I am fairly certain that if I drove by this dresser on trash day in my neighborhood, I would have kept on going. Sure it is an interesting size and has nice lines, but the utterly awful painted finish would have had me imagining all types of other things that would undoubtedly be wrong with it, not to mention the hours of labor involved in stripping it. I am happy to report that there are people out there who are much more motivated and optimistic than myself, and that they did stop and pick up this dresser, and it is now absolutely beautiful.
What a showpiece! Cristin from Eve of Reduction is obviously not afraid to take her time and do things right. She and her helpful family decided that this dresser was way beyond a new topcoat and stripped off each layer of paint--all seven of them! She then sanded it silky smooth, using progressively higher grits all the way up to 600. Then, instead of rushing to finish the blank canvas before her, she researched online for a few days for the perfect color scheme, and decided on a very handsome paint/stain combination. Well done, indeed.
While we commend Cristin and her family's dedication and hard work, remember that if you are inspired to tackle a similar project, please do so safely. A dresser this old with that much paint on it is bound to contain lead, so be sure to educate yourself on how to remove it safely. If you are nervous or unsure, consider hiring a certified professional to remove the paint.
• See more: Eve of Reduction
(Images: Eve of Reduction)
The Ultimate Used Furniture Cleaning Kit
Ana Creates a Community at Home
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Z2 iPod Dock and Wi...
How To Cook Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa
Recipe: Spring Fruit and Nut Tabouli
What an amazing transformation!
This IS nice, & sophisticated looking; helped by not going overboard with pink.
nice job, glad it didn't go to waste
Unbelievable, in a very good way.
Gorgeous!!
Extraordinary!
Zoinks!
oooh la la! :)
I love it. Even the painted accents. I am almost done refinishing a secretary desk that didn't look quite that bad but very close. It is very time consuming but thrilling to find a beautiful wood piece under all that paint.
Wow, amazing to find something like that, that has enough real wood (vs. veneer) to finish in such a lovely way. If the old owner could see it, I bet they'd kick themselves!
So lovely, especially the paint trim that's almost hiding.
Seriously wow!
I deeply regret driving past abandoned furniture after seeing this. Stunning!
Phenomenal job!!! Beautiful....
That is beautiful!
Oh my!
How beautiful! I hadn't even noticed the routed design on the bottom drawer in the before photo. Well done-- you've brought an old piece of furniture back to life.
Wow. I'm amazed that this was lurking underneath so much grime. Stunning work.
Funny how it seems to be trending back to taking paint off to find the wood. Seems like not long ago it was the other way around.
Beautifully done!!
Wow! Gorgeous!
Holy crap.
Seven layers of paint, man. I am picturing you sanding and sanding, finally getting through what you thought was that last layer, and then..."oh my god, there's another one."
jaw-droppingly stunning.
Great work!
Beautiful job!
This is so "just right".
That's amazing! I wouldn't have touched that thing. Kudos to Cristin for turning a monster into a thing of beauty.
HOLY MOOLY...WOW WEE...ONE OF THE BEST TRANSFERMATIONS EVER!
Amazing! I love that they stained it. I hate it when beautiful wood lines are covered up by paint...
Holy cow, this is awesome! This is an example of stain and paint working together in beautiful harmony on a redone piece.
Wow, stunning!
Absolutely stunning and a hell of a lot of work went into that! Great job!
I see the tide is changing online on DIY blogs, in that instead of painting furniture, the opposite is occurring more and more often. Or even just accent colors/stains on an item to bring out the natural wood features vs going at it with a can of Krylon.
Very subtle and sophisticated!
Ok, that was literally a jaw-dropper for me, great job!
That is a gorgeous makeover! Love the paint/stain combo.
Yes! Well done. I bet this took ages
Holy crap, that is awesome!
That is so gorgeous! What a great eye.
beautiful
Transformations like this (which, by the way, I would never do properly, being too lazy) are the sort of thing that gets me into "too many project" land. Watch, I will see a similar piece at the flea market for $5 and have to force myself to pass it up because I WILL NOT actually follow through and do the work, no matter how much I think I might!!! ;^)
It's a keeper for a long time...quality workmanship..here is a thought ..I have done this idea myself,which gives another level of ownership. Take out one of drawers,, tape before/ after pic. on the BOTTOM side and Write your own personal story of redoing this piece. Fun and nostalgia ... Write INSIDE the same the drawer "read on bottom" If this furniture ever leaves your posession,be sure to point out this line of ownership to them. They will want to add the 2nd chapter to the story. I got this idea from my uncle,being a woodcrafter,he "signs" every piece after it is finished.
Thank you for all the compliments! It took my son and me 8 days to transform this dresser and it was so worth it. We will enjoy it for a really long time. I love the idea of adding the before pic to a drawer. I have not done that. I do sign all my furniture projects because I consider them my art.
Richard, thank you for sharing my work with the gracious AT audience.
It is gorgeous.
Fancy, I like.
I can't believe what I'm seeing
Wow. Beautiful. I am amazed at your patience. I would have given up after the third coat of paint!
Quite elegant and chic. Well done.
I totally expected to see a coat of paint slapped on that dresser. Refinishing furniture takes a lot of time and effort. It's been done beautifully.
Wow. If I could do work like that, I'd quit my day job!! It is stunning!
Omg....gobsmacked. What a treasure!!
*faints* Gorgeous!
Amazing job!
One of the best transformations I've ever seen. The contrast of painted trim ( can I assume that the painted trim saved sanding those thin surfaces?)and the gorgeous wood is remarkably stunning. Can't beat the combo of creative vision, determination and hard work.
Wow, amazing before and after - love the combo of paint and stain!
daaaaaaaaamn.
Holy shit! wow kazzaam! well. I guess behind all magic is dedication, love, talent and hard work!
I can hardly believe it's the same dresser. Beautiful!
WOW... very high quality finish..i thought it would end up more rustic as many of these refurbs tend to be but this is special...great job!
FINALLY a Before & After where NOBODY could ever possibly say they liked the 'before' better. Well done!
ditto. It's amazing.
I wish my neighbors threw away good stuff like this.
And I second the holy craps!
This is going to keep me up nights wishing I had this kind of eye and talent. Incredible!
Thats just fantastic.
Beautiful restoration! I've always wondered how you figure out whether a curbside dresser with 7 coats of paint is worth saving underneath it all??
Whoa baby! That is awesome!
Absolutely beautiful. What a wise eye to recognize the beauty within. I can't help but wonder if you could find drawer pulls that pick up on the white that would just make it all tie together. The ones you have seem right if you hadn't done the white, but the white screams for something a bit more playful, in my opinion.