The tagline for Julia's blog and furniture design business is "from ugly ducklings to beautiful swans", an accurate description for the transformation she achieved with this battered Craigslist find. Purchased from a family that just didn't have the space to hang onto grandma's dresser any longer, this piece was crying out for a little TLC. Julia could tell the sellers were reluctant to see this sentimental item go, especially given their relief when she indicated she did not intend to paint it.
Instead, Julia decided to create a striking ombre effect using wood stain. The beautiful lines of the wood grain shine through this new treatment, while the ombre effect pulls this vintage dresser into the modern age. Julia sold this piece to another family rather than keeping it for her home, but not before sending a picture of her work to the seller who was delighted to see an updated treatment that she believed her eclectic grandma would have enjoyed.
This use of wood stain to create an ombre effect is a great option for DIYers looking to spice up an old wooden piece without sacrificing the wood tones that they love. For more pictures of this transformation, check out 551 East Furniture Design: Ombre Stained Dresser.
Images: Julia of 551 East Furniture Design.
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LIKE!
Very unique! I like it! And look, it's not painted! ;-)
Gorgeous! I love it!
Genius! I really love it
Huh, I like it! I really like it.
very cool! (though those ring pulls can't do anything but make me think of pierced nipples....)
Really lovely overhaul!!! Love how you maintained the integrity of the wood ;)
Really interesting idea. I think it just misses the mark somehow - possibly the handles should have been retained/the same over the whole piece? If the handles were consistent, the only point of difference would be the ombre effect, which is certainly striking.
The workmanship is fantastic. I just don't like the way it looks for a residential setting. It looks like a sampler of finishes and pulls at the front entrance of a furniture store.
@jsev - I, too, immediately thought of nipple rings
Nice!! I have the same old dresser with identical hardware from my childhood!! Alas, it is painted...
@jsev -exactly what I was thinking
Don't like the circles. Not sure about the rest, but it was a nice job and an improvement.
Lilke it!
By putting double nipple rings on those top drawers it just looks like you had to fill the holes from old drawer pulls (which honestly looked more interesting anyways). Not to be a total jerk, but I also agree that all the stains make it look like samples for a store.
The idea of the stain is kind of cool and different, but both types of pulls seem like odd choices for this piece.
elegant, interesting, and imaginative...well done
Ooohhh, I like it a lot. Very nice job.
Pretty interesting, but consider removing the "nipple rings" - They're distracting. With all the different stains, similar handles on the top drawers would add some cohesiveness & polish.
Thank you for not painting it! I like it but agree with the nipple ring commenters.
Too many finishes. Should have maybe alternated between two, or stained the small drawers with a different tone than the larger drawers...
Well dang. Not sure why, but it just doesn't work for me. But it's nicely done.
So glad I'm not the only one who thought of nipple rings. :)
GASP!
Very nicely done. Congrats. Love the graduated wood tones.
Is it me, or do we do LOTS of dresser make overs on this site?
LOVE the ombre effect. Not into the rings though. I agree that they should have been left the same as the rest of the drawers so that you can focus more on the color changes.
ugh, ruined
looks like a bad elementary school project
Adore it.
To be honest, maybe I just have a very different taste than Julia, but I think it looks pretty horrible. It is well executed, though.
Impressive. I like the multi-colored wood finishes.
@jsev - I immediately thought of pierced nipples, too.
Fantastic work!
Lovely piece...REFRESHING!
I love it!
(agree about the nipples)
Incredible consensus on the nipple rings :)
i gotta say i'm not lovin it.. nicely executed but there's just too much going on with the different finishes and drawer pulls. i agree with LittleMissSunshine that it looks more like a sampler of finishes at a furniture showroom
Individually this might appear like a sampler (as indicated), but what if there were a companion piece? Would a set of bedside tables refinished in this fashion pull the look together? I'd do matching handles as well. Great effort!
first thought??? NIPPLE RINGS!!
It's a little... messy for my taste, all the different color contrasts clash, and I can't help but see it as sort of like a jigsaw puzzle, it looks like someone pulled drawers out of 4 different dressers and tried to make it work. The fact that the rest of the dresser doesn't match ANY of the drawers makes it even worse... The non-matching hardware from 2 different eras tear the look apart even further...sorry, NO.
I love the idea of different wood stains and definitely do not think it looks like a color sample in a hardware store!
However, I passionately hate the new hardware. What was so wrong with the old iron work? The original pulls had character, but unfortunately the replacements scream "mass-produced for Home Depot" and "piercings I regret getting while drunk."
Thank god you didn't paint it. I don't mind the look of painted dressers et al, its just I'm so. sick. of seeing the before and afters. This is at least original, and I'm sure in the right space (something slightly craftsman-y perhaps?) it would be pretty cool.
nicely done and not the usual makeover.
It's interesting, but the new handles distract, so it's hard to say, like having a plus in one column, a minus in the other, so you net zero... or even a negative, sorry :( . Plus now you need two hands to open the upper drawers. The scale of the hardware is just wrong for the piece.
I'd be curious to see the dresser with the original hardware.
Great makeover. The "fab" in the title had me imagining one of those ghastly redo's with tacky patterned wallpaper or screaming pastels, but this one is understated yet thoroughly refreshing.
Also, I am RELIEVED I am not the only one to immediately think "Nipple rings!" Keep them, though. They add character.
I like the overall effect, but not the hardware. Another vote for nipple rings! :)
Totally badass. I love.
Yep. Nipple rings.
NIPPLE RINGS!
Pretty.. my husband and I refinish all of our furniture buys .. this dresser looks great!
Looks great! The only thing I don't like is the little rings on the top drawer.
Adorable.
@Jsev ME TOO! Nipple rings! Maybe that's what made someone buy it, though ;)
love the treatment...hate the nipple rings! great idea!
Misses the mark because of the handles. Awkward rings. The handles might have made all the difference.
This is a cool idea, but I also don't like the "nipple rings" and I think the contrast between the bottom stain and the top is too much. Plus, the stain on the first large drawer is too red. I think this would look fab if the drawers each had the same stain, but a shade or two darker going down, rather than different stains which does, like others have said, look like samples.
Freud would have a field day with this dresser.
looks fabulous !
I was afraid you were going to paint it white. Looks great. lots of storage.