Shabby Chic Dresser Makeover & New Drawer Stops
This dresser came to the shop with such potential, but also in need of repairs. It's all wood, on original casters, has dovetail drawers, great beaded detail and all original hardware. The person that I bought it from mentioned that it was from the 1920s, so the mirror does have a slight haze and imperfections in the lining that come with age, but it also adds to the character and charm without impairing the reflection. She's about to get a shabby chic makeover!
The first step, aside from sanding and cleaning was to repair the nicks, dings and damage.
I also noticed that the top drawers were missing three of the four drawer stops, so the drawers would push all the way to the rear. These old metal stoppers seem nearly impossible to find anymore so I had to build new ones.
I took two wooden shims, glued and clamped them together and left them to dry. Shims have a slant so by gluing two together I will have a straight piece of wood (no slant). Plus it beefs it up just a bit as well.
Once completely dry I clamped it in place and carefully sawed a few small pieces. The old stoppers left hole marks, I used those hole marks as a guide and glued and clamped my new stoppers in place.
Im sure there are other alternative ways to keep the drawers from pushing back, but this is my 'go to' way, and it works for me.
Once the glue dried I added a small nail to ensure that the stopper will stay in place. Voila.. drawer stops!
Once all repairs were made, the piece sanded and cleaned it was time for the good stuff.. the paint! My customer wants a feminine feel that will work with a previous piece that I had worked on for her in shades of blues, but not all white. We decided on shabby chic white with distressed blue accents! It's always fun when I get to mix colors!
The dresser, including the drawers inside and out were all hand painted a lovely ocean blue. Then washed with multiple coats of white, distressed back to reveal the blue undertones creating a shabby chic-ness. (I'm not sure if that's even a word)
The beading on the mirror stand brought just the right amount of detail with the distressed blue accents.
The drawers were the only parts left blue for a surprise of color when opened!
The original hardware was cleaned and refreshed to a shabby white to compliment the rest of the piece.
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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3 comments
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Its dreamy! Just love the color combo, so light and airy. Nice job!
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scrumptious! love the color
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