Rustic Oak Dresser { Furniture Makeover }

Sharing is caring!

If it seems like I’ve been cranking out more furniture makeovers than normal lately . . . well, I have 🙂 I wrote last week about the selling binge that has been going on at my mall and my meager efforts to keep up with the demand.

This great antique oak dresser was next on my list of pieces to finish up in my garage, but it needed a good deal of work.  So, needless to day I was so glad last week when my hubby asked if there was anything he could do to help me on any of my projects!

I knew I wanted to go back to a natural top, so I sent him to work with the Citristrip and orbital sander.  He was a good worker, and had it ready for me to work on this weekend.  I wasn’t sure exactly what direction to take it, but knew it would be a good piece to practice some more hand painting techniques.

More inspiration struck after I refinished the top.  The beautiful oak grain showed through so well once all that pink latex was gone, all I could see in my mind was a natural colors scheme to compliment that great oak.

After some hunting around at my local Maison Blanche paint dealer, I found the perfect new color to try, a very muted green-gray called Hurricane.

Of course it painted on like a dream (another great chalk paint success!) and was ready for its hand-painted design in about an hour.

I loved the motif of my Cherry Blossom Dresser I painted a few months ago, so I decided to try it again with a twist.

And of course, the best part about flipping furniture is that you get to see the before and the after. So…here’s how it turned out!

Here it is, the “Nature Dresser” as I like to call it 🙂

If hand-painting scares you, it shouldn’t!  This design took about an hour and a half to paint, and trust me, I am no artist.  I drew out the design on paper first, then lightly drew it in on the chest in chalk.

The blossoms are collections of “comma” strokes, and I’ve learned that the less perfect they are, the better.

I really like how the muted green and hand painted details coordinate with the oak top.

Look at that beautiful grain!  I finished it in just one coat of Minwax Dark Walnut and two coats of Plaster Paint Soft Wax.

There’s still a little bit of pink latex running along the edge, but it does’t bother me.  I’m not going for perfection, more for character–and I think the little bit of old paint shows that this dresser has lived a long life.

The red knobs are from Hobby Lobby, and I think add a fun color contrast to a pretty muted piece.

This piece will be up at my ACM space shortly, priced at $275.  I hope you like it!

Also, if you haven’t entered the Vintage Maya $50 online credit giveaway, there’s still time! Be sure to check out this amazing online boutique and dream about what you could buy with that $50!