the mystic midnight blue dresser.

Published on by Quandie

At midnight, in the month of June, I stand beneath the mystic moon.
– Edgar Allen Poe

OK, wrong month.  If only that quote said ‘in the month of October’, but that doesn’t quite rhyme, does it?  Nothing really rhymes with October, which was rather unfortunate for Edgar since October is the spookiest month of the year.

Well ‘midnight’ works with this dresser because I painted it in Homestead House milk paint in Midnight Blue, so I’m sticking with that quote.

Before I did any painting though, I sent this one over to Ken’s workshop where a simple repair job became a tad more complicated.  I thought I just needed a few drawer stops replaced, but as it turned out Ken had to replace a couple of the drawer glides as well.

Once the dresser came back from Ken’s workshop I stripped the top.  After sanding it smooth, I once again waxed with Miss Mustard Seed Antiquing Wax.  Gorgeous!

Next I painted the rest of the dresser with the Midnight Blue.

I probably could have gotten away with one coat (dark color over dark wood), but I went with two since I had the paint already mixed up and I wanted that deep, rich color.  I also used Miss Mustard Seed hemp oil as my top coat to get the darkest shade possible of this color.

Today’s Qtip:  hemp oil will darken up your colors more than wax or other top coats.  For this reason I love using it when I want a deep, rich color like this Midnight Blue.  I also prefer using hemp oil over black milk paint.  However, hemp oil does not provide quite as much protection as wax or poly.

I had a couple of people mention how much they liked the drawer pulls that came with this piece, but I didn’t put them back on.  I didn’t like the way the pulls on the top drawer hung down below the bottom of the drawer itself.  It makes me wonder if they were even original to the dresser.  I’ll save that set to use another time.  I added these glass knobs from Hobby Lobby instead.

The top drawer of the dresser was pretty grungy.  I think it stored greasy tools at some point in its life.  So I lined it with some pretty fabric.  I purchased this fabric at a garage sale a couple of years ago and I’ve used it to line quite a few drawers.  But I’m starting to run low, so only had enough for the top drawer which was really the only drawer that needed it.

The drawers in this dresser are really quite shallow.  I can’t imagine it being very practical for holding clothing.  But I think it would make a fantastic bedside table.  It would also be perfect for use in a home office with your printer on top and the drawers filled with office supplies.  I can also imagine someone using it to hold a TV, you could fill those drawers with DVD’s.

If you are local and you happen to need a dresser like this, be sure to check my ‘available for local’ sale page for more info.

 

35 thoughts on “the mystic midnight blue dresser.”

  1. Morning! I would have to agree– I don’t think those pills were original and I like your idea to swap them out. I love these type of pieces —- they can be used so many places throughout a house!

    Like

    Reply

  3. The blue is a nice choice and I like the glass knobs much better too. I think a lot if vintage dressers have those shallow drawers. My mom always told me it was bc people just dressed differently then. Women wore gloves, stockings, and had a collection of handkerchiefs. All of those would have fit perfectly in those shallow drawers. Today I think they would be great with some fabric lined dividers for jewelry. I love that you line the drawers with fabric. Do you glue it down or just lay in the bottom?

    Like

    Reply

    1. Very good point Becky. I bet this dresser was perfect for gloves, stocking, etc. As for the fabric, I did use some 3M spray adhesive to hold it in place. Normally I don’t like to do that with a drawer that’s in good shape because I find it hard to get that adhesive residue back off again down the road, but in this case the drawer bottom will always need to be lined with something anyway.

      Like

      Reply

  4. I love the color and that you did not paint the top! Thank you for sharing. Ive never used Milk paint but I just might give it a try. Can you tell me what is the advantage of using Milk paint vs chalk paint?

    Like

    Reply

    1. Hmmmm, where do I start. First of all, I paint A LOT. Because I am exposing myself so regularly to paint, I try to be safe about it. Milk paint is made from just five non-toxic, zero VOC, completely biodegradable ingredients and I like that simplicity (check out my post about wax ingredients for more product safety info). Plus, I know this sounds odd, but I find milk paint is physically easier to paint with. It’s lighter on your brush and doesn’t take as much effort to apply. But it’s mostly a matter of aesthetics. I prefer the ‘look’ I can get with milk paint over that of chalk paint. It’s hard to describe, but to me chalk paint gives more of a ‘faux’ look. I prefer the more authentic look of milk paint, especially if I want a distressed, chippy finish. That’s totally a matter of opinion. I know there are plenty of people out there who prefer chalk paint, and milk paint does have its challenges. But it tends to be the paint I choose to work with most often.

      Like

      Reply

  5. Beautiful! I love the color and the size. I think it would be perfect in an entry hall to hold gloves and hats and keys! Bet this one goes fast.

    Like

    Reply

  8. Love the color! Leaving the top natural really showcases the color. Can’t believe you have matching books…lol. I’m going to have to look for more colorful books. Just finished my kitchen makeover with Fusion and just love it!

    Like

    Reply

  11. Love the color. Navy dressers are some of my favorites. I am going to have to try the MMS antiquing wax on the top of a dresser. By the way, info on the stubborn smelly dresser, I used Zinsser Odor killer on it, inside and out and all the drawers. It worked pretty well. Maybe because I cleaned it before using the Zinsser with tsp, then bleach, then 409, and then shellac! At least I can stand it now. Lesson learned. Do not buy furniture until you pull all the drawers out and examine the whole inside. If there is a slight smell, IT ONLY WILL GET WORSE! Lesson learned!! Thanks for all the info.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Lately I have decided to be sure all pieces pass a ‘smell test’ before I bring them home to work on. It takes so much effort to deal with bad smells (as evidenced by your experience!). I’m with you, lesson learned!

      Like

      Reply
  16. Pingback: out of the blue. – q is for quandie

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.