trading up.

Published on by Quandie

Remember this dresser that I painted last fall?

It simply wasn’t selling.

I’m not sure if it was the color, or the floral transfer, or the mirror, or simply a combination of all three.  But after six months of watching it gather dust in my dining room I was ready to give it a makeover.

I mentioned it in front of my niece one day and she said ‘nooooo … I love that one.’  Then she asked if I’d be willing to trade her for the dresser that I painted for her a couple of years ago instead.

I thought about it for about a second and then said ‘sure, why not?’  As much as my niece loved the Miss Mustard Seed’s Luckett’s Green paired with purple flowers, I didn’t think that combo would be a big seller in my market at large.  But I was going to be repainting a piece either way, so why not repaint this one?

So we traded.

The teal blue dresser went to my niece’s house, and the green one came home with me.  To prep this piece for a fresh paint job I sanded it fairly heavily to make sure I’d get good adhesion.  Then I cleaned it and painted it with two coats of Fusion’s Park Bench.

I’ve had great success selling mid-mod pieces painted in this color.  Although this dresser isn’t classically mid-century modern, I knew I could pump up the modern quotient a bit with new hardware.

These knobs are all from Hobby Lobby.  I’ve used them before on pieces painted in this gorgeous shade of green, so I knew they’d be perfect on this one too.

I staged this piece super simply with some postcards that I bought in Montenegro when we were there last November, my green Collier’s World Atlas and some vibrant impatiens.

Now don’t tell my niece, but I think I just may have gotten the better end of the bargain in this trade.

What do you think?

38 thoughts on “trading up.”

  8. I love this color. The pieces that you have painted in this color always turn out lovely. I have to try it. I like how you updated this piece. 😊

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  11. I love the redo. Wish I was close enough to “shop” your lovely pieces. You are killing me with your staging! I’ve seen several things you’ve used and had to find them. I needed the atlas after I saw yours so I’ve now ordered one.😕 Thanks for the beautiful posts, always look forward to the email in my box!

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  12. I don’t know anything about a “better deal” in the trade, but for me this make-over is a definite improvement. The design and lines of the piece are unique and the simplicity of a solid color makes it stand out. And the hardware is perfect for the lines and the color.

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    1. Pieces with more graphic transfers (wording, or a combination of script and floral) sell really well for me. But the solid floral is not as popular here.

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  16. First, the fact that the teal piece didn’t sell concerns me! I just painted a small buffet a turquoise and used the rustic teal transfer on it, because I liked your dresser so much. And still like it so much. But the new/old piece that your niece traded back to you is fabulous! And the hardware is so perfect. So it’s definitely a win/win situation. Let us know how it sells in its new improved park bench dress.

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  18. Great makeover. Big fan of your choice of green on the mid modern or mid modern want to be’s. Wondering what kind of storage space is behind the double doors. Drawers, shelf or open.

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    1. It’s a big space divided vertically (rather than horizontally with shelves) with two dividers. The space would work great for stacks of folded t-shirts.

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