Dresser Before & After

Before Autumn was born my sister in law Karen passed down to me her changing table. I painted it white to give it a little facelift and it has been a staple in Autumn's room ever since. I never used it as a changing table - the floor, bed, or crib always worked fine - but it has always been a great place for storage. Until now.


Now that Autumn is growing out of her baby stage and into a real, little person, her clothes are bigger and she just keeps accumulating more and more stuff! I'd been hunting and hoping for a Craigslist find for months because I am both poor and too cheap to shell out the money for the Ikea dresser that I'd always loved. If you remember, a few weeks ago the dresser below fell into my lap for a mere $20, or $40 with a matching nightstand.


It was heavy wood, really durable - but it REAKED of cigarettes. I put baking soda in the drawers and all of it to try and suck up some of the smell but I think the paint is what really cured it of the stink. I very lightly sanded the dresser and then primed it with a sponge roller.

I used Benjamin Moore Low Lustre Latex Paint because I'd seen it used on another blog site and the girls paint job was flawless. I'm not so sure it was worth the extra cost to be honest. That or she is just a far better painter than I am. This is also my first venture into painting furniture, so I have nothing to compare it to.


After I painted the entire dresser white, I taped off the drawers to add a pink racing stripe. My friend and college roommate Laura runs a blog called Corner House and one day she linked a picture of a dresser re-do with stripes painted on the drawers. I immediately fell in love with the idea and I love the pop it gives to the drawers.

 

The biggest expense were the new knobs for the drawers. I had my heart set on very girly, crystal knobs and they do not come cheap. I bought a 4pk at Target for $14.99. Because I have six knobs I ended up buying 2 packs, one in clear and the other in pink.


Ta-da! The finished product! I love it!


The dresser mainly holds all of her sleeping gear, undershirts, etc. We hide her diapers and wipes in the top drawer which has enabled us to eliminate the diaper organizer that was on the top of the changing table. It is amazing how much more grown up Autumn's room feels now! Notice the blanket sleepers? My sister in law found those dirt cheap on clearance at Walmart for Autumn. She always finds the best deals.


That same sister in law, Karen, also found this super cute metal sign! It doesn't hurt to have the same name as a popular season that often has lots of decorations each year. Karen found this sign on clearance at the spectacular Hobby Lobby. It was a rust, autumn-y color, but a quick fix with some pink spray paint and it was a personalized bit of decor for Autumn's room!


Lastly, my favorite touch to the dresser is my sweet little girls handprint down in the corner. I just thought it would be really neat and fun to capture her tiny mark and really give her dresser a personal touch. Of course, after we did this hand print she kept coming back to me with her hand out, just waiting for me to apply more paint to "personalize" other things around the house...

So there you have it! I am so in love with how it came out. Sure, it's way more work than hoping over to Ikea and picking out something cute and functional, but now it's a one of a kind piece and my satisfaction with my handy work is PRICELESS. =)

11 comments

  1. You did a great job! I love the after, especially the hand print. I can't seem to get the flawless finish I've seen on other blogs either, even when I follow the instructions. One thing's for sure, the dresser definitely turned out better than the before!

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  2. Wow it looks soooo good! :)

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  3. The dresser turned out GREAT! It looks so girly and just perfect now. Good work!

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  4. HI there....I am your newest follower (and an instant fan!). I love, love, love this makeover. Its furniture fit for a princess! And the tiny hand down in the corner is the ideal finishing touch. Beautiful!
    PS: Feel free to drop by my blog sometime!

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  5. HI there....I am your newest follower (and an instant fan!). I love, love, love this makeover. Its furniture fit for a princess! And the tiny hand down in the corner is the ideal finishing touch. Beautiful!
    PS: Feel free to drop by my blog sometime!

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  6. What a great transformation. The hand print just about melted my heart! Beautifully done.

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  7. Just Sweet! Sweet! Sweet!!
    Great Transformation... Nicely Done
    (stopping by from B/A)

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  8. SO cute. Exactly why it's fun to have baby girls!

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  9. Stopping by from BA! I absolutely adore this dresser--you did a spectacular job! And that sweet handprint? To die for! :)

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