Hi friends, it’s Courtney here — Melissa’s daughter. I wanted to share a quick and simple furniture makeover I did last night as part of our A Lovely January home challenge. If you missed the challenge, it’s a gentle push to make progress on a room or space in your home this month.
Last night, while watching snow fall and dreaming of spring, I decided to skip the blanket-and-TV routine and instead put on a podcast and tidy my apartment. My mom calls that “puttering,” and it’s one of my favorite ways to relax. Before I knew it I was tackling a small DIY project that made a big difference. I don’t usually consider myself a hardcore DIYer, but this simple update made me really happy.
PS — at the end of this post I’ve included a round-up of pretty drawer and shelf liners, many of which can also be used as peel-and-stick wallpaper.
This little cabinet was part of my mom’s house when she moved, and she didn’t need it so she gave it to me. I love it in my entry — it replaced a half-round table and provides much better storage while still looking cute.
The bottom shelf had some damage, but I had a simple idea to freshen it up.
I already owned a pretty sheet of contact paper I bought years ago, so I decided to line the shelves to cover the worn areas and make the inside look nicer. It was an easy fix and brought the whole piece together.
Here’s how it turned out:
The whole thing took about 20–30 minutes and required a little patience with the sticky paper. It’s not flawless, but it looks so much better and now makes me smile every time I open the cabinet. I also like that the patterned liner is visible through the glass doors at the top.
That small update inspired a flurry of other little improvements around my apartment. I cleared space in my laundry closet, moved items into the new cabinet, and lined another drawer with the same contact paper. When you live in 500 square feet, every bit of added storage matters — it truly felt like a game changer. I also tackled a few lingering tasks I’d been postponing and felt motivated to keep going.
This A Lovely January challenge has been great motivation to make small, meaningful improvements. I recently rearranged my living room as well and shared it on Instagram stories. It’s been so encouraging to see others’ progress — if you’re participating, share your updates with the hashtag #alovelyjanuary or in our Facebook group.
You can follow me on Instagram for more apartment updates, wedding planning progress, pie making, and more. I love connecting with readers there and have highlights saved if you want to catch up.
If you want to try lining a drawer or shelf with contact paper, I rounded up lots of pretty options below. Lining drawers and shelves is an easy way to refresh small spaces — and many of these patterns work as peel-and-stick removable wallpaper too.
More Drawer/Shelf Liners + Peel-and-Stick Removable Wallpaper Sources (images below show examples and style ideas):
Related Post:
Making Things Pretty: Drawer and Shelf Liners in the Kitchen