DIY Basket Lid Tutorial

Several months ago, I decided to paint our entryway. Guess what color? Yup. Valspar Summer Cottage.

Same color as the front door, the back of the hutch shelves and the pop of color on the living room wall.

Now the entryway is bright and cheery (unlike the former dark olive green color). The only problem was that our entry table (a light blue dry sink cabinet) now blended in with the wall.

Oops. Didn’t really think that through.

At first, I considered painting it white. But it had never been a perfect fit anyway. It was too deep and not long enough to make efficient use of the space. I had a vision for something better.

So I measured the space and drew what I wanted – a slim, tall table with three big drawers and a shelf on the bottom for basket storage. I was hoping Hubs would build it for me, but he shot me down.

I stalked a few local shops/stores for a while. Nothing turned up. I scoured the internet but had no luck. Mostly, the measurements (55″w x 40″h x 14″d) were the hang-up. Then, I found this photo on Pinterest…

The table was just like my drawing! Please, please, please let there be a source for this table when I click on the photo. No such luck. Instead, I landed here and fell in LOVE with the home this table belongs to.

Absolutely gorgeous. I love everything about it. That’s the danger of Pinterest. One minute I’m searching for a piece of furniture; the next minute, I’m coveting a whole new house.

Finally, I decided it was back to square one. My table did not exist. It would have to be built. There’s a local shop called Cottage Corner that sells all kinds of refurbished cottage-style furniture and decor (which is actually where the dry sink cabinet and white hutch came from).

Unfortunately, they didn’t have my entry table, but they do have a handyman who builds custom pieces for them from time to time. So I dropped off the photo above along with my measurements. A few weeks later, I got the call that it was ready.

It was definitely worth the wait! I couldn’t wait to get it home and complete the entryway makeover!

I stole the lamps from our bedroom (which have yet to be replaced), the book page wreath from the living room, and the other items from around the house. I found the baskets at Target. Definitely lucked out there – couldn’t ask for a better fit.

However, when I filled them with the dog-related items that were stored in the dry sink cabinet, it was obvious that the baskets needed lids. Otherwise, the exposed dog shampoos, treats, toys, etc ruined the whole vibe.

So I started searching the web for lidded baskets in exactly the right size. Bad idea. I soon realized it was going to be a frustrating quest that could go on forever.

Instead, I decided to make my own lids with materials I had in my craft room – ¼” foam board, fabric, spray adhesive and zip ties (aka cable ties). Oops – I forgot to include zip ties in the materials shot…

Here’s how I did it:

STEP 1:
Measure top of basket to determine lid size. Using an X-ACTO knife, cut a piece of foam board to fit measurements. Cut a piece of fabric about 4″ larger than board, resulting in about a 2″ border of fabric all the way around.

STEP 2:
Determine “hinge” placement, mark board, and cut two holes about ½” x ⅛”. Later, this is where the zip ties will feed through to form a hinge.

STEP 3:
Note – spray adhesive is messy stuff. Use newspaper or other large scrap pieces of paper (much larger than the size of the fabric) to protect the surface of your table/counter/floor. You may even want to do this outside or in your garage.

Using spray adhesive, evenly and thoroughly coat wrong side of fabric, making sure to cover entire piece. Carefully transfer fabric, sticky side up, to a clean work surface. Carefully center board on fabric and press.

Fold fabric border around edges, bringing corners together as pictured above. Hinge holes will be completely covered.

STEP 4:
Trim off excess fabric from each corner, leaving just enough to neatly finish corners. To form a neat corner, pull apart remaining corner fabric, press down in the middle, as shown above.

Trim off excess fabric, then glue sides down using a tacky all-purpose or fabric glue. Cover each corner with a small piece of wood, book, etc and a heavy object for about 15-20 minutes to secure fabric in place.

STEP 5:
Use an X-ACTO knife to cut a small slit all the way through each hinge hole. Do not cut a hole shape in the fabric, just a simple slit will do.

STEP 6:
If you would like a clean finish to the underside of the lid, proceed with this step. If not, skip to STEP 7.
Cut a piece of fabric or cover weight paper (I used a textured, speckled ivory paper) slightly smaller than the fabric-covered board (about ¼” to ½” smaller on each side, plus additional on the hinge side).

PS – make sure to check out my DIY dog bed after you’re done ;)

Fit paper to board, making sure hinge slits are not covered by paper. Using spray adhesive, evenly coat wrong side of paper (if there is one) and adhere to wrong/underside of foam board.

STEP 7:
Place lid on top of basket, feed zip ties through hinge holes and basket fibers. Leave enough playroom in hinge so lid opens and closes smoothly, then trim excess.

I know it’s not everyday that you need to know how to make a basket lid, but hopefully this DIY solution will come in handy for you someday. Or perhaps it will inspire another creative solution to a decor dilemma ;)