Upcycle Seashells Into DIY Drawer Knobs

Sally sells seashells by the seashore, but what does she do with the leftover shells? If you have a knack for collecting (but not selling) seashells, you may be wondering how to display or find a purpose for them within your home. Instead of letting them sit and gather dust on a shelf, upcycle them into various pieces of home decor. With seashell decor making a comeback, your beach-sourced collectibles can be used to give your home a cozy, coastal makeover. Want to add a beachy touch to your drawers or cabinets? Upcycle your seashells into DIY knobs.

Yes, you can save seashells to use as decor for your cabinetry needs. Whether you're aiming to turn your bathroom or any room into a coastal paradise, adding shells to your drawer or cabinet knobs can help achieve that. It can be as simple as gluing or wiring the aquatic pieces onto a wooden knob or the existing hardware for a sea-inspired upgrade. For a more challenging DIY, you can fashion the shell itself into a knob with some glue, bolts, nuts, and washers. Whichever DIY path you choose, make sure you have shells that are large enough to fit your decorative hardware needs.

Prior to any crafting or upcycling, make sure you thoroughly clean your seashells. This will help smooth out surfaces and get rid of any lingering odor. You can sufficiently clean your shells by letting them sit in water that's mixed with a hint of bleach for a few hours (1 tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water). After a good rinse and dry, they should be ready to stick onto your existing drawer hardware. Using hot glue or wire, you can simply stick your chosen seashells onto your drawer knob. You can use one big shell or outline the hardware with varying sizes of shells to make it truly unique.

If you're feeling extra ambitious, you can fashion a drawer knob out of the seashell itself. To do so, you'll need to gather a few extra materials, like nuts, washers, bolts, and epoxy glue. For this DIY, you'll want to use slightly larger seashells from your collection. Start by securing a bolt into the cavity of your chosen seashells using epoxy glue. Make sure the bolt is as straight as possible, since this will determine the alignment of your drawer knob. Once the glue is completely dried, you can screw your new shell knob onto your drawer and secure it with nuts and washers. If the natural coloring and finish of your shells don't really match the color scheme of your chosen drawer or room, you can paint them with complementary colors or give them a more modern and polished look by painting them with metallic or chrome paint. Or match it with more beachy decor like this cute DIY seashell organizer.