Last weekend I picked up this old, beat up high boy dresser. It was owned by an old man who said he used it as a child, so he knew it was at least 70 years old. On the back it was stamped Stix, Baer & Fuller Dry Goods Co. I hadn’t ever heard of them, but he explained to me that they were the main department store chain in St Louis from before 1900 to mid 80s. I love old people! Seriously! They are society’s gems, I’m tellin ya! Anyway, we had a good chat, and he helped me load this girl up:
She had some nicks and scuffs, but her bones were good and her curves were (are) classy.
So, I got started on repairing her major flaws (the drawer chunk missing a few other deep gouges) with some wood filler. A little time consuming, but worth it. I told myself I’d take it slow and work on her about a week. Well, as per usual, I got excited while I worked on her and two days later and here I am, ready to show her off! 😉
I used Annie Sloan Country Gray (which is actually a sort of taupe-y color) and distressed her much more than I usually do for furniture pieces. But that was for good reason. I felt if I tried to make her look too perfect with minimal distressing, it wouldn’t be real. Someone would look up close and see imperfections. So rather than cover them ALL up, I showed them off a little, but not too much. I waxed with Annie Sloan Clear Wax, and the top got 3 coats!
The top two drawers had some beautiful woodwork (that I also had to repair!) and I thought it would be fun to highlight them with Old White Chalk Paint.
I ADORE a dresser with keyholes! Even without a key, it just looks so sneaky!! 😉 I repainted the pulls with Rustoleum’s Oil Rubbed Bronze and they are just perfect!
Not bad repair job, eh?
I also put a little of that Old White in the grooves on the sides. She needed a little more Old White to coordinate with the scrolls on the drawers.
Side by side before and after:
So pretty, wonderful work.
Anne
Thanks, Anne. Come back soon!
That is stunning! Thank goodness you saw past it’s flaws. I really dislike painting furniture myself, so I can appreciate the hard work that goes into restoring such a fabulous piece and doing such a good job of it!
p.s. I hope you will consider removing the captcha validation in order to leave a comment; most people will not bother if they see it.
Thanks for the feedback! I totally forgot to remove the word verification thing so I just disabled it! Thanks!
Love it! Newest follower. 🙂
Thanks and welcome!
Thanks and welcome !!
These are all amazing, I feel like rushing out to get some paint now as my head is brimming with ideas for upcycling my mums old furniture. Sadly she passed away in August and I am still not able to part with her things, maybe if I re paint them I could then give them a new lease of life and a new home. Sadly I only have a small cottage and just no room for them all. There is one peice I want to keep though, a nest of three tables which are dark mahogany and I plan to paint them black then with gold over and rub some away, no idea how to do this but I saw a set in an interior design image and they looked fabulous…I guess it just takes time and patience.
Lee 🙂