Tuesday, September 16, 2014

VERY BAD to Gorgeous Empire Dresser


As you know I have a thing for dressers and have transformed many,  but this one was one of the worst I have seen.  When I spotted it at the Flea Market I immediately knew it had potential to be  a beauty.  Since it was in such bad shape I got it for next to nothing.
Before:

Getting ready to take off the chipped veneer

Top

Drawer


No back
When I got home with the dresser I almost took it right to the dump because it was so bad I wasn't sure I wanted to take it on.  I decided to just start and see how it went.  The top was the worst and so I started to scrape off the old chipped veneer.  Let me tell you-this is not a fun thing to do and it was not pretty.  I also stripped off the veneer on the one drawer.

No more chipped veneer
Even after I took off the veneer on the top it was ugly so I replaced the top with new wood.  I decided to mix up milk paint in MMS Kitchen Scale and got to painting.  I knew the chippiness would camouflage some of the issues and the dresser would just have character.  I sealed it with hemp oil/dark wax and stood back and was impressed with my self! I added large glass knobs from my stash and even this was not an easy thing.  I had to counter sink the nuts on the top drawers since they were super thick.  I also added wood to the back and the dresser was DONE!  







Gorgeous Tulips

New top-no chippiness, but not ugly anymore! 





New Knobs


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30 comments:

  1. ℳartina @ Northern NestingSeptember 16, 2014 at 8:52 AM

    All that hard work paid off...it's stunning!! Love the glass knobs you added too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownSeptember 16, 2014 at 1:44 PM

    thanks for stopping by revival monday , i love this piece and would love to feature it next monday, let me know if thats ok with you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownSeptember 16, 2014 at 4:40 PM

      Thank you Lauren--I would love to be featured next week--I love reading your blog!

      Delete
  3. chateau chicSeptember 16, 2014 at 5:33 PM

    Once again you took an ugly duckling and transformed it into a beauty!! Love the color and the glass knobs.
    Mary Alice

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    Replies
    1. DD's CottageSeptember 17, 2014 at 6:53 AM

      Thank you Mary Alice- I have a thing for ugly dressers I think! I like the challenge!

      Delete
  4. The Painted DrawerSeptember 16, 2014 at 6:20 PM

    So pretty! A lot of work but well worth the effort!

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    Replies
    1. DD's CottageSeptember 17, 2014 at 6:54 AM

      Thank you Suzanne-it was more of the challenge for me that appealed!

      Delete
  5. Anne's Attic - DesignSeptember 16, 2014 at 7:48 PM

    The dresser has such beautiful structure and with the new paint job it is perfection! Love it.
    XX Jo from Anne's Attic - design blog http://fulcolbaxia.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DD's CottageSeptember 17, 2014 at 6:54 AM

      Thank you Jo Anne-it did have a great shape under all the ugly!

      Delete
  6. Amanda@RelovedRubbishSeptember 17, 2014 at 7:45 AM

    It looks perfectly lovely and chippy now! I love the color and the glass knobs!

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  7. DD's CottageSeptember 17, 2014 at 10:49 AM

    Thank you Amanda-it was a lot of work!

    ReplyDelete
  8. KarenSeptember 17, 2014 at 8:44 PM

    Wow that really did go from trash to treasure, its absolutely beautiful! well done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DD's CottageSeptember 18, 2014 at 6:56 AM

      Thank you Karen-yes it was very ugly before but now I love it. It is now in the front window of a local store as their main display for fall!

      Delete
  9. The CottagerSeptember 18, 2014 at 11:44 AM

    Wonderful! You brought her back to life... beautiful color choice. I love dressers too :) Visiting from Simple and Sweet Fridays.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Audra @ Renewed ProjectsSeptember 19, 2014 at 11:59 AM

    very lovely! and I adore the flowers you paired it with for the photo shoot.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co.September 20, 2014 at 7:01 PM

    Gosh that was really bad, but you made it shine again! Love that color!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DD's CottageSeptember 21, 2014 at 5:46 PM

      Thank you Sharon-it was horrible but worth the work!

      Delete
  12. UnknownSeptember 23, 2014 at 7:18 AM

    Unbelievable what you did with this dresser! It is stunning!

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    Replies
    1. DD's CottageSeptember 23, 2014 at 1:38 PM

      Thank you Terrie-it was so bad at first I almost just left it at the Flea market!

      Delete
  13. TinaSeptember 23, 2014 at 8:04 AM

    WOW! What a transformation, you did a great job.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Marie September 23, 2014 at 9:07 AM

    beautiful, love the color you chose.
    Marie @ In Our Happy Place

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  15. Heather @ Southern State of MindSeptember 23, 2014 at 9:30 AM

    Thanks for linking up to the Pretty Preppy Party! Heather @ Southern State of Mind http://www.southernstateofmindblog.com/

    ReplyDelete
  16. SarahSeptember 24, 2014 at 4:20 PM

    Such a gorgeous makeover! The color and distressing is perfection! So glad you linked up to our Pretty Preppy Party! Sarah @ Life On Virginia Street

    ReplyDelete
  17. DD's CottageSeptember 25, 2014 at 4:26 PM

    Thank you Sarah-I love the color too!

    ReplyDelete

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