BrittanyMakes

Ah! I’m so in love with this makeover.  I bought this dresser off Craigslist last June right as we were moving into our loft.  My man wasn’t too thrilled, he couldn’t understand the purpose of a dresser as a TV console.  But all you ladies understand! You need drawers to hide all the random boy stuff (video games, DVDs, alllllll of the remotes).

The dresser in its before state wasn’t all that pretty.  The DIYer in me saw straight past the ugly, I knew right away this dresser could be great!

The first thing I did was scrub the dresser squeaky clean.  There’s nothing like the smell of storage locker stink, and I wasn’t having any of it in my house. Next, I had to repair a few of the drawers where the overlay was detached.  I used wood glue and a couple clamps.

I decided to sand, stain, and wax the top of the dresser.  I knew the top surface area would get a ton of wear and tear, seeing as we’d be placing a thousand pound TV on top of it.  I could also foresee that painting it would only bring headaches and scratched paint, plus I’m a fan of the stain/paint contrast.   Later, I removed all the hardware, cleaned them, and brought them back to life with a bit of Gold Leaf Rub n’ Buff.

I painted the dresser in Behr’s Cool Lava in a matte finish.  I wanted the paint to resemble a soft chalk paint, and I thought any sheen shinier than matte wouldn’t look quite right.  I first applied one coat of primer, then three coats of paint, then lastly a protectant coat of Annie Sloan’s soft clear wax.

And just for kicks, here are my three succulents, alive and well! I am one of those people who lack any bit of a green thumb, so every plant that doesn’t die is a mighty success!

Coral and gold pair so well together!  My living room has completely transformed into a serene and happy place, and balance is restored again with all the boy stuff lying around.  I have my “pink” dresser, as my fiancee likes to say, while he still gets to store all his gadgets in all 9 of it’s drawers.

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On another exciting note! You can catch me today over at 6th Street Design School where the ever fabulous Kirsten Krason is sharing my tutorial on how to create this gold foil ampersand art.  It’s SO easy!