Armada Dresser in Pebble Beach & White Lacquer

I've found a lot of good pieces through Facebook garage sale sites recently. This piece was once of them. Something about the accent scrollwork on the first drawer caught my eye, but the photo was taken with horrible lighting and didn't look like it was worth more than what they were asking. I got it a while back in the summer, and it just sat in my garage for a few months before I finally figured out what to do with it. 

This is one of those pieces that went through several changes in my brainstorming phase. I wanted to do a white dresser with an accent color (coral I think) on the scroll appliqué but then my husband talked me out of it. Finally after a few months of debate, I finally figured out what I wanted to do with it. Here is the before picture:

The drawer where the hardware is missing is actually a false drawer. It's one giant deep drawer. The appliqué on the top drawer actually had plastic inserts where you could change the color. When I pulled them out, years of dust and bug skeletons came with it. Needless to say those things were in the trash and this dresser got a scrub down  with TSP and soapy water, a good sanding, and a dust off with a hand vac. 

I wanted the appliqué to stand out so I chose Country Chic Paint's Pebble Beach for the base of the body and sealed it with General Finishes HP Top Coat in Satin. I took a tip from Reeves at The Weathered Door and used Fat Paint's Fat Wax as a final coat on the base for an even shine. Not to mention it feels silky smooth!

 I used a primer, and a white lacquer spray paint for the appliqué and just to be sure there was no chipping, I gave it two coats of a crystal clear enamel for extra shine. 

Finally, I switched out the hardware from central pulls to knobs on each end of the drawers. I made the mistake of not buying these during the 50% off week at Hobby Lobby and paid close to $10 bucks per knob! But in the end they add a touch of glam without taking away from the focal point of the scrollwork. 

You can see here the extra shine the final layer of wax adds! Soon after this sold, the buyer was asking if I could make anything similar. I wish I was talented enough to explore building my own furniture but I think I'll stick to painting for now.