We recently played musical dressers.
Jason was searching for a dresser we could use as a changing table for our future nursery when he found the most amazing mid-century modern wood dresser on Craigslist with a price tag of…wait for it…$150. We picked it up the same day.
That dresser moved into our bedroom and our old Crate & Barrel piece (that I honestly hated and we paid an embarrassing amount of money for) became the nursery changing table. But, of course, I felt bad passing down a piece of furniture that I hated to our future child. More so for myself because I would still have to look at it than for the baby that will surely not care about our decorating decisions for many years to come.
So, it was time for a makeover. My biggest problem with the dresser is that it looks (and is) extremely heavy and boring. On the other hand, it’s really good quality and can hold an impressive amount of stuff. To freshen it up, we decided to paint the drawers white and change out the hardware while leaving the rest of the piece as is: a nice, dark wood with a flawless finish.
Of course, being seven months pregnant means that I drew up the project plan and Jason did all the work. I can’t believe he still loves me.
Transforming this dresser was surprisingly non-confrontational and quick. Jason started by generously sanding down the front of the drawers with some 100 grit sandpaper to make sure the paint would adhere.
Then, the original hardware came off and the holes were filled in with wood filler.
Next came the primer—we used Kilz Original because it sticks to anything.
We drilled holes for the new hardware, which are now in the middle of the drawers rather than on the top edge. Then two coats of a semi-gloss white paint, which went on with a roller to avoid brush strokes on the super smooth wood.
We usually go for more matted colors, but when painting furniture, semi-gloss is much more durable and easier to clean. Installing the hardware took all of five minutes.
A little dusting of the drawers before sliding them back into the dresser and we’ve got this. This!
So much better, in my humble opinion.
As for the rest of the nursery, it’s in the works. We recently picked up a Craigslist glider which needs to be refinished and reupholstered, and a crib from a friend’s generous parents who gave it to us for free.
For those of you following along at home, this room is our old office. Our office desks, chairs, cabinets, and bookshelves have been combined with the guest bedroom (more on that later), meaning that that room has also been completely reworked. Which brings me to my third musical dresser, the one pictured here, that we refinished back when my photo taking (and writing) skills were atrocious. All that work and this dresser now resides in our laundry room and will be used for extra storage. But I’m okay with that.
So what’s on the list of outstanding projects for the nursery you ask? Well, there’s quite a bit:
- Refinish glider in a dark stain to match dresser.
- Reupholster glider cushions.
- Buy/find/make a small side table for the glider.
- Sew curtains.
- Buy big rug.
- Buy changing table top for dresser.
- Get all the crib bedding and blankets.
- Find adorable things to hang on the walls.
- Change out the light fixture and perhaps buy a floor lamp.
- Reorganize all the closets upstairs (not shown because they are embarrassing).
- Give birth and gauge child’s satisfaction with his new world.
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