BEKVÄM kitchen cart goes rustic with rattan

Jules Yap·November 16, 2020

The BEKVÄM kitchen cart is an item that many people have in their kitchen. I wanted to find a way to make it unique to my home. So I added cane webbing and made it a rattan cart.

I like how the combination of materials and colours turned out.

IKEA items used:

BEKVÄM Kitchen cart

Other materials and tools:

Cane webbing
Scissors
Staple gun
Sanding paper
Paint and a brush

Rattan BEKVÄM kitchen cart

1. Sand the trolley and remove any dirt, spots and dust it may have collected.

2. Clean the trolley well from all the wood dust left over from the sanding, use a broad brush.

3. Choose a colour you would like to paint the trolley with. I went with a black water based paint suitable for wood and steel. Paint the trolley twice, wait 6 hours between the first and the second paint. Two layers of paint should be enough. Let the paint on the trolley dry overnight before you continue.

4. In the meantime, roll out the rattan cane and flatten it using heavy objects for at least 6 hours.

5. To know the exact size of the rattan you will need, measure the opening of the cart from the inside (on the sides where we will place the rattan, where the shelves lines are vertical) and add 3 extra cm to each side. My measurements were 40×70 cm.

6. We are attaching the rattan to the two sides where the shelves lines are vertical to us, it’s impossible to add it to the other 2 sides of the trolley. Place the rattan you cut on the side where we want to add it and push it inside carefully. You can use some hot water to soften the rattan. I recommend having a partner with you to help as this can be a bit hard for one person.

7. Use the staple gun to connect the rattan from the inside. Work from top to bottom and cut any extra rattan you have sticking out. Repeat the same thing with the rattan on the parallel side of the trolley.