This dresser has an interesting and sentimental history for me. When I got my first apartment on my own, I furnished the entire 2-bedroom place for $150. Was it cute? Hmmm, there are no incriminating pictures that I know of, so I'd say "YES!" But...I'd be lying. However, my bedroom was all white shabby-chic and I did really like that room. The dresser was $5 at a thrift store. Yes, five bucks. It was painted a shiny white with lots of chips, so I brought it home and did some "lazy girl" furniture refinishing: I sanded the living bejiminies out of it and called it a day.
Five years later and I was living in a different town with my bestest, and getting ready to move out to live with my new husband. I left my friend almost all of my furniture. She kept the dresser for six more years, refinishing it in a gold and brown crackle finish to match her guest room's cozy color scheme. But, with baby #2 on the way, she didn't need it anymore, and home it came to That Mommy. Reunited and it feels so good...
Forgot to take a "before" until after one drawer was already primed. Bad Mommy! |
Really cute. I love a crackle texture and once crackled an entire armoire. And I will NEVER do it again. It was the biggest pain, and I am way too lazy for that. |
It came in the nick of time. I knew I was about to clean up my closet, and my husband's gigantuan clothes really needed an entire dresser to themselves. I was a little daunted by painting over the crackle finish, and for a while I hemmed and hawed over what to do. In the end, I let my mantra "Simpler is Better" instruct me--I needed to just go with the texture rather than fighting it. I gave it a cursory sanding to smooth out the biggest and bumpiest crackles. Then, on to two coats of my favorite primer.
Then I painted with a foam brush and small foam roller, in two quick coats. Finally, to play up the texture and give it a beachy, worn-out feel, I dry-brushed over the whole thing with white acrylic artist's paint.
I love the new finish so much that I painted a chair to match.
The color, by the way, is Autumn Fog by Valspar in an eggshell finish. I went with eggshell because I wanted a worn, almost chalky finish. The almost-matte sheen makes the most of the texture, too. LOVE.
Now, for my question...I feel like those plain drawers are screaming for a decorative application--what should I do for them? Botanical? Graphic? Paint? Vinyl? Please comment with your awesome ideas because I am ridonculously undecided about this. Help!
P.S. Lovin' the Linkys at:
House of Grace |