Dorothy Draper created the España Bunching Chest in the 1950s at the behest of the Spanish government to elevate the profile of Spanish-style design. Originals are still around and, in fact, the dresser is still being made. But there are also many knockoffs and imitations around. Denise found this one which shares a similar repeating routed pattern to the original and made it her own.
The patterned fabric Denise chose evokes the Hollywood Regency style which Draper was known for and is much more elegant than what she began with.
Here's how she describes the project:
I purchased the chest at a local auction, not knowing it was inspired by a very famous piece of furniture, the Espana Chest, by Dorothy Draper. I used a lot of wood filler to fill up the holes, replaced some missing parts at the bottom, and after some really heavy priming, I painted the chest Antique White by Sherwin Williams. I applied fabric onto the drawers with Mod Podge and protected it with a few coats of polyurethane.
See more of Denise's project on her blog A Girl and a Brush.
Thanks Denise!
MORE DOROTHY DRAPER ON APARTMENT THERAPY:
• Style Icon: Dorothy Draper
• Before & After: From IKEA to Dorothy Draper
• Dorothy Draper Paint Chips from Benjamin Moore
(Images: A Girl and a Brush)
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My first thought was WOW...but...um...not in a good way.
I'm not sure it's grooving with the picture you hung over it.
Although I appreciate the work that went into this so I commend you for it.
Liked the original much better. Sorry.
I'm diggin' it. That gold-tone wood was kind of boring and fake-rustic. It's much more fun now. Good work!
Really folks? I think this took amazing vision. I would have walked right past the original piece thinking it unsavable. Great job personalizing this piece and making it modern!
wow, speechless and kind of blinded by the black and white pattern.
The true Espana Chest design is understated. This is so over the top it's hard to see the relationship. The "after" is kicky looking and well executed, but it's in another realm. Sort of Austin Powers.
I like both, but the before at least needed new pulls.
What is it with you people and white paint?
Change up the hardware, add some legs maybe, but just put the paintbrush DOWN.
I really like the "after" version and agree the original was clunky and faux rustic. If it were mine, I'd have gone with a solid color instead of the patterned fabric and pulls that matched the white paint, but I'm boring. Smart move putting casters on it and a lovely job with the painting and fabric application.
I think the white paint is a fantastic choice, but the fabric, not so much. The pulls visually blend into the fabric, and the white of the fabric doesn't match the white paint. If the owner does choose to change it up, though, it would be easy -- find some different fabric and maybe pulls, and only put a wee bit more time in. Other than sanding the poly, you could probably just put a different, contrasting fabric right on top.
But maybe this is exactly like she wants it, and either way I am in awe of the effort involved to get the dresser back into shape!!!
Not a fan. LOL
i don't like either one. sorry.
I liked it much better before. The wood was lovely and all it needed were new knobs/pulls and possibly some legs. Not a fan of the new look at all.
I do like how you hung that ugly painting over the dresser to draw at least some attention away from how ugly the dresser is... at least it was also ugly before.
Wow. It took guts and vision to reinvent a tired old chest this way. Enjoy it!
Might have been fun to imitate the original. Paint it black, use gold on the routed design.
love it i love how the patterns match the wood pattern as well
I usually disapprove of painted furniture, but this is a vast improvement.
Yikes.
From bad to worse...
Great work! Seems like your chest had people divided - love or hate.. That's always a good sign, your work stands out. :)
<3 Ida
It works. This convincingly channels the spirit of Dorothy Draper without being a slavish replication. It looks like something she would have eventually created.
Dorothy Draper was all about painting over wood, and she was an extremely influential and popular designer whose ideas still succeed today, so if you're one of those who complain "WHY would someone PAINT over WOOD?," then "Look at my hommage to Dorothy Draper" is the exact wrong place to play that broken record.
Niether before nor after are really my taste. That said, well done on creating something that you like. If I were to offer any suggestions for improving the level of quality (nothing to do with style, which is very subjective and personal), I would:
1. be more careful in cutting the fabric to fit the routed portions. It looks slanted in some instances. Either that, or choose a pattern that doesn't require as much attention to detail. The more geometric a print, the more careful you need to be.
2. align the pattern in the fabric from one panel to the next, horizontally and vertically
I loved the old wood, but the new version is very beautiful too, although I would to too attached to the gorgeous wood before to have the guts to do that! I think the new dresser looks almost like a delicious piece of chocolate from a fancy chocolate shop.
The after looks great.
I like both! :)
this person needs to see the before/after two posts down, the reclaimed curbside dresser. THAT is how one updates a dresser. this has mediocre lines & whatever was decent about it just got hidden in 1960's redux (not attractive the first time @, either).
All the commenters on this site seem to hate painting over wood of any kind, but I think it does have its place. The lines of this dresser seem more appropriate for being painted. Wood finish isn't always the best option, I think this dresser is much better suited to its "after" state. :)