Isn't it gorgeous?!?! Solid wood top. Solid wood curved drawers. Pretty handles. Just lovely.
Lets talk about handles for a minutes. Looking at these handles one would think they will have to be painted to be salvaged but if you ever come across a solid wood, quality old dresser like this, there is a good chance the handles are solid brass. To check use a magnet from your refridgerator. Brass is non magnetic so if your magnet does not stick to the handle, it might be solid brass. I use Brasso to polish brass. If just wiping the handles with Brasso doesn't help try paint stripper on them or some other paint remover. A lot of times the handles have been clear coated or painted in the past so that has to be stripped off before polishing will work. These handles looked kind of gross up close.
Years of tarnish had covered up everything shiny and pretty about them. After I confirmed they were not magnetic I was positive they were solid brass. I stripped the clear coat off then polished them and this is the end result.
Can you believe?! They are so beautiful! So glad I know how to identify brass and I didn't paint them!
Now on to the rest of the makeover. The dresser went from having beautiful shape and curves with blah paint and yucky handles to looking glamorous and rich. I LOVE IT! More importantly though, my client loves it which makes me extremely happy. Here are the after photos:
So pretty! I love makeovers like this. I love bringing pieces like this back to life. Hopefully it will be a treasured piece for a long time.
This dresser is simply stunning and I can't imagine a more perfect color combo for it. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteLOVE LOVE LOVE and the color is amazing! sharing on FB now. Thanks so much for linking up to support Habitat
ReplyDeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteIt looks great! I don't typically like brass but this looks awesome.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I am not really a brass person either (neither was the client) but when we saw how beautiful they were, there was no way I could cover them in paint. Plus the colors on the dresser were already chosen and the brass really complimented them. It was just meant to be.
DeleteWow! You did an incredible job! I love the wood stained top!
ReplyDeleteJen
Love the dresser. You did an amazing job. I would never have believed the handles were solid brass underneath. I purchased a chest and two night stands very similar to these, if not exactly like it. Would you mind telling the colors you painted it and the process? I would really appreciate kink nosing how you did it. Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi. Unfortunately, I don't remember the colors. Its been a while since I did this dresser. I am pretty sure the blue is Bird's Egg by Benjamin Moore but I don't remember the cream color. Sorry.
DeleteSimply gorgeous! And I did not know that about brass.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous!!!! I redid a dresser just like this one! I'm deffinatly pinning this one!!!! Thanks for sharing in DIY Sunday showcase!
ReplyDeleteShelly minettesmaze.blogspot.com
You can find dressers like this at MANY garage sales in the St. George, Utah area. That is a LOOOOOONG way from Southern Texas, I know. But now you know too.
ReplyDeleteThe little bit of contrast around each drawer adds to the appeal. At first I didn't notice it on the before picture until I went back and checked. Did you do anything special to keep that, or did it just happen?
ReplyDeleteHi, Loretta. I made the contrast happen. The client wanted blue but nothing super bright. So I painted them blue and used a glaze to tone them down. Each drawer has a lip around the edge and I kept the glaze heavy in the lip. Thanks for visiting.
DeleteI found a dresser that looks almost exactly like this one. I love the handles and how the top looks.
ReplyDeleteThanks! This is one of my favorite makeovers. Thanks for visiting.
DeleteVery nice design of your furniture
ReplyDeleteThis is the best reference sources that I was looking for
I hope to get a lot of new ideas from you
Thank you Furniture Jepara