it had to be yellow.

Published on by Quandie

Last week my co-workers Sue & Cathy and I went garage saling over our lunch hour, and I picked up this dresser.

yellow dresser before

It was pretty beat up, as you can sort of see in the ‘before’ picture.  But on the plus side, it had all of the original hardware, the drawers all worked well, and I knew it would be much cuter painted.

I really thought about painting it in MMS Kitchen Scale, but in the back of my mind I just kept seeing it painted yellow.  Then I realized why.  It’s basically the same style as this famous piece by Miss Mustard herself.

MMS yellow dresser

In fact, take a close look, aside from the shape (tall v. wide), it is the same dresser.  I assume they are the gentlemen’s and ladies’ version of the same bedroom set.

In the end I decided, why fight it?  I can only see it painted yellow, so yellow it shall be.  I will call it an homage to the incredible style of Miss Mustard herself.

yellow dresser after

Let’s go ahead and point out how my version pales in comparison to Miss Mustard.  First, the pattern on the top drawers.  You can see that this pattern was there originally.  I don’t think it was an actual inlay, but just stained to look like an inlay.  Once painted, I could barely even see the outline.  I very much admire Marian’s ability to paint designs like this free-hand on her drawer fronts, but I do not have that skill.  So my upper drawers remained plain.

yellow close up

Miss Mustard also painted some of the bands around the front legs of her dresser white, and I did not think to do that.

As for the top, Miss Mustard stripped and stained the top of her dresser in Dark Walnut.  I just stripped and added a dark wax to mine.  I think her’s is better.  Although I will say that I think if someone is looking for a more rustic, aged look, mine fits that bill.

yellow dresser top

Now let’s get a close up look at the gorgeous chippy finish I ended up with on this dresser.

yellow detail close up

And that right there is why I love Miss Mustard Seed milk paint.  In a nutshell.  You simply won’t get this look with a chalk paint.  This dresser has the perfect amount of chippyness to look authentic without it being over the top.  I love it when that happens!  Standing next to this dresser in person, one would really be tempted to believe this is an authentic 75 year old finish.

Here are the boring painting details for those of you who want to know (everyone else can skip this part).  I stripped the top, sanded the body lightly, painted three coats of MMS milk paint in Mustard Seed Yellow on the body, and three coats of MMS milk paint in Linen on the details.  It took three coats to get full coverage on this piece, and I didn’t want a streaky look.  I waxed the body with MMS clear wax, and I waxed the top with two coats of my own custom blend dark wax.

This very charming yellow dresser will be available at the Carriage House Sale on Saturday.  Hope you can stop by!

yellow b and a collage

P.S.  One little housekeeping note here.  Do any of you blog in wordpress?  I have been really frustrated by how fuzzy my photos seem once I load them on the blog.  Recently I discovered that if you click on the photo and bring it up in another tab, you lose the fuzziness.  Maybe all of you already knew this?  Anyway, my tip to you if you want to see a picture in more detail with less fuzziness, just click on it (or right click, select ‘open in a new tab’).  And if any of you know why this happens, or if there is a way that I can correct it, please let me know!

15 thoughts on “it had to be yellow.”

    1. I like the plain waxed tops too. But sadly, I’ve had more than one person buy a piece that is just waxed and ask me if they can stain over the wax. Since you are a furniture person also, have you had this experience? Where someone buys a piece and then tells you how they are going to change it? Years ago I sold a desk that I had painted in the most fabulous green, and as they were loading it up, the person buying it said “I’m going to paint it lavender instead, do you think it will be hard to cover the green?” Ouch!

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      1. I have people ask me to re-paint things (usually white) and it makes me sad when I just finished the piece in another color. I figure if they want to pay me to do it I will, but……. I only wax the tops and so for I have only been asked once to polly over it and it was fine and very easy to do.
        Love all your pieces!

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  2. Just delightful. I agree about thd milk paint . I’m finding myself using it more and more. It really does give a soft worn look that mimics an original vintage finish . Another beauty!

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  3. What a charmer she turned into! You know I have babies on the brain with my first grand arriving in Jan. – this could be perfect for a child’s room. Have to add – styled to perfection.

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    1. I have to say that I am not a huge yellow fan either, but this is the 3rd dresser I’ve done in this color and each one has been more charming than the last. If you have the right space for it, it’s lovely. And it works really well with grey, the new neutral.

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    1. My sale is in Oakdale, Minnesota, a suburb of St. Paul. We have it just twice a year, in June and in October. I’ll be posting my address with some more sale info in the next day or two. Are you nearby?

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  7. Love it! I never paint in yellow but you have me thinking I should try it. And your version does not pale in comparison to Marian’s! It’s just different, and beautifully done. Be happy with your transformation because really, as Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Does that sound preachy? Hope not!!
    I haven’t had the fuzzy picture issue and have no idea how to fix it. But, if you get to the point where you need to ask for help Ashley from Dinosaur Stew is amazing and extremely affordable. I know you already reached out to her and I just have to say she answered a million questions of mine while helping me with the blog. Good luck!

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