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Pottery Barn Inspired Dresser Makeover

Shortly after moving into this house, I realized I had 2 practical dilemmas I needed to figure out:

First was the lack of bathroom storage and bathroom counter space. I attacked this problem with gusto. I love to try to figure out practical solutions to strange problems, so away I went. I searched out and found a cute little cabinet that fit nicely above the toilet so that I had a place for my make-up. I also found a narrow basket that my blow dryer and flat iron fit in, and it fit perfectly in the cabinet under the sink.

Getting ready in the morning was tricky, but do-able. If I did the process in the right order, and balanced everything carefully on the 4-inch counter space…all went well and I didn’t drop anything into the sink. Whew!

I thought it was going to work out…UNTIL the day my son walked out of the bathroom and said, “Uh, Mom?” I turned to look and there he was – holding my favorite makeup brush with two fingers. It was sopping wet and dripping onto the floor. “I’m sorry, but this fell into the toilet.” Bluck! It was time for a new system…

My second dilemma was the lack of a linen closet. Again, I thought I had discovered the perfect solution. There was an extra tiny little shelf unit that fit into the built in cupboard in our bedroom. It worked well…UNTIL I needed something! Then I had to practically stand on my head dig anything out. By the time I had rooted around to find whatever I needed, the mess I created looked like the home of a very large dog…

Enter the solution to both these problems:

This dresser was a gift from a friend who moved away. It has been an incredibly versitile piece of furniture. Not only has it held clothes, but it also served time as a tv stand. Recently it has become my “vanity” as well as linen storage. Now I can spread things out when I get ready in the morning, without fear that any items will go for a swim. The extra drawers also work perfectly for sheet storage.

The unique thing is that it is located in the office landing – not normally a place that you would put it, but, hey, it works! When I was working on the rest of the office, I decided to take the plunge and spiff up this hard-working piece of furniture.

I researched and researched before I started. I knew I wanted to paint it, but I had many questions. Should I prime or not? Brush or roll on the paint? etc… But in the end, I just had to make some decisions, take a deep breath and START! I admit, I was nervous. I didn’t want to make a big ol’ mess… And after the first drawer was finished I wondered if I had bit off more than I could chew. But…I’m glad I kept going. I sanded the shiny varnish off and brushed on 2 coats of Benjamin Moore’s “Black Bean Soup” paint…and then “distressed” the edges (my favorite part!).

The coloring of the picture didn’t turn out great, but you can get an idea anyway. The knobs were a gift from a friend who discovered them at a garage sale! I think the hardware on furniture is always a great “accessory”. The handles I found at our local hardware store (brushed nickel).

Here it is in its new “office landing” home:

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3 Comments

  1. Glad you're getting some great use out of that old dresser! 😀 It served both my sister and I very well for a long time!

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