Dresser Makeover with Handmade Drawer Pulls
$30
4 Hours
Easy
Thank you Hometalk Community! I asked and you answered. A few weeks ago I discovered this mid century gem at a thrift store. I had no clue what to do. Initially I was like cool, its a Mid Century look a like that I can paint and make look like something I would want in my house. But when I get home, I started pulling out the drawers, discovering this is REALLY Mid century. It's tagged and all. It was a John Stuart Inc. dresser. SO WHAT DO I DO? So I thought darn, what can I do? If I paint this, does it lose its value? But then I thought, who cares it's mine. And to top it off I only spent $19. But while the exterior finish was a veneer it was solid and heavy. It was a well built dresser. I actually loved the brass hardware. However, there was nothing I could do stain-wise that would make it work in my house....in my bedroom. It had some veneer damage. But I could fix that with a little hardening wood filler. Old furniture like old homes have a store to tell.
And this dresser was no exception. It contained the history of its past families. Sure I could use a gel stain in mahogany, or maple or pecan. But the more I looked at it, the more I realized that just wasn't going to work...for me. I guess new house..new story.
SO this happened. And You'll never guess what I used for drawer pulls. Hint: It's not copper.
And this dresser was no exception. It contained the history of its past families. Sure I could use a gel stain in mahogany, or maple or pecan. But the more I looked at it, the more I realized that just wasn't going to work...for me. I guess new house..new story.
SO this happened. And You'll never guess what I used for drawer pulls. Hint: It's not copper.
Before
The veneer was damaged and there was water damage on the top of the chest of drawers
I sanded and filled the imperfections with wood filler.
measured for the new "hardware"
Made drawer pulls using WOODEN Dowels. YES WOODEN $3 dowels and bell hangers. Using a rose gold finish I painted the dowels.
Painted.
Attached the new "hardware".
And there you have it!
Decorative items from TJ Maxx. I love the little dog.
Can you believe this is wood?!
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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3 of 19 comments
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What a beautiful job you did with this dresser! Would never have thought to use dowels for pulls. I'll save this idea for a future project! Thank you for sharing.
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Gorgeous makeover. Thinking about using dowels for cabinet pulls in downstairs kitchen. Thanks for the idea!
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