BEFORE & AFTER DRESSER

I am so excited to share this before and after dresser. This was my dad’s childhood dresser from the 1940’s. Several months ago my dad asked me if I wanted his childhood bedroom dresser. Some of you may remember I recently inherited this mid-century bookcase. I told my dad I had to find a place for it before I committed to adding a dresser to my main level.

I do love dressers with drawers because they make great repurposed furniture pieces. Remember when I moved this Pottery Barn dresser to the entry?

I surveyed my dad’s childhood dresser. It needed a little love. But I was a sucker for four drawers of additional storage.

REPURPOSED DRESSER BEFORE

I don’t have any original photos of my dad’s childhood dresser, but at some point in the eighties, my parents painted the dresser green with white trim or white with green trim.

For decades they used this dresser as storage in their unfinished basements.

I sanded down the top of the dresser to remove the Elmer’s glue. My guess is they are from Shrinky Dinks.

. The legs on the table were wood and reinforced with wood shims to minimize the tilt and wobble- just like a pair of high heels.

STEPS TO REPURPOSE DRESSER:

• Remove the legs and the drawer pulls
• Sanded the top of the dresser
• Not knowing when the dresser was painted green and white I did not want to sand potential lead-based paint.
• Instead, I painted the dresser and drawers with multiple coats of primer.
• Letting the primer “cure” for 24 hours between coats.
• From there I got to the fun part!

PINTEREST

I spent too much time on Pinterest looking at color combinations for the dresser, legs, and drawer pulls.

For those of you who follow me on Everyday Edits you know I love walls and accessories.

It is the same color on our library wall that is on the opposite wall in our living room.

I love the navy blue paint color on the dresser.

Every furniture project I pinned had similar themes so I decided on the following:

Hale Navy paint for the dresser and drawers

Gold legs measuring 6″ to elevate the dresser just a bit.

I debated about replacing the cabinet pulls, but decided to spray-paint the original pulls to match the legs. I used my go-to Rustoleum Gold Spray Paint

LOCATION

Just like real estate- location is everything. I took measurements of the dresser to narrow down where it would fit. Like most of my furniture, it landed on the main level where storage is always in demand for my seasonal dishes and growing collection of cloth napkins.

With Hale Navy walls and accents I wanted the dresser to be in front of a Revere Pewter wall so it would stand out. After years of residing in the basement, it is now living its best-refinished life in the living room with mountain views and sunshine.

And look how the mood of the dresser changes as the sun sets in the west. I just love how this turned out.

I love this piece. This is such a great reminder that between the Pottery Barn or Crate & Barrel furniture, we find ways to add family heirlooms with stories and memories.

Thank you for stopping by today! What furniture have you salvaged or refinished in recent years?

If you love furniture-related projects please sign up for the Weekend Edit for one-hour projects and seasonal decor ideas. If you are new to Everyday Edits you can read my story.

Although narrow I knew it would be perfect in our living room and the drawers could store my growing collection of cloth napkins.

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DID YOU SEE THIS PROJECT?

LOOK WHERE I PUT MY VINTAGE MILK CAN