Lovely Lady Revealed

A few weeks ago, I decided to finally start working on this craigslist dresser I bought awhile back.  I had liked the dark stain when I got it, but it had taken a bit of abuse since my initial purchase.  The veneer on one side had been torn off (thank you Mr. Carpet Cleaner Guy for dragging your equipment through the house and damaging my craigslist find!).  Plus, the bottom drawer did not work very well at all, veneer was chipping off, etc…, which you can see by looking at the before picture:
My Lovely Lady, in need of a lift
Of course, once I finally decide to tackle a project with enthusiasm, something usually comes up to derail me.  In this case, it was an offer on our house. 🙂  So, while it’s all good, this project ended up taking much longer than I had originally anticipated.  Honestly, part of the reason it’s finally done is because I need to clear out the garage to make way for boxes, garage sale items and miscellaneous crap that I refuse to pack up and move!
So, here is the much-delayed reveal of this pretty piece…
Furniture Makeover
Lighter and Brighter
I decided to do away with the bottom drawer altogether since it was in such bad shape and the drawer track was broken, and instead opted to create a little shelf along the bottom with a pretty basket.  I also changed out the drawer pulls for these pretty vintage ones from Hobby Lobby.

 

Love the vintage pulls
So, there you have it!  Dresser is complete and back in my foyer, just in time for us to move it!  It’s all good though – I’m sure I’ll be able to find a place for her no matter where we end up.

 

30 Comments

  • Reply
    Laura @ House of Thrifty Decor
    September 17, 2010 at 5:21 pm

    WOW!!! Very Cute! I love how you made the bottom drawer a shelf great way to over come the broken drawer. I am in the same boat, we are move cross country this week and I have tons of half finished projects laying around. I hate how things get in the way of project. 🙂

    I hope you can stop by this Sunday to my Show Off Sunday Party. I would love for you to share your project with my followers. 🙂

    http://houseofthriftydecor.blogspot.com/

  • Reply
    Jenni
    September 17, 2010 at 11:06 pm

    Super cute! Great job. I love the shelf idea and the hardware.

  • Reply
    Inspired by you
    September 17, 2010 at 11:13 pm

    What a transformation! I love the white!

  • Reply
    Elisabeth
    September 18, 2010 at 11:10 am

    It turned out so pretty!

  • Reply
    Kristin @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
    September 18, 2010 at 3:57 pm

    I'm loving how you took the drawer out, the basket looks perfect! Wonderful transformation!!!
    XO

  • Reply
    Chris
    September 19, 2010 at 2:22 am

    I had to scroll back up! I thought it was a different piece of furniture! What a transformation. Great job!

  • Reply
    Kim
    September 19, 2010 at 11:54 pm

    Jen, it's just gorgeous! What a great idea to make the last drawer a shelf – love the basket there! And don't you love Hobby Lobby's selection of pulls? I need to pick some up there, too, for a dresser I need to redo. Hope it turns out half as nice as yours! Thank you for sharing!

  • Reply
    Becca
    September 21, 2010 at 7:58 pm

    This is so cute !! Great job … love how you thought to remove the 3rd drawer and place a basket there intead. Perfect … thanks for sharing, Becca

  • Reply
    Melanie
    September 22, 2010 at 4:12 am

    Wow, what a great face lift! It looks great with the bottom drawer removed, and I love the color!

  • Reply
    The Pineapple Room
    September 23, 2010 at 8:46 pm

    I love how you removed the bottom drawer and made it a shelf….I may have to swipe that idea..LOL. So cute! Great Job.

  • Reply
    Christa @ Stories of a House
    September 27, 2010 at 3:18 pm

    Oh, I love it. It is perfect for that little spot under your stairs. Your vignette is so well done. Thanks for linking up!
    Christa
    http://www.storiesofahouse.com

  • Reply
    oops!
    September 27, 2010 at 3:31 pm

    Love it! It looks great, especially in the entry!

  • Reply
    Michelle
    September 27, 2010 at 3:56 pm

    What a great idea to take the bottom drawer out and use it as a shelf. THis is now an amazing piece! Love it!

  • Reply
    Lori @ Projects Plenty
    September 27, 2010 at 4:31 pm

    How pretty is that piece now?! Love the new finish and vintage pulls you added. Visiting from Stories of a House.

  • Reply
    Anita @ GoingALittleCoastal
    September 27, 2010 at 5:24 pm

    Wow, you did a great job. I love the new look. Taking the bottom drawer out and using a basket was a great idea. Visiting from Cottage Instincts.

  • Reply
    Lallee
    September 27, 2010 at 7:18 pm

    Fab is right! What a great redo. I love how you left the drawer out and made it so unique.

  • Reply
    ComplyKated
    September 27, 2010 at 9:49 pm

    I love that you took our the bottom drawer! What a great transformation.

  • Reply
    Elizabeth (blue clear sky)
    September 27, 2010 at 11:00 pm

    I paint furniture, but I would never have guessed that it cuold end up looking so fabulous. Removing the bottom drawer for the shelf made a huge difference. Love it!

  • Reply
    Nancy
    September 29, 2010 at 4:24 am

    Just beautiful! I would have never thought to remove the bottom drawer! You have inspired me!
    Thank you for sharing
    Nancy from funwithnancy.blogspot.com

  • Reply
    Anna @ Take the Side Street
    January 27, 2011 at 1:42 am

    All your projects are great, I found you through TDC and am a new follower 🙂 Beautiful!

  • Reply
    Ally
    January 27, 2011 at 2:48 am

    I think it looks great! I'm actually planning to do something similar with my coffee table, which is missing a drawer. Do you have any hints or tips on how to do it? I was just planning to hack together something with "L" brackets.

    Great hardware and basket!

  • Reply
    THE.PAINTED.STUDIO
    January 27, 2011 at 4:02 pm

    That change is WONDERFUL. by taking out the bottom drawer, it looks like a whole new piece. 🙂 Thanks for sharing.

    cheryl

    http://www.paintedstudio.blogspot.com

  • Reply
    Lynn MacKerell @ Antiques for Today's Lifestyle
    January 29, 2011 at 5:58 pm

    Hi Jenny. I found your blog on Thrifty Decor Chick. I love the dresser redo! I will be following to see what you do next! If you have a chance, I would be honored if you would also check out my new blog.

  • Reply
    Jenny
    January 31, 2011 at 9:01 pm

    This is gorgeous!

  • Reply
    What makes me happy
    February 5, 2011 at 3:22 am

    Love it! Losing the bottom drawer looks great.

  • Reply
    Linda@Coastal Charm
    February 5, 2011 at 6:02 am

    The bottom drawer missing is really okay and the makeover looks outstanding!

    Blessings,
    Linda

  • Reply
    Vicky
    February 6, 2011 at 2:11 pm

    I redid a dresser for my daughter and took out both the right and left hand side drawers. What a difference it makes!! Yours is beautiful

  • Reply
    Miss Mustard Seed
    February 14, 2011 at 4:46 am

    Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant. I love the way you worked around the challenges of this piece and made it better all around. Well done!

  • Reply
    Connie @ Sensible-Redesign
    April 6, 2011 at 4:33 pm

    Just wandered into your blog don't know how I got to this post but I love what you did with the dresser. Very cool leaving out the bottom drawer, and adding a basket. Love it!!

  • Reply
    Becky
    March 13, 2013 at 7:20 pm

    Such a great makeover! Removing the bottom drawer really opened things up!
    -Becky
    http://cuphalffull-sf.blogspot.com/

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