My craigslist spotter, nnK, spotted this dresser for me a week or so ago and I sent Mr. Q off to pick it up.
It had a little bit of damage on the right side of the 3rd drawer down, some veneer is chipped off and the trim is missing. But otherwise it was in great shape, aside from the finish being pretty dinged up. It also looks like there was some water damage to the feet at some point.
For some reason, as soon as I saw this in person I thought ‘yellow’. And luckily I already had some of Fusion’s Buttermilk Cream, which is the perfect shade of creamy yellow. Not in-your-face lemon yellow, but a subtle dignified yellow. This is a fairly dignified dresser, so it deserved a dignified color.
Once I had it painted in yellow, I decided to give it a little more personality with the addition of white inside the trim. I used Fusion’s Limestone for that.
Looking at the craigslist ad, I had no idea that the top half of this dresser had a curved front. In fact, if you look at my own ‘before’ photo you can’t really tell either. But in person it’s quite obvious.
I thought about changing out the original hardware for some clear glass knobs, but there are 12 drawer pulls on this thing! Even at only a few dollars each, that adds up when you need 12 new knobs. So instead I spruced them up with a little gold rub ‘n buff.
This dresser has a formal, traditional feel so I opted not to go chippy with milk paint. The Fusion is just so darn easy to work with in comparison with no need for a top coat, no mixing, no worries about color variations. I did end up need three coats to get really good coverage though. I distressed the edges just a little.
The yellow and white on this dresser reminded me of some daffodils that I used to have in my garden that were yellow and white. I really wanted to find some daffodils to use in my photos, but wouldn’t you know it, the flower shop near me was all out. I had to settle for yellow tulips, which paired nicely with some ironstone.
By the way, this dresser is quite large. I think it’s often hard to tell in photos, especially in this case where I haven’t added a chair or anything to provide scale. This baby is 52.5″ tall and 36″ wide.
So let’s take a moment to talk about lining drawers, shall we? Are you pro or con? I am against lining a perfectly good drawer. In my experience, a lined drawer ends up looking shabby much more quickly than an unlined drawer. Loose paper liners don’t last very long, while sticky contact paper can be a nightmare to remove and it really doesn’t clean very well. So for the most part, I don’t line the drawers of my pieces.
I make an exception to that when the drawer is really grossly stained. Or in this case, I made an exception because two of the drawers in this piece had previously been lined with contact paper and it left behind an awful sticky residue that I couldn’t get rid of. But, like I said, only two of the drawers had this problem. So I only lined them.
Two of the drawers have dividers in them …
And are in quite good shape. The final two drawers aren’t divided, but also are in very good condition. So I chose not to line them.
Is that weird? If I were keeping this dresser, this is what I would do. But will a prospective customer wish I had lined them all? What do you think? In general, are your pro-liner, or con?
Linking up with Friday’s Furniture Fix at Lost & Found Decor
and Making Broken Beautiful at the Curator’s Collection.
q is for quandie 
Beautiful job!
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Thanks Susan!
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Very nice!
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Thanks Clarice!
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Glad you kept the original hardware. This is lovely. Think you are spot on with the drawer lining. Only when needed otherwise leave it to the owner to do as they wish.
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My thinking exactly Diane! Some people like it, some don’t. It’s nice to let the final owner of the piece decide.
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The dresser is so beautiful, lined or unlined it will sell I’m sure. I personally like lined drawers. I think it depends on the condition of the drawer and what you are putting in them. I used liner in a dresser we had because the bottom was just rough enough it would snag a fine knit sweater I had. I saw once where a blogger lined the drawers with fabric. It was gorgeous but I didn’t save the post so I don’t know the details. Maybe some kind of re-positional adhesive was used. I can’t remember. My mother in law always lined all her dresser drawers with heavier weight wrapping paper. It was really pretty.
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Thanks so much Becky. I re-vamped a buffet once that had felt lined drawers for the silverware, and it was in truly disgusting shape. So I pulled out the felt and replaced it with fabric. I used a spray adhesive to hold it down. My concern with fabric is that in the long run it’s going to get dirty and there will be no way to clean it. You’d have to replace it, and now you have the sticky residue from whatever was used to hold it in place. But if you’re making up for damage already done (like with glued down felt), it’s a great option and it certainly does look lovely when it’s fresh and new.
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As usual you did a fabulous job updating that beautiful dresser! I love the colors and the size and shape of the piece! As for the drawers, most of the dressers I have redone have had pretty rough surfaces on the inside of the drawers so I typically pull out white semi gloss paint and paint inside the drawers to make sure that the surface is smooth. Sometimes I add a liner and sometimes not, but if I do line it I use mod podge to glue it down so that it doesn’t shift. Thanks for another inspirational update to make us want to get on craigslist.
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Thanks Laura!
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I agree with Diane. If the drawers are in good condition don’t line them. If you choose to paint the inside then you have to paint all of them. I think that you are giving the customer their own choice. Leave it or to line the dresser themselves. If you line a drawer what kind of paper do you use? Do you adhere it with anything? Oh, and the hardware is lovely😀 You are such an inspiration to all of us. Thank you.
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Thanks so much Monica! For me, painting the drawers is a last resort. I only paint them when I need to seal them (for odor reasons) or if they are already painted and need to be re-painted like with {the farmhouse dresser}. But I agree, if they get painted I would likely paint all of them.
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A lovely piece of furniture – I love it (and I am sure your mother would too). I would line all the drawers. Regards from Betty in Ontario,Canada.. Have a great weekend.
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Hi Betty from Ontario. You’re probably right, my mom would like this one too 😉
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Love your vision for this piece – it is lovely
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Thank Carole!
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If I had room in my house for even one more piece of furniture, this would be it. I love this shade of yellow…it is exactly what you said “not in your face, lemon yellow”. Love the hardware restoration too. Well done. I like the idea of heavy duty wrapping paper for a liner too…never thought of usung wrapping paper.
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Some people order really pretty wrapping paper online from places like Spoonflower and line all of the drawers on their pieces. Spoonflower has some gorgeous papers, but it costs around $15 (plus shipping) for a 72″ roll. If I were lining my own drawers, I would consider spending this much, but I don’t know if it makes sense for a piece I’m going to sell. But if you have some drawers to line, check them out!
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Definitely con liner. I would buy that dresser whether it was just the two lined or all of them, because it’s a great dresser with lots of space. Also, it’s hard to find the divided drawers that I love!
Have a great weekend!
On Fri, Apr 15, 2016 at 7:04 AM q is for quandie. wrote:
> Quandie posted: ” My craigslist spotter, nnK, spotted this dresser for me > a week or so ago and I sent Mr. Q off to pick it up. It had a little bit of > damage on the right side of the 3rd drawer down, some veneer is chipped off > and the trim is missing. But otherwise it” >
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Those divided drawers are super handy for socks and such! You have a great weekend as well 🙂
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Another winner! Love the yellow and white combination. I’m so glad you kept the original hardware as it adds nice definition to the overall look; glass knobs would have disappeared into the drawers. I only line drawers if they are rough or soiled, but do love the look of pretty liner paper.
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Winner winner chicken dinner-love that the dresser told you it needed to be yellow! It was right!
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Ha! I have another friend who says that too (winner winner chicken dinner)! Thanks Darrielle.
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Lovely makeover. I do believe that Fusion’s Buttermilk Creme is my absolute favorite yellow of all paints…ever. And, you are so right….it is a dignified chest … and the color combo is striking. When I spotted the yellow on the linkup…. I just had to pop over for a closer look. Thanks so much for linking to Friday’s Furniture Fix. Sharing out on IG and FB… Susie from The Chelsea Project
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Thanks so much Susie!
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I like painting the inside bottoms of dressers that I redo. Most of the time they are ugly/stained, but I often paint anyway since the outside I usually paint white, and I think it’s fun to open a neutral-looking dresser and find a fun pop of color -like a pretty soft aqua. I have paper lined (Target wrapping paper) a few then sealed it because the bottom was rough, and it looks fun. It only takes me a few minutes to paint the bottoms with some leftover paint or samples, so I feel it’s a good finishing touch.
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Great color combo, I love it!
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It turned out really nice. That yellow is a good color and the white insets go perfectly. I like no lining unless I have to.
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Love the color!
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I like no lining unless necessary. I love this piece. What are you selling it for? Joyce
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This chest of drawers is beautifully done! When I look at it, it ‘feels like home” to me with it’s calm beauty! Featuring this piece at Making Broken Beautiful tomorrow! Thank you so much for sharing it there! Have a great day!
Smiles!
Terry
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Thanks so much Terry! I have someone coming by this evening to purchase it, so I’ll be sure to tell her that she should check out your blog to see her new dresser featured there!
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Oh you’re so sweet! Who ever that is that gets to take it home is very lucky! I hope you have a great evening!
Smiles!
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so much better. really the prettiest yellow and the white just sets it off perfect.
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Thanks so much for your comment Sharon. I found it hiding in my spam folder for some reason. But I’ve un-spammed you now!
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What a gorgeous piece of furniture! In answer to your question, I do usually do something to the drawers. A lot of the pieces I sell are for children’s rooms, and I want my pieces to look as clean and fresh as possible. And if that means painting the drawer bottoms, I’ll do it, but I won’t cover up dovetails or pretty wood. Our kitchen and bathroom drawers are all lined with contact paper, and after five years, it still looks great. Love me some Clorox wipes! Take care, Cynthia
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just the most adorable makeover ever! love this so much!!! great job!
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Thanks Kayla!
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