Thrifty & Chic: A Dresser!

28 Comments

I have to give Madeline a million thank yous for finding my dresser for me. I swear she spent all of her waking hours browsing KSL classifieds.

A couple weeks ago, I got a phone call from her saying that she’d found the perfect dresser. It had just been posted like 5 minutes prior & I needed to call the guy on it. I was currently at the bank, so I rushed home, looked up the listing & made a panicked phone call to see if it was still available. Much to my surprise, it was!! These things go in a matter of seconds. Seriously. He wasn’t going to hold it for me for very long, so I packed the kiddos back in the car & headed to meet the dresser of my dreams.

undefined

Granted, it’s not the long & low style that I was hoping to find, but I love it anyway. It’ll fit perfectly in our bedroom with enough space to spare for a full-length mirror (in the off chance I ever find one I like). It definitely needs some TLC, but it’s solid wood with dovetailed joints. The guy listed it for $75 and sold it to me for $65. YEAH, he went down even though he got a million calls on the dresser from the time I called to the time I showed up (15 minutes!). SWEET. Maybe he heard my Penelope whining in the back of the car & took pity on me. Bartering with babies works, folks.

undefined

I’m thrilled to have it! The plan is to strip it & stain it yellow. YELLOW! I’m so excited. It’s going to match my rocking chair. I am worried, however that it might be too much yellow, so I’ve been thinking of painting the drawers bright white. What do you think? Should I paint white accents somewhere on this dresser? If so, where?

view or add a comment
  • Categories
    1. Madeline says:

      The shape really is beautiful. So glad you snapped it up!

    2. Emily says:

      Congrats on the find! That’s awesome!

      I’m pretty boring and ultra conservative and I would go with white but that’s just me. Is the room it would be in pretty small? Would it be too matchy with the rocker? (which is a fun color) I’ve seen other people’s yellow dressers in pictures and they look great but I don’t think I’d do it. (I know, I’m a chicken).

      On a semi related note, I’m sure we got out of a speeding ticket b/c Ansley was screaming the whole time we were pulled over. That’s the happiest I’ve ever been at her screaming. We were going 30 in a 25 in a teeny town and her crying distracted us both from seeing the speed limit sign.

    3. jessa says:

      That dresser is gorgeous and quite possibly a steal! I totally understand the fear of yellow. I did simple design on a flower pot and painted it yellow and I was uneasy about it the whole time. I say go for it. It can always be fixed!

    4. Great dresser!! I have a veryyy similar dresser that I got off CL as well, but for $100 – you got a great deal!! I love mine – see it here at http://whatthevita.wordpress.com/2010/03/16/craigs-list-yes-again/

    5. And – stain it yellow? Not paint it yellow? I have no idea what staining it yellow is but it sounds good!

    6. Laura V says:

      oh i definitely say go with the yellow, but instead of the stark contrast of completely white drawers, I would keep it all yellow but put some of your beautiful caligraphy in thick white on the draw fronts to give it a nice accent.

    7. Tang says:

      Oooohh I have a feeling this is going to look great afterwards! I think you should try the yellow with white. Yellow handles and feet maybe?

    8. cristan says:

      Awesome! It looks very similar to my childhood bedroom furniture which my mom bought in the late 60’s and called the style “Danish Modern”

    9. Elsie May says:

      What about white with some of the funky but old style yellow door knobs. I have always liked the colour with a white pattern – like a flower or fern or something – it makes it a feature but always tones down the bright colour. Or yellow on those handle-y looking things.

    10. Bri says:

      We are dresser twins. I have that exact same one that I got from KSL too. Except I don’t think my guy knew what he had because he sold it AND delivered it to me for $30. I’ve had it a year and still haven’t done anything with it though. We are redoing our bedroom and that is a project on the list! Excited to see yours!

    11. Lo says:

      Yes to painting the drawers white! I think that would be just enough contrast. I also recently saw someone who decoupaged some patterned fabric to a dresser similar to this one and that was adorable! With the yellow, that might be a nice option, too.

      Can’t wait to see how it turns out!

    12. Misha says:

      LOVE this. Seriously. I’m such a sucker for “furniture with character”.

    13. Victoria says:

      I am incredibly jealous of you right now! I am putting together my sons nursery and have been on a hunt for a similar dresser. I actually stumbled upon one for $75 as well, but the man sold it before I was able to get to it. Enjoy your lovely find!!

    14. Erin says:

      i adore vintage dressers! good find! i am not usually a fan of two tone furniture so I would just go with yellow but I am sure whatever you do, you will make the dresser look fantastic.

    15. Laura Chavous says:

      So glad to hear you found just what you were looking for. Where I live (the south) I see these pretty often. I have a matching bedroom suite this style: chest of drawers, dresser+mirror and full bed walnut and in mint condition for $300

    16. Laura Chavous says:

      And I can hardly wait for your after pictures of your peice Im sure it will be awesome. your daughters room is just fabulous!

    17. Michelle says:

      I love that dresser. you got yourself a might fine friend there :)
      I vote just solid color.. BUT if I saw a pic of it with accent colors .. i mean who wouldn’t love that too !

    18. Erin says:

      i may have to change my opinion about two tone furniture. i just saw this, granted it is more that two tones but i love it: http://pinterest.com/pin/12564666/

    19. seesaw says:

      gorgeous find!

    20. jill g says:

      don’t do two tone! all yellow!

    21. Shaela says:

      yay!! I’m so glad you found a dresser!!! Goodbye closet piles! ;)

      Love the idea of yellow – maybe add some fun white vinyl flourishes or something to the drawer fronts? Can’t wait to see it when it’s all done

    22. Jillian says:

      I love that dresser!! You are so lucky to have found it and that is a great price. I think you should do it white with yellow accents, a little yellow goes a long way. But I am really loving yellow lately, so if you think you will love it DO IT!

    23. I love making over dressers! My husband and I are pros at it now.

      I can’t believe you picked this bad boy up on Craigslist for $25. STEAL! Looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

      -C

    24. april says:

      First time on your blog, love it! I have a bed and a dresser that I am getting ready to paint for my daughter and I was looking at all of your painted furniture, it looks so perfect. Could tell me what your process is and what type of paint you use?? Thanks :)

    25. Melissa says:

      To answer your question, April,

      if you want to paint it, my favorite way is to clean the surface, lightly sand it (if applicable) & paint with killz 2 primer. then spray paint it (if you can find the right color in a spray paint). go for high quality paint. don’t skimp on it. if you’re having a tough time finding the right color, get regular paint mixed & then spray paint a clear coat finish once you’re done painting. it reduces the paint streaks.

      i’ve also stained furniture a color, with great results. this takes quite a bit more preparation. you need to strip & sand everything down to the natural wood, then paint (using a sponge) the wood with pigmented water-based paint stain. i use minwax. it’s great.

    26. […] (and our house, really): orange, yellow & black. A while back I was debating on staining my new dresser yellow (to go with everything else), but was afraid it’d be too matchy matchy with my yellow […]

    27. Johnna says:

      How did this turn out? I’d love to see the after photos

    28. […] finished the dresser. It’s been nearly a year and a half since I bought it with the intention of revamping it. I knew if I wanted to get it done, I had to do it before the […]

    mobile site