Yet Another Look For My Husband’s Dresser

Because nothing stays the same around here for too long, I changed up my husband’s dresser…AGAIN.

When we moved into our house almost 10 years ago, we bought a grown-up bedroom set and we were so excited.

Look at us! We’re like, REAL ADULTS, buying a whole matching set from a REAL furniture store…like, it has to get DELIVERED, not assembled or anything! No more mismatched hand-me-downs or bachelor pad stuff! We’re officially grown-ups now!

Fast Forward several years, and the whole matchy-matchy thing was the last thing I wanted. My tastes changed, and I wanted a more collected over time look for our bedroom – sooo exactly THE OPPOSITE of what we spent so much money on just a few years before.

So back when I gave the bedroom the first makeover, I painted the dark espresso wood with a light grey paint.

dresser before

I also spray painted the knobs white:

dresser makeovers

And it was cute.

BUT…

I decided, after a very short time, that this bedroom was way too girly for a bedroom that also belongs to my husband. And while he honestly did not care, I did. I tired of this look faster than any room before and we began makeover number 2. Besides, the whole getting a new bed thing added fuel the fire – we had to get new nightstands because our new king bed didn’t allow for the big ones we had at the time. It was the perfect excuse to start a new look in here…as if I need one;)

It’s starting to take shape and I am THRILLED. Seriously, cannot wait for this one to be done so I can show you. It’s got shiplap (!!) and we’ve started installing – wait for it – NEW BIG BASEBOARDS! Wooooohooo! Not sure which of those two I’m more excited about. It’s amazing what a difference getting rid of skinny 1960s trim makes.

But let’s get back to the issue at hand: this dresser.

I wanted to do something a little different again (sensing a theme here?! I really am crazy). You might remember the old big nightstands we used to have in here that I had to get rid of? If not, you can check them out here. I had sanded down just the drawers down to the natural wood and stained them with Minwax Special Walnut. I decided to go with that same look, and replace the white knobs with brushed nickel pulls. I also went a little darker on the grey, and used some of my Sherwin Williams Grizzle Grey leftover from the kitchen island.

And here we are!

dresser makepver

dresser makeover

(Don’t look too close at the baseboards – this is the side of the room that hasn’t been done yet!)

I think this darker grey and wood combo, plus the pulls give it a masculine look, don’t you think?

As for what’s on top of the dresser, I’m still fiddling around with that – can’t decided if I love or hate what’s going on – so I’m assuming that will change before the reveal, but wanted to put something up there for this post;)

Speaking of that – the half windmill I have hanging on there is from Hobby Lobby and I have one of my readers to thank for it. I love that you guys know me so well and when you spot something you think I’d love, you share it with me! She posted on my page that HL now carried these and I had been wracking my brain trying to think of what to put on top of this dresser that would complement the bird cage shape thingy (yes, that’s the technical term) that’s on the other side of the window. This was PERFECT!!! So Lori, I can’t thank you enough! (While I was there, I grabbed that black iron candle holder on the left, and the other stuff I’ve had for a while)…

dresser makeover

I think this is my favorite look so far for this dresser. My husband likes it too, which is nice, since it IS his and all;)

dresser makeover

Stay tuned for more bedroom makeover posts coming soon!

 

*linking up at The Pretty Project Party!*

and

Thrifty Decor Chick’s Before and After Party

Comments

  1. Love it! Great idea how you left the drawers natural. We have a bedroom set that was handed down (Ethan Allan) and I’ve been wanting to just paint the entire dresser/mirror white but now I’m thinking the wood drawers might be a nice contrast. btw, loved the shiplap comment – Thanks to you I’m totally hooked on Fixer Upper!

  2. Gwen Hostetler says:

    I decided a week ago that I am going to do this to my husbands chest of drawers too! Great minds….

  3. Hi, Liz! I love the whole thing…the dresser and the styling! Is that candle holder a recent purchase and if so, where from???

  4. I have a similar bedroom set from art van (different shape drawer front but same color). How do I know there’s actual wood grain underneath? I’d hate to sand and it be….. I don’t know.

    • I don’t think there’s a way – I just had a hunch because this was an expensive set, I figured it had to be real wood;) I guess if you try and it’s not, you can always just paint it?

  5. Love everything you did here. Can’t wait to see the whole room!!!

    Happy Hump Day…
    Sherr

  6. Saw this on Pretty Project Party! This is absolutely stunning!

  7. Very pretty! Great job.

  8. Absolutely stunning. One of the nicest dresser makeovers I’ve seen.

  9. This is amazing! One of my favorite dresser makeovers ever!

  10. This gorgeous!!! I am absolutely in LOVE with this dresser makeover 😄 I’m going to try and do this to a set that I just recently bought at a resale shop and pray that it looks half as good as your’s. I do have a question for you though how do you make the grey look so clean and smooth? I’ve never painted furniture before but the set that I just got is painted and it’s AWFUL!!! Paint brush marks and very very thick. Im sanding it down nice and smooth but I want to make sure it doesn’t end up the way it looks now.

    • you don’t have to sand if you use chalk paint, and use a small foam roller or foam craft brushes to eliminate brush strokes.

  11. KAREN MORGAN says:

    Beautiful! Question for you..did you paint the inside and sides of the drawers?

  12. What type of paint did you use?

  13. Melissa says:

    This is absolutely gorgeous! I love it! Did you poly over the stain? If so, what finish did you use?

  14. Melissa says:

    Also, that stain color on your drawers looks more grey than the picture on the minwax can portrays. Did you do anything to the stain to give the wood that grey, weathered look? I have such a hard time getting the color you achieved. It’s perfect!

    • No, I just used it straight out of the can. The kind of wood can alter the color a bit, so depending on what kind of wood you’re staining, it may turn out slightly different.

  15. Sandy dufault says:

    What kind of wood are your drawer fronts made of?

  16. Grace Kim says:

    Where did you get the new dresser pulls?

  17. Karen B. says:

    This dresser and the night stands are gorgeous. Especially impressive is combining the wood and paint. This is a perfect compromise for my husband, the wood lover, and myself, more of a paint person. He saw this and, “Waaahw, very classy”, he whispered with awe! Since it is long overdue for ours to be done my search for ideas had led me here. After seeing these, the decision is made! I just needed to clarify a couple of things: 1. How many coats of paint? 2. You mentioned adding a teaspoon of Plaster of Paris to what seemed like a sample jar of paint? Certainly a sample won’t do for the three pieces I am doing (about the same size as all of yours), so about how much Plaster of Paris would I add to a half a gallon of paint? BTW: We just added shiplap to one wall in two different bedrooms. Such a great feature to any room. After seeing these pieces of furniture, I can’t wait to see your shiplap.

  18. MARILYN ORTEGA says:

    very nice , can this be done with pine???

  19. Please tell me where you found the windmill blade. BTW, love the dresser 🙂

  20. You’ve just changed my entire life’s direction…

  21. Did u use polyurethane on the stianed drawers

  22. Michelle Coc says:

    Beautiful!! Where did you find that windmill??

  23. I love this look, I have been thinking about refinishing a dreaser in my son’s room and you have given me inspiration.

  24. Lori DiGioia says:

    Did you use wood conditioner first before staining? Love this❤️

  25. What color stain?

  26. Erin Smith says:

    love the look of this dresser! what color are the walls in the room where this piece is? I’m getting ready to re-do my son’s bedroom and want to do this. thanks.

  27. Wow! This is gorgeous! I have an old wooden dressed that my awesome dad had sanded down to the natural wood for me. Been trying to think of a nice finish for it. I’m in love with that walnut stain you used! Thanks for the inspiration!

  28. Looks fabulous but I’m still too intimidated to try it in our master. Someday… Great job, and thanks for the inspiration.

  29. A very nice choice of color and stain, looks fantastic!

  30. what color is the stain for the drawers?

  31. Do you happen to remember what kind of paint the gray is?

  32. I’m trying to get that same look. So you sanded down the drawer fronts until it took off all old varnish & finishes?? Then you painted them the Grizzle gray? Then did you rub the Special walnut over top of the gray? How close am I?? Thank you!!

    • I just sanded the drawer fronts down to the bare wood, then stained them with special walnut. The grizzle gray went on the rest of the dresser:) The particular wood was nice and grainy underneath, so it might not be exactly what you have on your dresser. Good luck!!

  33. Sandi Sheldon Wright says:

    How did you get the wood grain look? Can you tell us what your whole process was to create this look? Thank you

    • I just sanded my drawer fronts down and got very lucky that the wood underneath was super grainy and lovely:) Then I just stained it.

  34. A friend recently did a similar makeover to a changinging table. Hers was not real wood, so she used the wood grain laminate flooring that is sticky on the back to cover the drawer fronts. Looked amazing, as does yours! Just a suggestion for those who may not have a solid wood piece.

  35. Did you sand down the grey part of the dresser first or just paint right on top?

    • I added plaster of paris to the grey paint and painted right on top.

      • Do you mind me asking how much you used? Did you use a whole gallon of paint? How much plaster of paris per gallon? Thanks a million! I have a piece of furniture that I would love to replicate with this look!

        • For a dresser this size, you just need a sample size of paint. I never measure, but it’s probably about a tablespoon per cup of paint? You could look it up – many blogs have used this technique and i’m sure there’s precise measurements somewhere! Good luck!

  36. Hi Liz, love what you’ve done here. I’m about ready to paint our old oak dresser. What type of paint did you use?
    Lisa

  37. Lisa Pryor says:

    What does the plaster of paris do? What’s the purpose off adding it to your paint? And if you could tell us the steps you used in painting the dresser grey, that would be great. I don’t see any brush marks.

    • It gives it a nice flat finish, and it helps the paint stick without having to sand. I use an angled 3-4 inch brush. That’s about it!

  38. Hi, beautiful work. Did you use a polyurethane after staining the drawers with Minwax Special Walnut?

  39. Hi! When you painted over the original wood with grey paint, did you sand first? Also, what kind of paint did you use? Thanks!

  40. I now see that my questions have already been answered!

  41. Rachel says:
  42. Michelle says:

    What I REALLY need to know is what was the last grit level of sandpaper you used on the wood before staining? Also, It should be noted that mixing Plaster of Paris with paint will lighten the color approx one step lighter on the color strip. Truly a stunning piece! I can’t stop looking at it.

    • Thank you so much, Michelle! Wish I could remember – no idea?? I’m sorry! So glad you like it though!:)

  43. Beautiful piece. Redoing my sons room. He has pine furniture and my husband just sanded it down today. We wanted it to match and make it more masculine for a teenage boy. Thanks for the idea.

  44. I’m trying to replicate what you did but special walnut looks so much darker on everything I look at. Did you do something else to the drawers?

    • No, I just applied the stain – but I’ve noticed from my experience with staining different things, that it will look different on different types of wood.

  45. Did you use a electric sander ?

  46. how can you paint the drawers to look wooden

    • I’m sorry, can’t help you there – mine aren’t painted – I sanded them down and stained them. Good luck!

  47. Anne Dineen says:

    This looks great. I may try something similar with an antique dry sink that is dullsville in our house. I have to figure out if it needs stripping first. Thanks for sharing !

  48. Non decorator says:

    Did you just mix in the plaster of Paris directly to the paint or mix the plaster of paris with water and then mix it in?

  49. Hi Liz, I love this dresser and want to do the same thing for my sons dresser. Did you use a satin, semi-gloss, or gloss paint finish?

    • I used a satin – it was from a sample at Sherwin Williams, and their samples come in a satin finish. Thank you so much, and good luck!

  50. Tiffany Regal says:

    Very beautiful dresser! Was hoping you could tell me the dimensions so I can have my hubby make one lol. You did a great job!

Trackbacks

  1. […] A dresser got a full makeover as the original drawers were replaced with textured wooden ones and the outer frame was painted a slightly lighter gray color, giving it a lighter, updated look. via naptimedecorator […]

  2. […] This dresser is quite interesting. I love the grey on the outer sides and the stained wood drawers. It looks very chic and modern. Check it out here. […]

  3. […] and has been long overdue for an overhaul.  I was inspired by a blog post that can be found here: http://www.naptimedecorator.net/uncategorized/yet-another-look-for-my-husbands-dresser/ and was able to find the same product lines for colours.  I used Minwax Special Walnut stain, […]

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