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. 

Vintage Oak Dresser

I picked up this cute little oak dresser several years ago.  I removed the top two drawers, added a shelf and had been using it for my tv stand.  UNTIL, I kept the gorgeous vanity I refinished a few weeks ago.  I can't tell you how happy I am I kept it, but it meant this little gal needed a new makeover and a new home! 

Thankfully I never re-purposed the drawers ;) and I kept the support that goes between them.  So, I simple removed the shelf, added the support back in, and replaced the drawers.  I also had to replace the top as it had warped.  My hubby simply used the old top as a template and cut a new one out of a piece of pine. 

I loved this little dresser in white, but I thought it was time to do something fun with it. Of course, you already know I am in love with almost every shade of turquoise out there so I mixed up a custom color, which looked gorgeous in the can, but when I put it on the dresser it just looked anemic.  I let it sit for a day to give myself time to evaluate and hated it just as much the next day.  SO, I went back to the kitchen and mixed up a different, more vibrant color and tried that one out for size.  This dresser has been 5 colors in the past 3 years (3 shades of white and 2 shades of blue).

BEFORE

Like I said, I liked it in white, just wanted to do something different with it.

 AFTER

It's a simple, little dresser so I kept the design simple: All one color, all the same knobs (that's unusual for me!).

 I like how the rusty centers of the knobs pull down the dark from the top. 

 It's pine so it's not perfect, but I like it dark and I love the knots and grooves in it. 

 It doesn't have a lot of detail, but I love the simple side panels and the cute skirt. 

 I distressed it enough to bring out it's previous colors. :)

Vintage Cedar Chest in Tiffany Blue

A few posts ago I told you about a couple that was cleaning out a relative's house and had invited me to come over.  I was able to take a tour to see all of their amazing treasures.  When we got up to the attic is was full of things and we did a little poking around.  I happened to see the corner of this cedar chest peeking out of the corner off the back wall.  I said, "What is that?"  They said, "I don't know.  Let's take a look."  He uncovered part of it and it was all I needed to see.  I told him I would take it when he dug it out. :)  Fast forward a few days and I get a message saying she would like to keep the cedar chest, but would like me to redo it for her.  Yea!  I love that. 

She said she didn't know exactly what she wanted but she did want Tiffany Blue. I don't work with really bright colors a lot, so I was happy to oblige! 

This seriously is the sweetest little chest.  It's very petite and has the prettiest feet on it.  

 BEFORE

 AFTER

 Because this color is very bright and the chest is very small I wanted to leave the top wood to contrast the paint (and to give the eye a place to rest).  It is a beautiful piece of mahogany and refinished nicely.  I love the deep tone of the wood with the paint. 

 I tried gold in the groove and didn't like it, so opted to just sand the edges of it instead.  I like the simplicity of it. 

 See? Cute feet!

The key hole cover was missing so I replaced it with one I had in my stash.  I like the detail it adds. I didn't want to create holes where there weren't any (in case they want to strip this down someday) so I adhered it with Modge Podge.  Love that stuff!

Antique Dresser

I was fortunate enough to buy this dresser along with the vanity I posted yesterday.  You can imagine how giddy I was to bring them home.  

When I listed the vanity yesterday I had a client say that she loved it and only wished it was a dresser.  I said, "Oh?  I happen to have the dresser, too!"  She said she wanted it refinished the same as the vanity and I was very happy about that.  They are truly stunning together. 

The vanity is still available and if it doesn't sell by the end of the week I think I am going to keep it! 

BEFORE

 AFTER

I just have to stop and stare. lol

I had to sand the top of this one down as there were deep scratches in it.  Instead of staining it and sealing it with poly (my normal routine) I stained it and finished it with Minwax Antiquing Oil.  I love the soft luster it gives.  Poly has the tendency to look "cold" and oil brings out the warmth in the wood.  I think it might be my new go-to.

The detail is so striking.  I love this deep neutral behind all that creamy white. 

There isn't any part of this dresser that isn't amazing. 

The burled maple was lighter on this piece than it was on the vanity and I didn't like it with the white, so I sanded it down and then gave it two coats of Danish Oil in Dark Walnut. 

I sanded the bejeebers out of the drawers so the finish is like silk.  

Antique Vanity

I almost don't want to say anything about this vanity.  It really is one of those pieces that you only get your hands on once in a lifetime (although I pray that's not the case!).  It's a beautiful piece and it was in very good condition (just some minor veneer issues on the inside panel). 

I was so excited to get to work on it that I forgot to take a before!  I can't believe I did that! 

The wood was beautiful.  It's made of mahogany, walnut, and maple.  I wanted to keep as much of it as possible, but still help all that detail stand out. 

I had a very hard time deciding what to do with it, so chose to keep it neutral.

 AFTER

The top was in such beautiful condition that I chose not to refinish it.  I used Minwax Antique Oil to revive and protect it. 

Same with these burled maple drawer fronts.  Just a little bit of oil and they looked amazing. I also chose to keep the original hardware.  I couldn't picture anything that would look more appropriate. 

 I also chose to keep the mirror frame natural and to contrast it by painting the spindles. 

 I painted the drawer fronts Hardware from Sherwin Williams and then painted the body and all the detail in my custom off white. 

 The feet are incredible and I glazed them to help the details pop. 

She is so beautiful.  Nuff said. 

Antique Chest of Drawers in Scandanavian Pink

I found this piece on my local classifieds page and the woman selling it happened to be my husband's neighbor when he was a child!  She was very sweet and said her husband had already started refinishing it, but they were moving and she was getting rid of things.  Lucky me!  

It seriously is the cutest little chest of drawers.  When I went to look at it I just fell in love with its size and that's what made up my mind.  She told me it had a mirror that went with it, but it was lying on the floor, missing the mirror, and in pieces, so I didn't have a very good idea of what it looked like.  I was so happy when I got it home and put the mirror together and got it on the dresser.  

People always ask me how I find such great pieces.  I have no idea. It just kind of happens.  What I can tell you is that I have become very particular (with the exception of a rare mistake) on what I bring home.  I made a rule for myself that I will not buy it unless I absolutely love it.  I didn't use to be that way. lol

When I started working on this piece I realized the stripper had been left on and dried in places, so I had to sand all of that off.  I'm so glad this piece isn't any bigger than it is! :)

It's all oak and when oak gets old it can dry out which really opens up the grain.  I hate that. :)

I used it to my advantage though, and decided to go "old world" with it.  I could just see it in a frenchy pink with a really worn look.  That's where chalk paint comes in!

I don't use it very often but I love how it layers and that's exactly what I was going for.  I had a lot of fun playing with it and broke every rule I've ever made for myself about painting.  It was very liberating. lol

I'ma very Type A personality (as my whole family will attest to).  I'm somewhat of a perfectionist and I like things just so-so.  I'm no different when it comes to painting.   BUT, sometimes it's good just to throw all of that out the window and to just have fun with it.  You should have seen me with that brush! ;)

I actually learned a lot about chalk paint doing this piece.  I learned what it likes to do and what it's good at doing.  With all that being said, I am still a latex gal. :)

BEFORE

This has to be the worst before pic ever, but it's all I have.  The mirror was in pieces when I bought it so I had to re-assemble it.  I had already started sanding it down when I remembered I hadn't taken a pic yet!  Sorry about that. 

 AFTER

I just want to pinch it's little drawers. 

I used lots of layers of Scandanavian Pink and Old White. 

I mentioned the mirror was missing when I bought it (I did find remnants of it in a drawer).  I already had a little more $ into this piece than I was comfortable with so I opted to do a chalkboard for the mirror instead of replacing it.  I'm so glad I did.  It gives this piece a whole different look and what little (or big!) girl wouldn't love to write on it?!

I used 1/4 inch luan and had my hubby cut it to fit the frame.  I primed it, sanded it, did a coat of chalkboard paint, sanded it, and did one more coat of chalkboard paint.  

 I almost used white, ceramic rosettes for the hardware, but decided I liked the rusty pulls better.  I like that it grounds all that pink. 

 Same with the top.  If I had painted this whole piece pink it would have been too much.  I love that that the natural wood breaks it up and gives the eye a place to rest. 

 The drawers had been painted brown previously, so I sanded them, painted them, and lined the bottom with paper.  You can see the MP is still wet in this pic (No, t's not because I am so impatient!  Wait, yes, yest it is.) ;)

 I love the depth layering gives.  

I'm not really a fan of pink, generally, but I am tickled pink by this chest of drawers.

  Pun intended. :)