As I was working on two mid-century pieces recently, I was thinking about how many blonde dressers I’ve done in the past.
I took the time to look back and realized I’ve done more than I thought.
My very first mid-mod blonde was a dresser that my friend Cathy gave me. This was waaaay back, before I had a blog and before I realized that these pieces from the 60’s were coming back in style. At the time I was just trying to make this piece more palatable somehow.
It was also before I realized that bright reflecting sunlight maybe wasn’t the greatest lighting choice for furniture photos. And back when I was painting with plain ol’ latex paint and doing things like spraying the hardware white.
The blonde bombshell came along a bit later. It’s painted in Annie Sloan’s Provence.
It had the most awesome drawer pulls. They look like something that came off an airplane.
I think the vintage moxie pieces were my favorite blonde pieces to work on.
I painted them in Sherwin Williams’ Aloe (6464), which was the 2013 color of the year from their Vintage Moxie collection. Seriously! Vintage Moxie! I had to use that name.
Aren’t those circular drawer pulls to die for?
On many of these mid-century pieces, the hardware is what makes the piece.
This mid-century nightstand is the first one I used vintage wallpaper on.
This was a case where I didn’t have the original mid-century hardware, so I gave it more of a vintage makeover with the wallpaper drawer fronts and the old milk glass knobs.
In March of 2015 I worked on another cute little blonde nightstand, this one made by Dixie.
It’s painted in Fusion’s Champlain and Laurentien, and I used the same vintage wallpaper inside the cubby hole area. The flecks of gold in the wallpaper tie perfectly with the gold knobs.
Fast forward to September 2016. Another friend gave me a blonde mid-century piece and surprise, surprise, I decided to paint it mint green.
The mid mod mint is painted in Dixie Belle’s Mint Julep with Annie Sloan’s Old White in the center.
Once again the piece has some distinctive mid-century drawer pulls.
Boy, it wasn’t until I saw all of these pieces in one place that I noticed how much I love painting the blondes with aqua/mint and white.
I’m glad I stepped out of that comfort zone when I painted my latest mid-century blondes.
You’ve seen the one painted in Dixie Belle’s Gravel Road, but you’ll just have to come back on Wednesday to see what color I chose for the 2nd one. Here’s a hint, it’s not mint.
q is for quandie 
Wow, I love all this green and white! So makes me think about spring. Love the color and the clean white with it. I have been painting with gray, white and black so much that I long for color. I had a small plain dresser I painted with a light turquoisy blue, but it never sold so I brought it home to repaint. Guess folks here in Dallas have an issue with color! Love all these pieces even though I grew up with them and hated them. I’m more of a 30s or 40s furniture kind of person. And you are right, the knobs are th bomb. Can’t wait for the reveal.
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I’m surprised to hear that a light blue color didn’t do well in Dallas. I’ve always thought that people down south tend to embrace more color that those of us up north. Maybe that’s just a stereotype, huh? And I’m totally with you about the mcm style. I also grew up with them. My first ‘real’ bedroom set growing up was a blonde mcm set not unlike a lot of these pieces.
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Probably not a stereotype in most southern cities or towns, but Dallas is made up of a large population of folks transferred here in corporate moves. So things ‘southern’ are not always the norm here!
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I hadn’t thought of Dallas as a city full of transplants, but that makes complete sense now.
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Wow you are so prolific! You could almost paint with your eyes closed! My favorite is the most recent and the hardware does seem to make these pieces.
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Maybe I should try the eyes closed thing sometime and see how it turns out 😉
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Thanks so much for sharing! I love all your pieces. You truly inspire me.
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You’re welcome Jeannette!
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They’re all lovely, but I think the Whistling Dixie nightstand is my favorite. Thanks for sharing!
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The Laurentien on that piece is one of my fave colors. It’s the perfect aqua.
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These are stunning!
I am just beginning and am draw to MCM.
Love the hardware and the clean lines.
Wish me luck.
Tracey
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MCM is super hot right now. The fact that even Target has added a mid-modern line of home decor (Project 62) proves it. I predict you’ll have tons of fun working with mid-century pieces!
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