You may have seen this dresser in this post, where I shared some of the unfinished projects that are waiting to be reinvented. My dad went and picked it up for me last week.
Antique or older dressers have style and character that you rarely find in newer pieces. When they are freshened up with new paint, it brings them into the current era without getting rid of the style that makes them unique. For this dresser I used a grey to give it a new look.
I sanded the whole piece down, and gave it two coats of Sherwin Williams Stone Mason. There was one spot on the top where a thin layer of wood was missing. It was not veneer, that was already gone. When I painted the top, that area bubbles, and I knew I had to figure something else out for the top.
Wallpaper? Wasn’t going to go buy any. Wrapping paper? It would probably bubble. Map? (like I did on this dresser) The map and the map colors would not go with the style. I was at a standstill. The dresser sat for about a week, then my mom got some paintable wallpaper from goodwill. Problem solved!
The wallpaper was white to begin with, and has an embossed leaf pattern. Here is a piece of it before it was painted and on the dresser.
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I cut the wallpaper and adhered it to the top of the dresser I let it dry overnight, then in the morning gave it two coats of paint. I made sure to paint in both directions so there was no white showing through.
What do you think of the wallpaper on top? I like the way it turned out and know I will be using paintable wallpaper again. Hopefully soon! There is still a good sized roll left 🙂
I am a new follower, and your neighbor in Snohomish County! My daughter told me about your blog, and I am just floored at what you are doing! In fact my daughter said that the piece of furniture you showed in the back of your car on a recent post..she passed it up, and then was ticked that she did!
Come visit my blog The Pink Geranium, and you should link up with some of the Linky parties, as your blog really needs more exposure, you are really good at what you do!
Love the wallpaper idea, brillant!
Jan in Snohomish
PS, You may want to turn off your word verification to get more comments, that is what many bloggers suggest.
Jan,
Thanks! I am glad you like the dresser, I am happy with the way it turned out. I did turn off the word verification. Thanks for the suggestion. I will be sure to check out your blog and try to link up!
LOVE this!! The paintable wallpaper has me actually thinking about painting my walls…
Reeves,
Another beautiful rescue! I love the wallpaper idea. A very clever way to fix the top of the dresser. Looking forward to more of your posts.
LOVE this idea – it's brilliant! I'm totally inspired 🙂 I've passed up a few pieces because I didn't think I could repair the top, but this is perfect! It looks amazing – you did such a beautiful job 🙂
so pretty! love the color you used, and the wallpaper is a great idea!
Workmanship is top drawer……!
Was thinking you lived in the east, as I have or have had some of the same pieces you have liberated from their sad situations.
I'd love you have Your Re-store. LOL
Keep up the great work. Jan is right, more exposure is called for.
fabulous job its looks amazing now
This looks great! If you want to see my wallpaper dresser come take a look at http://libler.blogspot.ca/2012/11/i-guess-sometimes-it-is-easy-being.html I'd love to know what you think.
Faye
Ooo! it's so pretty! and your are so right about older furniture having a character that you just can't find in the new… You also have more room for your clothing in the older dressers
Very pretty! Nice Job!
Very pretty! Love the added texture.
What a great idea!! Looks very nice!
What a genius idea, thank you so much for sharing this! The texture is definitely a nice little surprise too.
~Katie
As a designer, I am always looking for new ideas to inspire me and the use of this anaglypta wallpaper on top of a dresser is brilliant. I plan on redoing my desk in my office which has a thick piece of glass on top. The anaglypta wallpaper on top of the desk will be a key feature, plus will be protected by the glass.
I’m getting ready to use some on the drawer fronts of a used nightstand that I’m refinishing in my guest bedroom and I’ll have enough left over for the desk.
Thanks for this great idea. As a designer friend said to me years ago, “do we really get our ideas from thin air?” Well, we got into the business because we do get good ideas, but it sure doesn’t hurt to see what others come up with. I think everyone on Pinterest who contributes ideas are great designers in their own right. No college degree needed. Bravo to you.
Can you please tell me where you got this paper? I have been trying to find it for about a year now. I covered my living room and dining room crown molding with it (up by the ceiling), painted it with a clear satin paint, which causes the stop/start lines to disappear and causes the leaves to cast their own shadows in the light. Very noticeable. A beautiful simple but elegant touch. Please Help. I don’t want to get a substitute.