Ombre 3 Drawer Vintage Grey Dresser

I have been having a few interests and requests for dressers to be transformed for wee little ones on the way. I had a few dressers in stock but none seemed to fit the bill. So when I picked up this little gem I had grand nursery oriented visions for her. I had kinda a grey/pink salmon combo in mind and when I started the grey turned out to look almost white. I toyed with about 6 different sets of knobs and could not figure out why she was being so complicated to me. And then a stroke of genius- what new technique could I give a shot- OMBRE. I happen to think waiting to find out the sex is one of those last little secrets that you can get to keep until the last minute- so a neutral colored nursery dresser makes complete sense to me. Don't get me wrong, this doesn't have to end up finding its home in a nursery, but that was how I ended up staging her.

And then you couldn't imagine the responses I got, assuming this was how we were announcing our own 'little adventure.'  Unfortunately, I think that could have be one of the most fitting ways for us to announce, but low and behold we are not!  I love the little features to her, the backsplash, the mini caster wheels, the subtle stripes the keyholes!   

Dimensions: 
30 inches wide
16 inches deep
31 inches tall (without backsplash)
3 feet tall with the backsplash.

Chevron Ruler Bedside Table

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After:

This little gem was a pretty significant transformation.  Her shape had such grand potential, but goodness she was covered in some decade's experimental fashion. Stripping her down was the first step like giving her a good grand rinse; let's clean you off and see what we're working with. Once I determined that I wasn't crazy about the top, I knew just what that stack of antique rulers were going to be used for.

I made up my own stain and knew that I wasn't positive I wanted it all monochromatic, so I stained the top, and tested out some white-grey on her midsection. Unsure of my decision, she sat in the corner for a month or so while I determined to paint the whole bottom, the drawers, legs or no legs. Finally I determined to go with the white but dip dye her little legs the same stain color. From the photos it's difficult to see the stained legs in the shadows.

And I settled on these fancy 'key-lock' like pulls from Anthropologie to finish her off.  They add an extra element of class that she didn't need, but adorns her oh so well.

Grey and Wood Antique Buffet

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After:

Grand Grey Distressed Antique Wooden Buffet on Caster Wheels. This piece has such hidden charm from the mini mirror on the top back to the long low top drawer, french legs, remnants of exquisite trim, and even an optional resurfaced wooden silverware organizer that can be removed if necessary. I stripped her down and painted a grey milk paint wash over her, and distressed her back down for a well loved and worn look. the natural dark wood compliments the subtle grey in such an elegant color palette. Most of the hardware is original and cleaned up a bit to show through some silver hints, so I chose 2 silver wired knobs for the 2 cabinet doors. Two of the middle drawers are lined with an muted yellow regal animal paper. 

Dimensions are as follows:

5 feet wide
4 feet tall with mirror, (40 inches tall without the mirror attached.)
22 inches deep

Muted Blue Striped Vintage Desk

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 After:

Vintage desk refinished with a muted blue coat. I taped off a variety of 2 sized stripes on both the top and down the fronts of both sets of drawers to keep some of her original raw beauty in tact. Complete with seven drawers to store your work place necessities. One really extraordinary perk to this desk is that she is a full 360 refinished; which means, if you'd like, you could put her in the middle of a room with a chair behind it as the back side is painted consistently with the rest. I kept the original hardware as I thought it brought a nice sturdy brass completion.

Sailor Blue Side Table

BEFORE:

 

AFTER:

I had recently found this Blue Milk Paint to be so subtle and rich and therefore was pretty excited to give an old vintage side table a fresh start.  This gem sat in the basement for what seems like the longest time waiting for the perfect knob.  I could have brought home a course of 7 different options, just sure it would be a smashing hit.  And each seemed to incompatible in some measure.

Finally 3 lovely Anthropologie painted knobs found their home on her drawer fronts.

She's up for sale: easily found on Etsy:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/184725962/sweet-sailor-blue-bedside-table?

Freedom Blue Dresser

 

In lieu of the impending holiday, the name seemed fitting.  I have been itching to try out a new color and found a good opportunity to do such.  I recently met a woman who sells milk paint more locally here in Denver (I had been driving up to Boulder to pick the paint up).  Anyhow, I hope this supports her little local shop Casa Verde even just a bit!  They specialize in superior green building products; 'where every color is green.'  Anyhow, I branched out of my normal muted colors and tried for a BLUE. I had picked up these knobs a bit back and thought the blue would really contrast beautifully with the gold/brass. 

The name of the color is "Solider Blue" and I think it possesses a fitting sheen and stature, living up to the name! Quite a regal color paired with new subtle gold/brass knobs from Anthropologie. Per usual I adore the golden keyholes and that the top 2 drawers have an understated curve to give her a little extra character.

Dimensions are as follows:
42 inches wide
21 inches deep
34.5 inches tall

 Before:

 

After:

 

   

Breakfast/Kitchen EAT Table for 4

Our landlord happens to have a similar niche for collecting old things.  He had this table and chairs down in our basement for quite sometime.  I also collected the 2 stools and had them saved for a rainy day to work on.  I had been low on inventory to work on and remembered there was a little table downstairs and thought to add the stools as a seating combo.  I had been wanting to try out a few new techniques; both taping to create a lettering stencil and the dip-dye method. Each item is all wood and I love the varying of colors the dye picked up in the different grains of wood.  Great little set for a cozy small spaced nook.

Creme and Grey Dresser

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After:

New dresser with glass knobs has already found a home!  I wanted to shoot for a 2 toned dresser that would somehow make the drawers pop! The cream and grey is a favorite color choice these days.  It maintains a subtle shabby chic look, but the stained grey drawers bring out the rusticity of the wood.

Before

This little project was so fun! I originally got her and was not all that thrilled as she had 3 little hats of leather that were not in good shape. With the help of a chisel and some muscles, she was bare and in need of some vision. What would I put in her 3 naked pannels? What better than a chalkboard? How exciting to write your to-do list on your desk? And even better to wipe them right off post-completion.