I prefer the "before," particularly the original hardware. It would've been beautiful if refinished.

But I always admire anyone who puts the work into revamping a giant piece of furniture like dressers!

I appreciate the effort here, but I honestly prefer the before. I don't care for the new hardware, and you can clearly see the holes from the position of the old hardware.

Getting the clutter off the top of it is the best part.

The only thing that looks better "after" is the top. (But I also appreciate the effort.)

I don't think the Before even needed to be refinished. A deep cleaning, scratch filler and oiling probably would have really brought it back. If she wanted a change in hardware, handles in the original holes would be preferable, IMHO.

The legs were a great idea, though.

I prefer the before. The after looks like Ikea.

I'm surprised this made it on AT. I'm not dogging their hard work, but it's just not even close to the quality usually displayed here.
I really dig the dark wood next to the soft lilac but those new handles are so basic, the originals were fantastic and I'm willing to bet the legs were too. Agree with others on the handle holes. Those drawers look like veneer, they could pick up a repair kit at any home improvement store and really 'finish' it up.

I'll stick around for the first person who tells us we're all negative assholes for picking on their hard work and individual style.

I really like the new legs (it looks like the old version had no legs at all, it just sat on a recessed box; I hate that look), but the visible old holes from the handles are driving me a bit nuts!

Painting part of it but not covering up *all* the wood grain was a lovely idea. I do wish you couldn't see where the old hardware was, though...

I love it and much prefer the new version. :)

Much like the website redesign, I prefer the old version.

What Gruns said.

For me, the old hardware/handles has lot more character. The new ones are nondescript. Also from clicking through to the original blog, the dresser had those great tapered brass-capped MCM legs and have now been replaced with also very nondescript blocky legs.

Each to her own. If the new version of the dresser allows the owner to love it, more power to her.

Oh, there's always someone saying they prefer the "before." I love the new look, especially the new hardware and I think it looks fantastic and clean. Bravo!

Honestly, do you think this person would buy the revamped dresser if she found it at a garage sale? I am thinking only if she thought it had some potential.

The leftover hardware holes doom this makeover. Unacceptable. Fortunately, Jennifer can still save the day by adding a couple more identical knobs to fill in the holes. The drawers with four knobs will look fresh and unexpected without being freakish.

is it just me or does the commenting community on apartment therapy invariably prefer the before, offer a ...meh, and generally berate any and all projects up for discussion? with very little actual critique? i know i would never share my creative efforts on this site. just sayin...

The stuff on top the dresser is a lot better in the After pic, hiding all the containers in one cute box was a good idea. The dresser itself --I agree with Archdarling.

I have this same dresser! As Jen Chung said, it once had tapered legs with brass caps. While I don't care for the re-do - (you can see the old handle holes!) I myself have been thinking about fixing up the dresser - does anyone have suggestions on a better way to fix this one up? I've considered painting the original handles a fun color, they are kind of dingy and worn.

Meh from me, too.

The before was dated, the after is not much of an improvement. The lavender and dark wood combo is unsophisticated, the new knobs are boring, and the visible holes are sloppy work. But I like adding legs to the dresser to lift it off the ground.

I'm amazed at how mean these comments are. I will never understand why people feel the need to criticize someone else's work in such a cruel way. Maybe it's not your style, but that's no excuse to be rude.

@Bee for Brian: I like your idea of extra hardware!

I too like the "dark and dated" look better!

Kitschycad - if it were me doing a redo I'd follow the same painting pattern but use maybe a cream or light gray and get some nice brushed silver handles. I rather like the new legs but don't have much to compare them to based on the before picture. Just my $.02.

It's all about photo styling. I love the styling on the 'after'. Not everything can be perfect. At least you know she didn't Photoshop out the holes in the drawers.

ditto Gruns. But the new web design is beautiful in its own way, and clearly thought out. The dresser is a disaster.

The hardware was much better before.

I'm going against the grain here, but put me down for loving the after. I think it's much more modern looking and I always love a little color. The old was ok...but pretty boring and dated looking. You go Jennifer!!!

I don't think this project was really ready to share with the world. A set of furniture markers would help to hide the filled holes from the original hardware. While I liked the original, and don't really think it was dark or dated, I appreciate the modernization. The execution just seems lacking.

Hm... something does need to be done about the old holes. Isn't there colored wood filler? Obviously it wouldn't match the grain but it would be less conspicuous. Or it could be stained, right? I kind of like bee for brian's idea too.

I wonder if they'll do something with the old hardware.

ditto GRUNS!
: )

Ok, I'll try to be constructive here, maybe this piece can grow from some feedback. I can see how the piece felt heavy before, so propping it up on some legs was a good call. While that color isn't my favorite, I think the refinished wood looks great. Man, if you had just kept the hardware, this would have been really fabulous. I think part of the problem is the the round silver hardware just doesn't have a place on this piece, they are a rather dour and utilitarian design when the makeover you've done clearly is meant to be more playful/cheerful. Maybe brass handles? Something with more of an antique flair? Something colorful?

Some ideas:
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=21171871&catId=HOME-HARDWARE&pushId=HOME-HARDWARE&popId=HOME&navCount=322&color=060&isProduct=true&fromCategoryPage=true&isSubcategory=true&subCategoryId=HOME-HARDWARE-KNOBS

http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=873084&catId=HOME-HARDWARE&pushId=HOME-HARDWARE&popId=HOME&navCount=322&color=tel&isProduct=true&fromCategoryPage=true&isSubcategory=true&subCategoryId=HOME-HARDWARE-KNOBS

http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=870102&catId=HOME-HARDWARE&pushId=HOME-HARDWARE&popId=HOME&navCount=322&color=clr&isProduct=true&fromCategoryPage=true&isSubcategory=true&subCategoryId=HOME-HARDWARE-KNOBS

Also, plugging those holes shouldn't be too difficult. We patched our cabinets once when they chipped using some wood fill, it can be sanded over and re-stained fairly easily.

I have to agree that the before pic resonated more sophistication and relevance than the version you chose to create. (Said nicely) but I bet you didn't know how to showcase that piece or know where to properly use it. If you had placed the same accessories as those on the lilac dresser, I promise you would have appreciated the dresser in its original form, but oh well. It's a good reminder to always look at your pieces strategically before succumbing to unnecessary refurbishments.

I like that you raised the dresser legs.

I think it's great that Jennifer had the vision to redo this piece, but I think many of the comments are right, this isn't up to AT's usual standards. The "after" isn't my taste but if she likes it, that's all that matters. Regardless, those holes are terrible. I would never let that fly in my house, they are way too obvious. If I couldn't match the wood filler to the stain, I would paint the entire piece or perhaps paint the drawers & leave the tops/sides wood. I do like the base & raised legs which helps lighten the look of the piece.

I solely registered to comment on this post, even though I have been frequenting this website for so long.
For everyone who was rude and condescending- please keep your 'crappy' feedback to yourself. As for people who have really redone furniture- it is hard work.
And while you may not agree on they have done, or the colors/hardware they have chosen, this is THEIR prerogative. Don't impose your style/taste/choice on it. If Jennifer wanted your opinion, she would have asked for it. She is indeed asking for feedback. It is one thing to offer constructive criticism, another to be rude. Don't like it? Say so without being rude.
Personally- I would have gone with a different color- but that is my choice. What Jennifer has done is beautiful. I laud her for her hard work- and she should be proud of what she achieved- handle holes or not. She can easily fix that. I like her choice of colors and the hardware she chose. For me the after look definitely is much better. The before look looks like some 30 year old dorm furniture from Eastern Europe (my 0.02 cents, and you are welcome to bash me for it).
I am glad you changed it Jennifer- and keep up the good work!

RAJJU077 - She put it on a website with comments enabled. I believe that is asking for opinions.

I actually like the paint job - but the holes....oh why the holes??

yuk. do not like those holes from the original hardware. i liked the original hardware a lot better anyway. the color is nice but the hardware/holes...just no.

I can tell a lot of vision and hard work went into this piece. I like it.

And as a new reader, I would like to say that I can't believe how rude many are on this site. It's one thing to have a different opinion, but why not be kind in expressing it? It is possible to criticize while being decent.

@mjs7640, everythingistaken, color71, Noelle153, Nayala, Lem
If it weren't overwhelmingly obvious already, there were legs. Even if you can't see them in the "before" picture, the way the bottom back corner of the dresser "goes into" the wall should have made that apparent... o.O

This sort of hardware treatment always makes me think of nipples. I wonder if you can still open the drawers one-handed? Just a practical thought.

I like the after. I also dislike the unnecessary rudeness of many.

The copy says gray paint was used, but it does look purplish. Even the knobs look purple. Maybe it's just the photo? Even so, if it's a lavender-gray, it is a unique combination. I like that some of the wood was painted while some wasn't. I like it; it just needs a tweak---the holes in the drawers. I like Bee For Brian's suggestion of having 4 knobs on those drawers. It would definitely be more unique.

It's easy to say what you'd do but executing isn't as easy. I like the after better, though using the existing holes might have been easier.

I think the after is great looking and I appreciate the unusual technique of painting everything but the drawers. Very creative, and I don't have a problem with not using the original hardware holes at all.

I really like the after. I think it's so much better than the before. The holes from the previous hardware need to be touched up a little, but that's an easy fix. I like the legs, the grey/lavender paint, and the new hardware and it's placement. I think it looks much nicer. I think they managed to keep much of the MCM style, while still updating it so it's not so heavy, dark, and dated.

I think it's a little out of the "green" spirit to say that they should have sold the piece as-is and purchased a new piece. They took something they had that wasn't perfect for them and made it suit their style. If that's a crime now, then lock me up as well.

I'm a little disgusted by the attitudes of some of the commenters.

That said, I'm going to get ugly for a minute... The "before" version of the dresser looks exactly like the kind of ugly furniture all my trashy relatives have in their mobile homes (with fake wood paneling and dirty, brown shag carpeting) just because they're too lazy and lack enough good taste to ever try to spruce anything up.

Since I can't really see the vibe of Jennifer's place,, I'm trusting the after goes with or really pops in the overall decor.
I like it as a nicely done budget makeover.

If it had been Birdseye maple, or a stunning grain, I might mourn the loss of the edges, but, framing a knockout grain works.

Look at the top drawer in the after. It pops.
Homemade feet? Nice.

Ikea style? Not really. (but that is the AT way of saying white trash, isn't it?)
It does ring some Danish/Scandinavian bells for me, but not in a mass produced way, and from what is likely a mass production item. Money was tight in the 70s.

I think it has a fun edge and is a nice piece.

I greatly prefer the before, just to be clear about it, but sometimes you just want a solidly constructed base to alter into something that fits your actual aesthetics, rather than a particleboard piece of crap not worth investing your time in. The handles and the feet still exist, in any case, so there's no real loss unless they tossed them in the trash. (Which they didn't... surely?)

I don't know how I feel about this - on the one hand, good on her for taking action with something she was unhappy about or unsatisfied with.

On the other hand, this IS shared on a VERY high-traffic blog where the readers really value quality and design, and I have to agree that this particular re-do lacks a little of both.

I can't tell if it's actually a decent piece of furniture, but if it IS solid I agree with some of the previous commenters that the re-do doesn't do justice to the great bones of the piece (especially the obvious neglect in regard to the holes in the front - NOT the mark of an "inspired" transformation). If it was a cheap-o particle-board job, then there's nothing really lost here.

There's nothing rude in thinking that this is something of an underwhelming re-do, especially when the first photo is NOTHING like the quality of the photo in the final product; clearly, it's been dressed up and made to look nice for the second while the first looks like a quick-shot-of-my-bedroom-walkby-shooting deal.

For myself, I don't think this particular application of a coat of paint was all that impressive - visually, it's more interesting than before, but those holes are AWFUL and make it look unfinished, the knobs and new feet are really boring (although lifting it off the ground was a good idea IMO), and the color leaves a little to be desired. I'd like to see this piece when it's REALLY finished.

I give credit for the effort. I tried something similar.....didn't love before or after. Fortunately dressers don't really get noticed much.

This appears to have been a high-quality, solid wood mid-century dresser. It's a shame to see it altered to look so generic. An alternative project might have been to clean the wood and maybe apply a satin varnish to renew the finish. They definitely should have reinstalled the original hardware. Maybe as a finishing touch, add a piece of glass to protect the top. Presto, easy.

I came back to revisit this post, to see how it was doing, and I've decided that not only do I like the after, I love it. I could totally see this in my own house.

The before looks cheap, boxy, dark, heavy, outdated, and awful. The after, to me, looks like something from a magazine. It's such a creative, nice, economical fix. I can't believe more people aren't eating this up.

All you people who are so offended by the holes in the dresser - instead of thinking that she left holes, imagine that after, after repainting, she had the drawers professionally distressed - - just a little. There! Now, do you feel better about it?