Antique Chest of Drawers

The woman I bought this dresser from said it was her grandmother's and that she, herself, had used it as a little girl.  There was a spot of nail polish on the top and she remembered how it got there. I love stories like that. 

My client actually emailed me saying she had been following me for a while (love that, too) and wondered if I had any 3 drawer dressers for sale.  I just happened to have this pretty thing waiting in the wings and it was a perfect fit.

She sent me pictures of her room and said she liked when I kept some of the drawer fronts wood.  Well, I got to looking at this baby and realized, because of the detail, refinishing the drawer fronts instead of painting them would be a big ol pain in the rear.  So, I put my thinking cap on and came up with a way to make both of us happy. :)

I actually hand sanded the middle sections of the bottom two drawers.  My son had a friend over while I was doing it and he said, "Wouldn't that be easier with an electric sander?"  Why, yes, yes, it would, but I didn't want to take the chance of sanding through the veneer or accidentally popping the appliques off by hitting them with the sander (yes, I have done that before). I then stained the drawer fronts with Antique Walnut from General Finishes to match the top (Java would have been a little too formal looking for the room it was going in, IMO) and painstakingly taped off the middle section so I would have a nice crisp line when I painted.  It was a lot more work but the result was worth it. 

The first time I painted it I did all the detail a different color than the body and it was just too much.  I didn't like it and ended up painting over it (sometimes the reality of a vision just doesn't work out).  Then. I was afraid it was too simple, but I love how the simplicity lets the design of the drawer fronts stand out. 

 BEFORE

 AFTER

The top drawer was actually oak while the rest of the dresser is mahogany, maple, and cherry.  I didn't like how it looked especially with the designs in the middle of the drawers being black.  I like it much more all white. 

I love the finish and the light distressing. 

Her room is pretty neutral with pops of turquoise so I love how these knobs are understated yet have just enough color to give them some interest.  The antique brass edge also ties in with the original pulls which I had to leave because they had made such deep grooves in the drawers that I couldn't sand them out and it looked funny with different hardware. 

I lightly glazed the details.  See the curly cues in the wood?  I'm still on the fence about painting them white, cuz once I do it's done, there's no going back!  Hmmm....

The top was pretty rough looking before and now it's just lovely. 

I really like the warmth of the wood with this soft white.