Asked on May 21, 2014
Curb side find! What would you do?
+212
I found this in the curb this morning on my way to work. Needless to say I'm late :) does anyone know anything about this piece? What would you do with it? Paint? Restore/Refinish? Thanks!
Love the hardware!
Beveled mirror sites on top, in excellent shape!
Your curbside find is a piece of furniture, in the dated style called blonde wood, that was hugely popular the mid-1950's. The upper handles on the dresser are consistent with the designs that also appeared on other domestic items, such as fridges, during this time. As the bottom knobs have since been replace, this detracts from the vintage value of the piece.
Leave. The color as or restra
Well, it looks either mid-century modern or early 1970s, which is sort of a take-off on the design styles of mid-century mod. I LOVE that hardware. Have you checked inside of all the drawers and on the back (if it's not a finished back but only has pressboard backing on it) to see if there is a manufacturer name stamped somewhere - check on drawer bottoms underneath as well. Look for clues as to whether it is solid wood, a wood veneer, or a later brand manufactured "wood" product (like plywood, etc. - in which case it might not be mid-century modern or early 1970s). Are there dovetail joints, for instance? Are there metal runners for the drawers (expensive furniture), or wood slats with plastic slides to run on (cheap furniture)? The drawer tops on the top level have a slight arch to them - very cool and a great design detail. I'm no expert at all, but to my eye at least this indicates a higher design level than cheapo furniture.
I would clean it all up first and then re-evaluate. I am not a fan of painting furniture although I have seen some beautiful pieces featured online over the years. If it's a good solid wood dresser I would be totally against painting it. I would sand it, prep it and restain it to highlight the beauty of the wood. Hard to tell from the photo, but overall it looks to be in good shape.
Great find!