Coastal Blue Classic Dresser

A few weeks ago, I had posted a photo on Instagram showing the skeleton of a dresser being cleaned up for it's makeover. Now it's time to reveal the dresser in all his glory. Yes, I say he because this dresser has a masculine touch to it. So many of the pieces I do have a dainty or feminine vibe to it, so I decided to do something a little different and make this more of a gender neutral piece.

Here is the original advertised photo of the piece I found on an online garage sale site. As you can see it came with a mirror that was beyond repair. I keep the "brace" or whatever you call it in hopes, I may repurpose it but the mirror went straight into the garbage.

This piece underwent major reconstructive surgery! We had to replace the decaying top, replace the drawer bottoms, as well as touch up and fill a few spots of wood on the drawers. We also got rid of the tacky hardware.

I decided to add the photo of my dog Boomer who passed last August because I found it when I was searching for artwork in staging. I was often told my dog was a person reincarnated because he had "people" eyes and a personality that reminded me of an old wise man.  Boomer would have loved this piece (had he been human). In a way, this is my tribute to him. RIP Boomer...I miss you.

Back to the happy good stuff; I chose "Coastal Blue" by General Finishes because I had a few ounces left of a can that I used on another project. It's the perfect Navy color that isn't too dark, but doesn't fall on the retro blue side either. I sealed the base in  their HPTC Flat poly.

I stained the tops and the drawers in "Java" Gel stain and sealed with Minx's Semi-Gloss poly. The oil based polys over wood is really starting to grow on me because it enhances the stain in a really rich way that compliments the wood well. The keyholes are original and were cleaned up with a vinegar solution. 

As you can see, my hardware is a little mis-aligned. As cool as this hardware is, it was really tricky to get them level and matched up perfectly. Needless to say, we ended up refilling a few mistake holes that are fortunately camouflaged by stain and by the hardware itself. I love how this hardware ties in modern with traditional. 

This paper was not what I originally had in mind for the drawers. I wanted to use a leftover triangular mod print I used on another piece but unfortunately for me, I didn't have enough paper to get both drawers. So I went with color over design and found a similar navy paper in my stash. I think it looks ok...do you?

One more shot of Boomer for the road...I think he looks good up there! Hopefully you enjoyed this post! I love when a salvage does a complete 360 and ends up being better than it was before. I love to recycle and this is my recycle meets therapy hobby.