Master Dresser Makeover

By Kate Riley November 13, 2014

I wanted to share one more project I finished recently before going into full holiday decorating mode. :) In Las Vegas we’re furnishing the master bedroom with a bed, end tables, window treatments, and also a dresser we inherited from Matt’s grandparents.

We hauled the dresser all the way to Las Vegas over the summer where it sat in the garage for a few months. It’s a solid piece and perfect for storing clothes in the larger bedroom so I gave it an update to suit the space. I want this room to be soothing so I chose a shade of pale gray green for the walls, Glidden’s Quiet Light. I have a crush on all things tropical this year, so I also brought in a palm tree print from a photo I snapped in Hawaii and had enlarged on canvas (details below.)

dresser makeover lattice trim drawers

Since it’s such a large piece I liked the idea of having it blend into the room and not overpower the space with too much color or strong contrast. I’m a fan of all shades of green so I painted the exterior a barely grayish greenish white (Morning Mist) and the trim around the drawers a soft olive green (Dried Basil), both by Benjamin Moore. Their  Advance paint is a favorite of mine for furniture and kitchen or bathroom cabinets.

Here’s the dresser before it was painted:

grandma before 2

The facelift included lattice trim around the drawers, two shades of paint, and new hardware, I just love it reinvented and repurposed in this space!

dresser with lattice box trim

 

I used 1½” lattice trim from Lowes cut it with a miter box to trim the edges of the drawers. I attached it with Liquid Nails held down by a few small paint cans until dry, then filled the edges between the trim with spackling and sanded that down smooth.

lattice on drawers

I followed the same technique I always use, spray priming the drawer fronts for a smooth finish then rolling on primer with a foam roller on the high use horizontal surface with Zinsser Cover Stain.

spray prime drawer fronts

primer

 

Like I mentioned above, I painted the exterior Morning Mist and the lattice trim on the drawers Dried Basil by Benjamin Moore. I purchased new pulls on Etsy a few months ago, I gave them a coat of gold spray paint which doesn’t show up so well in the dresser pictures but I do love the shape of them.

gold hardware for dresser

I took this photo in Kauai under a palm tree at the vacation beach cottage. It’s wonderful as is, but I wanted to remove the blue skies and make it more tonal with neutrals and dark green.

palm tree

I imported the image into Picasa and played around with the Cinemascope and Saturation tools.

cinemascope

saturation

I also changed some of the colorization in Photoshop Elements but didn’t grab a screenshot of that. I uploaded the final version to Easy Canvas Prints, that was it!

dresser with lattice trim

Here’s a view of the other side of the master bedroom empty …

master bedroom walls

 

 

I hung window treatments over the weekend, and soon it will include these too …

kates master bedroom plans

I’ll share sources when it’s complete!

29 comments

  1. Where did you find the fan , I have been looking for something similar but need a remote.

  2. No one has an eye for re-habbing furniture like you do! Wow! You have got the magic! Well done….yet again!

  3. Beautiful! I would love it if you would share carpet color/type/etc. when you list sources. Thank you!

  4. You are a rock star in makeovers! I wish i was younger and had your energy. My (projects) are sooo fun, but i sell them off as we have no space for more. I love your blog! The best!

  5. Love the fabric you chose. What are the resources for both prints? Can’t wait to see the reveal. :)

  6. Looks fabulous! You did a great job. Where did you find the copper vases on top of the finished dresser? Love, love, love them!!! As always, perfect :)

  7. I searched for Fresh Basil by BM with no luck. It’s not coming up in their color database or via a regular ol’ Google search. Please clarify? I am in love with that color.

    • Ha, that’s because it’s DRIED Basil Brandy, my mistake! I’ll update the post :)

  8. They have that headboard right now at Costco for $250.. I’m so tempted to just buy it for my guest bedroom.

    • Hi Nancy, they have it at Walmart for $150, be sure to look there under the Better Homes & Gardens products :)

  9. Hi Kate, this room is going to be a stunner when it’s done. The transformation of the plain dresser is really amazing in both color and design, and that Palm print to canvas is a great choice for the large dresser-I’d be so proud of myself if I did those two diy projects. I really love the fabric, the gold lamp and vases, and the headboard. Everything just really meshes, in colors I love. Also, congratulations on having your “Thankful Tree” vignette featured on MSN Lifestyle. I was just cruising around the internet, looking at Thanksgiving decorating ideas and checked to see the source. It’s a great idea, and I can imagine my great nephew wanting to help with this. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. Kathy

  10. Hey I just realized I haven’t been receiving your posts in my inbox :(
    Love this transformation and the art you did too?? Amazing Kate!
    x
    Maria

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