Happy Monday, Friends! Today I have a thrift store dresser transformation to share that puts me in mind of Hans Christian Andersen's story of the Ugly Duckling. It's always a pleasure to bring out the hidden "swan" in a cast-off piece of furniture...
![How to transform an ugly duckling piece of furniture with chalk paint vintage furniture makeover](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fty94ORRJ5E/XXVY0O7TqhI/AAAAAAACZkU/FuIFbIoHhjoXGEGeZGJLE0SOZHoK542SACKgBGAs/s1600/Dresser-inside-drawer-liner.jpg)
Some of you may remember a previous dresser I upcycled only a few months after I started my blog. It turned out being a much bigger project than I anticipated, mainly due to unexpected repairs that needed to be made. In the long run, I was tickled with the results, and it has served me well. However, I use the drawers for storage and I had been on the lookout for something larger that I could use in the same place--along the dining room wall near my living room.
![How to transform an ugly duckling piece of furniture with chalk paint vintage furniture makeover](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-avvSHBq8L6s/UuQlhleX7ZI/AAAAAAAAR0k/K2YB92nzXjY/s1600/Blog+dresser+026.jpg)
Labor Day weekend, I came across a 1965 Thomasville piece. The price was right, the drawers were sturdy, and...
![How to transform an ugly duckling piece of furniture with chalk paint painted vintage furniture](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wi6RH_ETEnI/XXQ_U-1AFSI/AAAAAAACZS4/rftcfVl2meUUo59A9kNvF5uhw5Czt73OQCLcBGAs/s1600/Dated-dresser-back.jpg)
...it was super long! So long, in fact, that when Favorite Son brought it over after picking it up for me, I panicked a little--was it too long?! Now, maybe it doesn't seem so ugly to you--that was my friend, Carly's reaction after seeing only the photo. I should have snapped a few close-ups of the unnatural looking color of the stain, and I would have, had I realized my "before" picture would look better in the photographs than it did in person. Trust me--Dear Daughter-in-Law echoed my sentiments when she expressed in her lovely Spanish accent, "That color is really ugly!"
![How to transform an ugly duckling piece of furniture with chalk paint painted dresser makeover](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c6qLfVX6Vb0/XXQ7gIGKV6I/AAAAAAACZSw/4-oiAWQ9XDQafxBcs_J1drAO9CAGCh1jACLcBGAs/s1600/Before-dresser.jpg)
Since I wasn't sure what time Favorite Son would be able to pick up my new find, I loaded up the dresser drawers in my car.
![How to transform an ugly duckling piece of furniture with chalk paint painted dresser makeover](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bhUIkrnNiao/XXRCtUUsDTI/AAAAAAACZTg/pZ6ysTNfrLURv3Y3vYz4YYOuqHFVJie1gCLcBGAs/s1600/Before-dresser-drawers.jpg)
The first thing I did was remove the gorgeous hardware.
![How to transform an ugly duckling piece of furniture with chalk paint how to upcycle a dresser](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tNmO8WicPx0/XXREyTqqhYI/AAAAAAACZUk/PZp4XhU-Jv8GdhX9KCbEznR1OzkJSWfogCLcBGAs/s1600/Dresser-hardware-before%2B.jpg)
One of the reasons I use chalk paint so often is that it covers old yellowed finishes with very little prep. For this piece, I simply cleaned the surface. The insides of the drawers were surprisingly clean. By the time Favorite Son delivered the dresser, I had painted the drawers.You can see on the brush the aqua tint of the chalk paint I used. However, on the dresser, the color appears more gray. {You can find the exact paint shades plus the lovely drawer liner I used near the bottom of the post}
![How to transform an ugly duckling piece of furniture with chalk paint painted furniture makeover](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T4EWTVDo6k0/XXRF8xqid3I/AAAAAAACZUw/tT15154nyCczltpndaLd7P0WFyopFGh5gCLcBGAs/s1600/Painting-dresser-drawer.jpg)
I am not a neat painter, so the detailed contrast I wanted took me most of the long weekend to finish!
![How to transform an ugly duckling piece of furniture with chalk paint painted furniture makeover](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ImpQ-od2rOM/XXRMzt4qD6I/AAAAAAACZWU/-eyWpBh6fHEJ2F-48DNQrIIxsfuHaWObACLcBGAs/s1600/Finished-dresser-drawers.png)
What do you think? Never underestimate the power of paint, right?!
![How to transform an ugly duckling piece of furniture with chalk paint Thrift store dresser upcycle](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ITCdGwF53Sg/XXVTx7dc8eI/AAAAAAACZjU/jds9nIXRpNE-OFzzeugr7OfMKxaYhjWpwCLcBGAs/s1600/After-dresser-camera.jpg)
The same weekend, before finding the dresser, I picked up these pretty blush candles and the candlestick at Pier One--they were an additional 25% off the marked down clearance price.
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![How to transform an ugly duckling piece of furniture with chalk paint Painted dresser makeover](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--V1q97fP8Yw/XXVIGJbf0NI/AAAAAAACZiE/NG5euqHxLCIIabUfZrXoEGJUVinC8QAdwCLcBGAs/s1600/Bee-skep-dresser.jpg)
![Thank you for pinning! My Thrift Store Addiction](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iL5PstqGYL8/VuGtnvqXboI/AAAAAAAA3f8/DxDkKNtU8uoRThF07OETijeBKAGMOWVtACKgB/s1600/pin%2Bit.png)
![How to transform an ugly duckling piece of furniture with chalk paint painted furniture makeover](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-flJHf6qXeas/XXVgUaAjZvI/AAAAAAACZkk/FHjzvGJCHw0OKwj16wVZNfyYpS9KsQpJQCLcBGAs/s1600/Pin-dresser-makeover.png)
![Peace be with you! My Thrift Store Addiction](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YzI3E5ZMP7k/U8gMS6WzjcI/AAAAAAAAUMQ/UwrDLfBDJfg/s1600/Signature.png)
Beautiful, just beautiful! Enough room for lots of "decor" or a Thanksgiving's worth of serving dishes as a buffet. You will be styling!(As my mother aged, she cared less about pretty serving and she had a miniscule kitchen table. We called it "Lu's buffet"--we served ourselves out of the saucepans and pots on the stove!)
ReplyDeleteLove it!!!!
ReplyDeleteI love it! I inherited my great aunt's mahongany dining room set including her beautiful sideboard. even with her china cabinet, and another from her sister, I still seem to looking for storage space for linens. Yours looks like it can hold a lot of linens.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beauty. I would not have seen what you saw in it! You gave the old girl a wonderful new look on life.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is big, but you did a lovely job! Like the color too! I guess the "ugly" color before pic was the gray & white. I didn't like that either, and I'm so glad that wasn't the way you painted it. I didn't know till I looked further.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh I would kill for this dresser! I've been wanting to get rid of my foyer piece as well as my two sideboards for ages and I picture using exactly that kind of painted dresser in their place! Now just have to convince the husband to sell it all off to make room. BTW I also have the Homegrown wooden box (from Big Lots I think) and I filled mine with cotton bolls -- love it! Great job! xo kathleen
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful piece you painted. I love how you painted the dresser and the details are stunning. Great Job Cecilia.
ReplyDelete