Sunday, January 10, 2016

The Transformation of the Throw Away Dresser

I have a friend who has a container full of "finds" and she had picked up a dresser that needed a bunch of work and it just sat and sat and she decided that it was time to get rid of it, so she offered it to me.  She was sure she couldn't repair it.  
Before:
The dresser doesn't look that bad in this photo, but every drawer was missing some of its trim and this made the  veneer pull away from the drawer fronts. 





The dresser has beautiful lines and was good structurally, but every drawer needed some TLC and so did the top.  I knew I was up for the challenge!   While it was raining one day, I decided to fix each drawer while I was working.  I first glued the veneer down on each drawer.  


After the glue dried, I then glued the missing trim pieces to the fronts of the drawers.  




I didn't have all the missing trim, but enough that when I was done glueing the drawers looked pretty good.  




I had mixed a bunch of left over Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint  for another project and still had some left, so I used it for this dresser.  It is a mixture of Boxwood, Ironstone and Flow Blue.  




After painting the dresser with 2 coats of milk paint, I scraped off the flakes and sealed it with AS dark wax/tung oil.  

I am actually keeping this dresser for myself.  I needed a 6 drawer dresser in my bedroom and this one fit perfectly.  It was  difficult for me to get great photos since this dresser is right next to a glass door and the sun was shining through.  









I love the legs! 

Swooning over the hardware! 





If you look closely you can see the missing trim, but the chippy milk paint disguises it pretty well. 


64 comments:

  1. It really has nice curves, and I like the color you made. I think it would make a nice buffet for someone, because it seems to have a large long surface. Great work saving this piece! xoox Su

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  2. I love it! It looks like an old worn out French antique.

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  3. I'm glad you get to keep this one after all your hard work, Darrielle! It's beautiful and a new dresser with such lines and details would cost a small fortune. Great rescue! Take care, Cynthia

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    1. Thank you Cynthia-I am glad I am keeping this one too!

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  4. You did a terrific job of repairing and paint this beautiful dresser. The feet and curves are great.
    Have a terrific week.
    Mary

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  5. i love the chippy finish!!! beautiful!

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  6. Love the curves to this piece too. Just gorgeous. Love the color too with the chippy finish. Darrielle this is a beautiful re love. Great job.
    Kris

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    1. Thank you Kris-the curves are gorgeous and I am glad I could re love it!

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  7. It's just perfect! I love all the chippy-ness and the color is so beautiful! Well done!!!

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  8. Curvy and sexy, love it and the color too. Your patience and applied TLC is to be admired, beautiful save!
    xoxo

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    1. Thank you Vera-It's nice to have a pretty piece in my bedroom!

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  9. WOW- talk about a transformation - great job! I love the color of your new dresser - and the lines and legs and hardware are amazing. I usually "correct" over distressing - just a hint is just right for me personally - but I am happy you are happy and that the distressing hides the imperfection of the missing trim so nicely.

    Well done.

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    1. Thank you Michele-I love chippy and I am glad the imperfections hide the missing pieces!

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  10. You did a great job...and color! I think you could make anything look beautiful, DD.
    Have a great week.

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  11. This turned out beautifiully...I love the lines of the piece, and such a gorgeous color!

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    1. Thank you Linda-the lines are gorgeous and I love the color too!

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  12. Another fabulous event piece, a real show stopper...Gasp!!

    Love the legs too!

    Xx
    Dore

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  13. Love the color you came up with! And that hardware is gorgeous.

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  14. You are the queen of shabby chippy pieces!

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    1. Thank you Victoria-I do like a good chippy piece!

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  15. This is lovely. I have chosen you to be the featured blogger of the week at the talk of the Town Link Party which will go live tomorrow evening!

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  16. This is lovely. I have chosen you to be the featured blogger of the week at the talk of the Town Link Party which will go live tomorrow evening!

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  17. I love it! Love the curves and lines. It could be used for a dresser, buffet or in a large foyer. It looks like a well-worn French antique. Love the color mixture you whipped up! Great job.

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    1. Thank you Sandy-I totally agree-it could be used as both!

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  18. The curves and the legs are just breathtaking!! Don't let your friend see it, she might want it back :)

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    1. Thank you Karen-she saw the pictures and did want it back, but NO way!

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  19. Beautiful curves on this piece...and you are so right about the legs and hardware! Gorgeous!!

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    1. Thank you Benita-curvy and gorgeous and chippy-just like I like it!

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  20. Gorgeous! I love the color and all the chippy goodness. Good to hear that you're keeping this beauty for yourself.

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    1. Thank you Betsy-it is nice to keep a piece for myself!

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  21. The color is absolutely perfect and I must admit I probably would have been afraid to go with it!! It definitely is a keeper....so glad you did!

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    1. Thank you AnnMarie - I am glad I took the time to make it pretty again-it was worth it!

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  22. Thanks so much for sharing your post with the #fleamarketfriday link up party! I have featured it today in this week's party! I hope you can join in again! Have a great day...Brooke from www.creativecountrymom.com

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  23. Wow this color is wonderful for this dresser. It really highlights the shapes and I love the legs as well! Beautiful job Darrielle!

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    1. Thank you Stephanie-I love the color too and the legs are gorgeous!

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  24. It's absolutely beautiful. Love the choice of colors you used. The lines are really pretty and will look gorgeous in your bedroom as well as a dining room..Happy Weekend..Judy

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    1. Thank you Judy-I love the curvy lines of this dresser and that it has 6 drawers!

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  25. This is absolutely gorgeous! You did an incredible job!

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  26. Stunning! I love both the new color and the look of the original finish peeking through. It's gorgeous.

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  27. I love the serpentine front of your dresser...how pretty! You did a wonderful job...don't blame you for keeping this one for yourself!
    XO Barbara

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    1. Thank you Barbara-I always fall for a curvy front dresser!

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  28. Great job DD!!! This was the perfect color for this dresser! Love how the chippy turned out! CONGRATS!

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    1. Thank you Cindy-chippy and aqua are perfect together in my book!

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  29. Wow! Wow! Wow! Your image really caught my eye on a link party! This dresser is amazing and you did such a nice job. If you are interested, I co-host a link party on Thursdays called "Create - Share - Inspire" and I would love to have you link up so we could feature you!

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    1. Thank you-I would love to come share and thanks for the sweet compliment!

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  30. Another stunner, Darrielle--I guess one man's junk really is another man's treasure! Thanks so much for sharing your expertise with us at Vintage Charm!

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    1. Thank you Diana-I love other peoples junk some times-espeiclly a dresser with potential!

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  31. This piece turned out amazing! I absolutely love it!

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  32. This is gorgeous!! I have got to try milk paint!!

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