the rustic teal dresser.

Published on by Quandie

As promised, today I’m sharing the makeover of one of the dressers I purchased at an estate sale last week.

And be sure to read to the end because there’s a giveaway!

But first, the dresser.

I’m sure that some of you may be looking at that photo and thinking that this dresser didn’t even need a makeover.  But ‘before’ photos can often be misleading.  You can’t see the dings and scratches on the top of the dresser.  And then there’s the fact that I simply don’t like this style of veneer work.  It’s just not ‘me’.  It’s a personal preference thing.

So lets start with prep.  Once again I stripped the top of this dresser using Citristrip.  Next I sanded the entire piece lightly and then wiped it down with a wet cloth.  Then I painted the body of the dresser using two coats of Dixie Belle’s Stormy Seas.

I just happened to have that color on hand and it was an excellent companion for the Rustic Teal transfer from Prima Marketing’s re.design line.

Once the paint was dry, I added the transfer to the areas on the drawer fronts that were ‘framed’ out.

I’m not gonna lie, I struggled a bit with this one.  I simply wasn’t being patient enough.  I think I got a little cocky.  I’ve done so many of these transfers and I was thinking to myself that I could just whip this up in no time so I forgot to make sure my transfer was fully adhered before I pulled the backing away.

Fortunately I think the background color of my dresser was similar enough to the background color of the transfer so that it’s not a glaring issue.  I sanded the transfer lightly all over with some 220 grit sandpaper to give it a more distressed look overall which I think also helped.  I then used Dixie Belle’s Best Dang Wax in Clear over both the transfer and the paint.

I left the hardware alone this time and simply cleaned it up with soap and water and put it back on.  Aren’t these drawer pulls pretty?

After stripping, cleaning and then sanding the top smooth I simply added a coat of Dixie Belle’s Best Dang Wax in Brown and gave it a quick buff.

My handyman/neighbor Ken helped me re-attach the mirror at that point and we both agreed that it’s unlikely that this mirror is original to the dresser.

It just seems too narrow for the piece.  Plus there are extra screw holes on the wooden braces that don’t match up with anything on the back of the dresser.  Nonetheless, I painted it to match and will include it with the dresser.  The future owner will have the option of using it or not.

For my staged photos I balanced out the mirror and dresser by hanging those two adorable vintage kids chairs that I shared on Monday on either side of the mirror.

You know my decorating motto, whenever I have something cool and I don’t know what to do with it I hang it on the wall.

And now for the fun part.  I’m giving away two of the Rustic Teal transfers.

Each one comes with three sheets inside that are 22″ wide x 10″ tall each giving you an overall size of 22″ wide x 30″ tall.  Since I needed two sets to complete this dresser, I thought it would be most appropriate to have one winner who will get both sets.  Just in case whoever wins wants to also use them on a wider dresser like this one.

The basic rules:  to be eligible to win the transfers leave a comment on this blog post.  Your comment must be left on the blog, not on Facebook or Instagram.  You are not required to follow my blog, although it would be awesome if you did!

I will randomly draw the name of a winner from all of the comments left on this post by Saturday, October 27, 2018 at the stroke of midnight (U.S. central time).

The fine print: no purchase necessary, you must be 18 years of age or older to win, void where prohibited by law, the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning, if the prize is not claimed by Friday, November 2, another name will be drawn at random to win, blah, blah, blah.

Good luck!

And P.S., this dresser is for sale locally.  Remember to check my ‘available for local sale‘ page for more details if interested.

110 thoughts on “the rustic teal dresser.”

  3. The dresser is beautiful! I love the transfers, they ad so much dimension to the dresser! I happen to have a piece of furniture that would look awesome with this on it. My fingers are crossed, it’s me that wins! 🤞

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  4. This dresser it’s beautiful, but that comes as no surprise because I love everything you do. You have a wonderful gift and I absolutely love your staging.

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  5. OMG this is just beautiful.
    Like you, I don’t like the veneered furniture but unlike you, I don’t have the vision for how you can transform pieces of furniture! I would have passed this dresser up if I’d seen it for sale anywhere.
    You are truly gifted.
    And it’s a pleasure to read your emails. I do so enjoy them.

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  6. This dresser is so cool! I’ve followed the blog for quite some time, and this is the first time I feel a huge urge to try using transfers on a piece of furniture. This one really spoke to me.

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  7. Love that you had the perfect paint color to go with the rustic teal transfer, talk about gorgeous! Beautiful design and color! Thanks for sharing the things that don’t go exactly as planned-happens to me quite often!

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  8. Lovely! I envision this dresser as a statement piece in a guest bedroom. It could be the starting point of a bedroom makeover. I just love reading about all your furniture makeovers!

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  10. Oh I love this new project. Love the color (I’m a blue addict) and that transfer is so perfect with the style and color of the dresser. I was hoping for a closeup of the carved pieces, I think it’s the white wax that makes them stand ou? The top turned out great, the dark wax gave it a really good color. Thanks for doing a vintage piece that is totally transformative- it makes a great case for paint!

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    1. I have a confession to make. I was really busy this week and I struggled to get this post written up in time for my promised giveaway today. So as a result, I missed some details in my write up. One of the details I missed was that I tried to do a little ‘color blending’ on those carved pieces. I used a paler color from Dixie Belle, Savannah Mist. I watered it down quite a bit and then used a small brush to apply it over those carved bits. Then I used the same brush with some of the Stormy Seas and blended the edges a bit. In the end I didn’t really feel like it made a huge difference and I really sort of forgot about it. But clearly it did make a difference because you noticed it! I think white wax would have given a very similar look (and probably been easier!) I’m not sure I’ll ever master the blended paint color look 😉

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  11. I love it! I love your work and look forward to each blog. You give me inspiration each day, as well as a occasional chuckle with your posts:) Transfers are gorgeous with the Stormy Seas Color, a color I love and am currently using. Fingers crossed here as well.

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  15. Oh.my.word. THIS dresser is going to make me actually FOLLOW THROUGH on buying these decals! You did an amazing job, and your staging skills are A+++++😍👏🏻👍🏻😊

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  16. The hardware is so gorgeous and your transformation is stunning. Have you always been so confident when restyling pieces? Have you ever regreted painting a piece?
    Thanks for the giveaway…I have a dresser that would benefit from a make over.

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    1. Hmmmm. Honestly, I would have to say that I am not confident at all at least 75% of the time! I occasionally do a piece that I know is going to be a big hit (like that fab linen press I shared last Friday), but there are more times when I look at a finished piece and wonder if anyone at all is going to like it. As for regret, I’ve never regretting painting something (versus leaving it unpainted) but I have regretted color choices. And I’ve even had a couple of do-overs!

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  18. I think you are a genius in your create use of transfers but this one might be my favorite. I have yet to try any kind of transfers and would love to try these beautiful ones! Thanks for sharing your work.

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  22. Wow! SO much to say about this one! Yes — that mirror looks art deco. That top! Can’t believe you didn’t stain it – just used wax? I love learning things from other makers! And I still haven’t tried transfers on my pieces. Maybe I will win and get a chance to copy your beautiful work!

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    1. Yep, just the Brown wax, no stain. It’s so easy. Of course keep in mind that a waxed finish is not as durable as a poly finish so if you’re looking for an indestructible finish this isn’t it. That being said, I feel like a waxed or hemp oiled surface is an easily fixed finish. If you get a water ring, just sand lightly around it and add a little more wax or oil. Easy peasy.

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  24. I love this transformation! I too am a blue addict and plan to buy the Dixie Bell Stormy Seas for a Lillian August dresser I purchased 2 years ago! It has been in my guest room since I got it as it is a very heavy piece and I had no inspiration to transform it until now! I love your blog and tutorials. Thank you for sharing. Id love to try the transfers.

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  26. I thought this was a really nice dresser to begin with, but how beautiful it is now! What a great job you do with these old dressers. Absolutely stunning!

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  27. I would hardly recognize this gem from it’s “before” picture! Love how you solved that dated veneer look. The blue is a very comfortable, relaxing color. The plain wood top does a perfect job of grounding the floral pattern. Winner!

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    1. You always find the perfect description for my work! You are so right about the wood top grounding the floral pattern. I wasn’t sure how well that came across in these photos, but I thought the same thing in person. The dark brown of the wood also really warms up the piece and ties in the warmer tones in the hardware and parts of the transfers. Thanks so much for your many great comments Kim!

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  30. Wow… I never would have pictured this makeover! It looks completely different! And I have to agree on the mirror- it looks more like a vanity mirror, though it works well on the dresser too! Great job!

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  31. Outstanding makeover! Those drawer pulls are amazing. I think anyone who sees this before and after will completely understand that this makeover was meant to be!

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  32. What a beautiful transformation! I often stay away from pieces with veneer due to past experiences ! I will however look at them with a different perspective now . The transfers work perfectly with the color you had on hand ( which never happens at my house ) and it turned out fabulous !

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  33. That dresser was a confusing mess … art deco mirror and veneer which didn’t match the carved legs and hardware … but you really brought it back together!! I actually scrolled back to make sure it was the same dresser! LOL And since I didn’t win the billion ….. 😉 … fingers crossed 😀

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    1. LOL, well, I guess we couldn’t all win the billion could we? Actually I don’t even buy lottery tickets. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I’ve always thought that if I won a billion (or even a just a million) dollars in the lottery I’d probably have to give up the blog. I’d get way too many crazies coming out of the woodwork and flooding the blog with pleas for money. And who really needs a billion dollars anyway?

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  34. This is a beautiful makeover! I love anything teal or turquoise. I think that the transfer really is beautiful. It must have been tricky going around the curved edges on the drawers. The hardware is lovely. Thank you Linda for the chance at winning a giveaway. 😊

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    1. Those curved corners weren’t terrible tricky at all. I just used a sharp razor blade and followed the handily provided indentation that was already there. Anyone could do it 😉

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  36. Such a beautiful transformation! Absolutely gorgeous!!! I would love to try using the transfer method and this transfer colors are amazing. Thanks for the giveaway and the opportunity to win!

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  37. I really like the floral transfers you use . This came out looking fab as usual. Blue and teal,aqua’s are my favorite colors anyway. Would love to win the giveaway. Have a great weekend.

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  41. This dresser came out beautifully! It’s going to be a classic. I love the way you used the transfer only in the framed areas. It gives such a feminine feel to it that’s kept from being to frilly by that gorgeous blue. My favorite, though, is those stunning drawer pulls! You have impeccable taste! Thank you for the mini-tutorial you did in the comments on blending. I’ve used your technique of using dark wax on the top of a furniture piece instead of stain and I loved it! It’s going to be my new go to. It keeps the wood grain accented beautifully and can look sleek or rugged. So versatile!

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  44. I just received this very transfer this morning. It is nice to see an example of it being used since there aren’t many others online yet. It is beautiful on your dresser. I only ordered one set and should have checked the measurements first, but no big deal. I might win your giveaway!

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  46. I’m not a fan of that type of veneer either but the lines of this piece were perfect for your vision. How in the heck did you know the blue paint and the teal transfer would work together? You really created a stunning piece to build a design concept around. And that hardware, a showstopper, together with transfer gives it french feel. So question – do you listen to music or audio books or watch tv when you’re inside painting? Or are you totally “hyper focused” on the project in front of you? Just when I think there’s no way she can top that piece by golly you do!

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    1. Music and/or TV. In the carriage house I listen to CD’s, but when I’ve moved into the house for painting I listen to 70’s stuff on Pandora. But I’ll also do Netflix marathons in the background sometimes instead. I really enjoy history documentaries and currently I’ve been streaming Civilizations in the background while I paint sometimes.

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      1. I will have to check Civilizations out. I like history documentaries as well.
        I am swamped these days hence my lateness to the blog.

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  49. Another pretty transformation. I’m loving these floral transfers more with each one you do. I’m glad you saved the hardware too. It’s very pretty. Thanks at the chance at your giveaway too. It would be fun to try these out.

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