Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Dresser Before and After

This is a picture of my new dresser. It was a $30 Craigs List find. (I ADORE CRAIGS LIST). I just love the carved details on the drawer fronts and that it goes all the way to the floor. The rest of the furniture in my living room have legs that show. I purchased it with the intent to paint it, but mentally went through several colors before deciding on the right one (orange and fuchsia were in the running but I kept coming back to my defined style statement). The dresser was in a suburb far from my home, but near a friends house. He picked it up and took it to work with him in downtown Chicago. There it was transferred to my brothers vehicle and brought home to my house in Evanston. Having friends and family with bigger cars / SUVs sure is nice.


This is what the dresser replaced. I loved the look of the small table. And it kept that side of the room open and airy feeling, but I just needed more storage. I sold the table on Craig's List for $30 (but had many interested buyers. I should have relisted it for more money.) I initially paid $5 at Goodwill for the table 6-7 years or so ago, so I definitely got my money's worth out of the deal.


The dresser stayed in its brown laminate state for about 3 months until I got around to painting it. Here is the after. I sanded the laminate with a fine grit sandpaper, wiped it down, primed it and put two coats of aqua on it. I already had the paint, but I wish it had a higher gloss than the eggshell. I love the light aqua against the dark turquoise walls. I still need to move the clock up and accessorize the wall, because the table it replaced was much smaller. I've since spray painted the knobs silver, but kind of wish I had left them the original antiqued brass color. An antique glaze would look fantastic on this piece, but that is definitely not the look I'm going for. Although I have thought about a silver glaze. I wouldn't want it to look shabby chic but rather hollywood regency - ish. The way it is is fine for now.


So here is the funny part of this redo. I don't have a garage, or basement or any outdoor space where I can paint. That leaves painting inside. Here's what it looks like to paint in the living room of a 650 sq. ft condo.


Ah, fun times. But I'm very happy with how the dresser looks painted aqua and the extra storage space I gained.

Joining up to these fabulous link parties. Come join in the fun!


36 comments:

  1. It looks really good! I love craigslist too :D

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  2. Great job. It turned out fabulous!

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  3. i loooove this dresser!! nice find. and the clock above it is so interesting!

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  4. It looks great and really makes a statement in your room! Good choice to "upgrade" from the table you had ... seems to fit the space better!

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  5. What a great piece! So, that was not solid wood? The finished product looks great! Craigslist is a great place to find deals.

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  6. LOVE, love, LOve it! Craigslist is the best!

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  7. I love the aqua color. Plus, you get lots of great storage out of this~a good replacement for the table. It looks great!

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  8. What a fantastic color! SO nice to see someone use colors besides black & white

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  9. It looks so great. The clock is perfect with it. Well, at least the paint area is handy...

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  10. It's beautiful! Doesn't even look like the same piece! Thanks so much for sharing @ Anything Related!

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  11. oh i love love love the color and it made huge different after the paint job.... can you tell me what color of paint you used? i painted my piano kinda like that color too.

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  12. That is STUNNING! I love the color AND the fact that you committed and did it! I might not have been able to live with the laminate as long as you did ... I'm not patient like that. But the end result is FABULOUS. Great job!

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  13. So pretty and elegant! Maybe you could do a clear coat over the paint so you could have the glossy look you were after? Either way it looks fabulous!!!

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  14. The white really brings out the design in a different and lovely way. Very cute and clever.

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  15. Gorgeous colour! Great makeover. It's amazing what you can do with such little space.
    I'm having a blogiversary giveaway, a s/s necklace is up for grabs. Come on by. Would love to see you!
    Lisa

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  16. Beautiful makeover...thanks for showing her off at NTT!

    Blessings,
    Linda

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  17. What a terrific find! It turned out absolutely lovely!

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  18. Love love love the dresser! Saw you on the Backyard Eden link party, enjoy the blog!

    Katie P
    http://foodwineandmodpodge.blogspot.com/

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  19. I love the color! i've never been able to stray from black or a dark stain when refinishing furniture. So, were you high from all the paint fumes??? :)

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  20. I am looking at all this furniture with these crazy designs and carvings in a whole new light...this is gorgeous...the color makes it!

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  21. Oh wow! That dresser is gorgeous. I love how it turned out. Fabulous!

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  22. LOVE the detail you can see in the drawers now that it's painted... just GORGEOUS!

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  23. I ADORE your home. I am absolutely coveting your cool clock above your redone dresser. Mid-century rocks. Tamster

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  24. I am in l.o.v.e. with that dresser! It is so beautiful!!!!

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  25. Wow that is awesome!! I love it!

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  26. Love the dresser, and love the indoor painting shots! I often paint inside the house -- then I am not worried about wind or bugs landing on wet paint. We don't have a garage, so the kitchen on a drop cloth is often my painting spot. I just painted a hutch -- in the kitchen!

    And I'd leave that clock right where it is. I like it when wall decor is close enough to feel "linked" to the furniture beneath it.

    Just my opinion!
    Looks great... and I am a HUGE craigslist fan. Love it.
    Cass

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  27. Ooooh! Love what a little paint can do! Looks great. Visiting from Fireflies and Jellybeans.
    -Mama E
    www.homeandheartsblog.com

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  28. What an awesome find! I also love the details. and yay for having family and friends who can help you move furniture! Your after picture looks so good.

    Thanks for linking this up to A Little Creative Therapy with Life in the Pitts.

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  29. Oh my goodness, it's gorgeous!!! I always love how paint really makes the details pop. Thanks for linking up!

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  30. I always have space issues!! I am glad to see I am not the only one!! The dresser looks so great, I love the color!!

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  31. this is a great piece. I love the hollywood regency look you've created. I have seen pieces where they do the metallic glaze and it looks like a rubbed finish and then they also spatter the glaze lightly so it looks like little flecks. you have great taste as usual:)

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  32. Wow - this really transformed with a little paint! It really pops and make a statement. Thanks for linking up to Be Inspired last week.

    Chelsea

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  33. Looks great! What did we did we do before Craigslist? :)

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  34. Beautiful! I love the detailed drawers and the color you chose is perfect! i just started a blog to collect some of my favorite "before and afters" and i wrote a post about this dresser. :)

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