interesting that her name is tiffany. the color reminds me of the tiffany co. color.

Cute! I love that blue.

What a great way to repurpose an obsolete piece of furniture!

Ooof. I'm all for painting wood but that color doesn't lend itself to the rustic shape very well. There are a lot of blues with subtle undertones that would have worked much better - that one is a little garish.

I thought tangerine tango was supposed to be the new turquoise?

I think it looks great. I love the way bright modern colors look on rustic antique pieces. Also, I love the door--I imagine it will help keep things tidier looking than they would on open shelves once the little one is mobile.

The before was a wonderful antique -- the after is someone's future paint-stripping project. Sorry, but I can't love this.

I definitely have to see this in the context of the room.

When you're done with it as a changing table, it will make a great play kitchen for your little one.

The painted-over hinges and wood showing through around the edges of the paint looks sloppy. I could be mistaken, but I don't see much evidence of sanding, primer, or time spent in a piece of furniture you will put your naked baby on over and over again. While I'm going to avoid the pros and cons of the aesthetics of painting over antique finished wood, I'm not going to avoid saying that this looks like something I would have done in college while I was drinking. Sorry, I don't dig it.

I agree with FifthPocket. That color doesn't work well with the piece. It might work better if she removed the door and hung fabric in a coordinating cheerful print to replace the door.
It's the construction of the door, its hinges, and its fastener that scream "I'm Rustic, even though you painted me bright blue!"
A fabric curtain might make the piece more practical, too, because changing babies often includes one-handed maneuvers such as reaching down into the cabinet for lotion while you steady the baby with the other. A curtain makes this a little bit easier than a door, and, when you're caring for an infant, every little bit helps.

I agree with some of the others; I want to like it, but something just isn't hitting the eye right.

I just read the link, and yes, sanding is the worst part -- because it's important, and regardless of the picture of the can of primer on the how-to-page, this looks rough to me. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but I expect AT to have higher standard for a before and safer.

Ugh. Where to start? This is grrrross. The hinges painted over? Really??? This looks sloppy, the colour is barf, it could have been done so pretty. But it wasn't. Also I do enjoy a good painted piece but this piece did not get the respect it deserved and the before shot is way better. I'm disappointed with AT posts lately, and this is a prime example. Why highlight shoddy work? Yech.

Ok I just read the link and she didn't sand it at all!! Sigh.

I like the color on the inside of the changeing table area best. Although I bet its all the same shade?? I would get some funky cool contact paper and cover the door. Also get some wood filler to fill in the gaps then this would be picture perfect. If your like me and did not want to put a ton of work into something your only going to use for a yr or till they are potty trained this is great updo to a peice of fruniture i would have walked right past. I too feel it needs something but just cant place my finger on it? Gloss or a more vivid color. The color comes across as chalky??? But the shade on the inside changing portion seems on!?!

I think when the next owner strips this down and refinishes it, they will have made a gorgeous find.

My goodness! Some of the comments. . . this piece clearly is PERFECT as a changing table. Bravo for seeing it and putting it to use.

I agree that this piece makes a great changing table, but it looked MUCH better before, and honestly, much less rustic. She turned antique into shabby sad. I agree with the comments about the sloppy finish and the future stripping project.

Love it! It was too heavy looking before! Great color choice!

Why do people comment when they only have negative things to say? I don't understand that! You don't like it? Move to the next page!?

I'm very sad for that piece of furniture. It was a beautiful piece and could have been a real stunner, had the project been properly thought out and executed. While the colour is very nice, this project is a no-go for me.

Well said, Jessica604, if you don't like what you see, move to the next page. Don't bother to stop and write a comment unless you have something constructive to say.

Yipes. Some people have gone beyond constructive criticism to... Just plain mean.

I think it is a wonderful reuse and clearly perfectly suited as a changing table! I personally think it looks much better than it did before.

If we don't comment when a post is not up to par with the quality we expect from AT, this website will lose its audience.

It's a great re-purpose in theory, but it should have been executed with more care. Poor refinishing is no less wasteful than buying new. Painted hinges? Really? Come on.

Love the bold hue and instant charm. Also, loving the little yellow knob. Too cute!

great reuse! I like it, painted hinges and all:)

Wow! I think it looks great. Definitely shabby chic (the painted hardware adds to that feel.) The piece did not seem to be a precious antique before, but rather a knock off like mentioned in the original blog post, made of basic pine.

For someone that did not have the experience of restoring furniture, and was even a bit afraid of painting, the project came out beautifully. I've never heard of the product mentioned that allows you to skip sanding, but it seems perfect for those of us with little time and experience but with the desire to paint up a terrific find (and doing it all while working around a baby bump!)

It seems to fit in the nook like it was made to order. I think after getting that nice gloss coat it will be perfect as a changing table, easy to wipe clean after the inevitable messes that will occur. Beautiful fabric choice on the pad. I like the idea of removing the door and adding a matching curtain, but I don't think it is absolutely necessary, after all, one hand can open a door just as easily as pushing back a curtain. The wooden latch may come in handy a year from now when you have a little explorer on your hands.

Jeez. Maybe she was heavily pregnant and just fancied throwing up that day instead of sanding till her hands were sore. Maybe she rather likes the way it looks and wouldn't have put it on the internet if she wasn't happy with it. Maybe she thought if she'd replaced the door with the curtain she'd have had a bunch of people saying she'd 'destroyed the integrity of an antique blah blah'. Maybe sometimes pregnant people should just give up and go to IKEA.

Anyway for what it's worth I love the table, colour, door, doorknob and fabric and I'm having the baby won't be all that fussed about .... painted hinges (gasp).

I love it - in concept and in execution. (I see painted hinges on distressed pieces like this all the time, I'm not even sure what alternative people think would make more sense.)
I bet her little girl will love it too. Mine would.

I think I would have done it with milk paint and distressed it to go full-on country, but it is cute as is and will make a fantastic change table. I like to see an unloved piece of furniture given new life!

Great way to reuse that piece of furniture, but it looked prettier before. Agree with the others - it would have been nice if the wood had been refinished, or if this whole redo had been better executed in general. Great for a beginner, but not post-worthy.

I agree with the people who think this is tragic

OMG. This is the worst! I agree with others: painting over the hinges?? And not painting the inside of the door so you can see the brown peeking through. Sorry to be harsh, but this is so bad, it really looks like a Before pic instead of an After one. Yikes!!!!

Ya know folks, the very essence of diy is pure inspiration. And the vision and creativity employed here are purely inspiring (whether one personally likes the finished piece or not). This is a wonderful repurpose. The paint & fabric choices are sure to cheer any lucky baby's nursery plus bring a smile to any visitors :)

Pausing here to recall my first furniture+paint diy project (more yrs ago than I care to count) and to thank God for the encouragement I recieved from seasoned diy-er's. I shudder to think of the fun - and yes, sheer joy - I would have missed had I fallen prey to all the negative comments. Not to mention, my home would be a lot more dull :)

@Tiffany: absolutely adoreable. You go girl!

LOVE IT!!
Can't wait to see what else you salvage :-)

Wow, these comments are really snarky and mean. Being mean is neither clever nor creative.

The woman was pregnant, thought it would be a fun project for her new bundle of joy and took a stab at it. . .if you don't like painted hinges, use your talents to say so in a constructive and kind manner. In a fit of preggo induced nesting, I've certainly took on projects that were pretty ambitious and made a few mistakes along the way. And, I think it's silly for people who don't like the outcome to say it is the "the worst" or "tragic" or "gross"-- Really? Seriously?

And, I love the yellow knob!

There needs to a be a seperate section on apartment therapy for the featuring of "crap I spray painted."

Maybe it comes from growing up in a poor area, but I know crappy pine furniture when I see it. Believe me, guys, she reaaaaally didn't hurt a valuable antique here. I'm usually in the keep wood crowd, but Ratty old pine isn't so nice looking when it's up close and personal.

I think it's a very sweet quick fix, and much better suited to a baby's room than the before. :) looks like she has enough room to scoot the changing pad over and keep some lotion and a thin wipes box on top- I would definitely recommend that.

As for the hinges - they look like super cheap hinges, just like the rest of the original material. Probably not worth stripping. Personally, I'd ditch them if I cared about how they looked and just buy a cuter, larger pair, something as cute as the knob. :)

I have to agree with those that think the "after" isn't much of a triumph... although "tragic" might be a bit harsh. The washstand may not have been a super valuable antique with a patina worth saving, but at least it was kind of sweet and rustic. Now it's just Big Blue. Not everything has to be painted a bright color to be repurposed.

It's not a formal living room coffee table- it's a changing table- you know, one you eventually grow out of, one your kid poops on- does it really need to be done perfectly with the hinges showing still in their original color? I'm sure the baby will like this bright colored piece much better than what it was before.

Nooooooo!
All it needed was a clean up and a colorful changing pad. That shade of blue has no nuance. Am I crazy? I hate to be critical but we all make mistakes. This is one.

I think this is brilliant reuse of an obsolete piece of furniture.

But the execution is pretty poor and I wish AT would be a little more thoughtful about what it is willing to post. This is a *design* blog and should post good design.

I never can tell if there really so little out there on the interwebs for the staff to pull or if these posts are designed to elicit comment.

This is not an antique, it's just a cheap little stand made to represent one (can't even say it's a reproduction)...charming to some, but dated to others. If it were actually antique, this would be a major mistake. I too think painting the hinges was a mistake (an idea that probably seemed better before you saw the final product), but you can easily strip the paint off of the hinges and paint them another color or keep them original.

@jessica604 and Dulcibella - People have every right to comment when they don't love something. Nobody that I saw said anything offensive or even mean. Take your own advice and if you don't like a non praising comment someone left, just move along. You guys are not the sunshine police.

I forgot to mention I think the idea of turning it into a changing table is great.

Pretty sure that wasn't an antique, just a reproduction. So I say, do with it as you like! (Although I would have wished for the hinges to not be painted. Still, I have seen repro furniture which had hinges that are sort of stapled into the wood, and can't really BE removed...)

The paint job and the sad yellow knob highlight how cheap this now looks.

To each his own, as my parents say. If they love it, great. But as a mother, all I can think of is that these things are about table height at best, and that is one major backache in the making - bending that low to change a baby multiple times a day. Ugh. Not a good use of the piece. If there were a way to add height, then maybe it could work, aesthetics aside.

Hello! It would behoove all of you [who posted nasty comments] to do your homework so you might appropriately RESPOND rather than REACT.

Better to keep one's mouth shut & be thought a fool rather than open it and remove all doubt.

Truly...I'm embarassed FOR you.

i would have never thought to do this . . . super cute colors and way more than i would ever attempt to accomplish while pregnant.

but REALLY? evidently AT is not only a place to discover design/decor inspiration but also to read catty comments. sheesh, if you don't like it, stop reading and try to be a little less mean.

yeah, she ain't pretty, but neither is changing a baby.

Is it actually an antique? It looks like an 80s country faux antique. No harm in painting one of those suckers.

Personally I'd like to see the paint sanded back HARD to give a more weathered finish. True, it wouldn't be "super cute", but in my mind that's would be a GOOD thing.

Methinks most of y'all did not live through the 1970s, because THAT is a chunky, clunky 1970s repro thing, right down to the knotty pine and the stain color. Nothing to save there -- painting/distressing that puppy was the way to go. I live in an old house, and lots of the hinges have ended up painted over the years, so painting (and, I note, distressing) them is part of a certain vintage look (although I'm slowly stripping my painted hinges). I like it.

It's possible some of the negativity here may be in part blowback on AT's recent post about...negativity.

It had much more character before. I would have left it as is, and added a bright yellow (or blue) pillow for the top.

Hmmm. Not really feeling the change, nor am I really sympathizing with all the commenters leaping up and shouting "You're mean!" to anyone who's dared to post anything other than "Love it!" The creator of this piece has consented to have her work displayed on AT, and reader feedback is encouraged by virtue of the fact that comments on this post are enabled. There are no rules requiring all AT readers to like every single design idea on this site.

I love this and its nice to find quick fixes when you're a "nesting" and exhausted mommy to be. I just reviewed the room in its entirety and it fits perfectly with your "on a budget" incredible room. Chic for sure. Great job Tiffany! Finished room here: http://thetastefulllife.blogspot.com/2011/10/nadias-nursery-finally.html

Beth! Thank you so much for featuring my changing table!!! What a privilege! And thank you all for your comments. As one commenter noted, the entire nursery is here: http://thetastefulllife.blogspot.com/2011/10/nadias-nursery-finally.html (Thanks for including the link and for your kind comments Jillyan79!).

Being that dry sinks were used prior to indoor plumbing chances are it probably is antique. But regardless of it being antique or crappy 80s furniture, the point I and many commenters are addressing is the quality of items featured in AT these days. I look at this site for inspiration in good design, repurposing and DIY stuff, I don't come here to look at lazy haphazard paint jobs. If the writers are short on post material I guess I could try dig up some pictures of skateboards I spray painted as a teenager.

ITS ALL ABOUT IF THE OWNER LIKES IT AND OBVIOUSLY, SHE DOES. HOWEVER, I'M WITH MOST-I WAS DISAPPOINTED WITH THE FINAL PRODUCT. THE CHARM HAS BEEN TAKEN OUT OF THIS PIECE.
MAYBE REFINISHING RATHER THAN PAINTING WOULD HAVE BEEN A BETTER OPTION. ADD A CUTE KNOB AND A CURTAIN ON THE BOTTOM AS SOMEONE ELSE SUGGESTED WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER. BUT IT IS ALL ABOUT THE OWNER AND I GUESS SHE LOVES.

I work as an antique dealer and I can tell you that there is no chance whatsoever that this was an antique. It was a cute idea and nothing of value was harmed. Like I said before, this is just a cheap stand made to represent an antique dry sink (and not even good enough to classify as a reproduction really), and someone else pointed out it comes from the 1970's or 1980's. I'm all for people sticking up and crying bloody murder when great piece of furniture is altered forever (and yes painting and stripping that paint ruins patina - but that's not relevant here), but please reserve that when it's warranted. This wasn't a perfect DIY and doesn't cover everyone's tastes, but I think it was great.

@talktoearthworms- you are funny. I like you! I know I'd rather see your painted skateboards than this cheap stuff. I thought this was an eye candy/design porn website- not a cheap/quick/careless diy site. It doesn't look like much thought, care or love went into this project regardless if it's an antique or not- I don't care- it's sloppy.

I have some work my 2 year old son did on our kitchen table with a pencil and a marker- it's no antique table so no harm done right? I should submit it, and if anyone DARES not to like it- I'll be SO MAD!

I feel so sad for "the sunshine police" (haha) who DEMAND that everyone loves what they love or shut up. It must make you wonder if people really like your stuff or just say they do to be polite because otherwise you lose your head.

And yes, I DO expect more from AT posts. That is why I am expressing my disdain and disappointment in this.

is it just me or in the before picture, was the dry sink photoshopped into that room?

Oh geez people. If you can't think of anything nice to say...

Yikes people. I understand personal opinion and preference but she made this to put in HER home, not yours. It may not be perfect but it's cute. It's a great way to recycle and save money on a piece of furniture that is expensive and not really useful in the long run if you buy a "real" changing table. The point here is "inspiration". Whether you're inspired to give a similar item the same kind of treatment or take the makeover in another direction is entirely your choice. If you have other ideas for similar projects share them but it's not fair to Tiffany to rain on her project. She's obviously proud of her project; proud enough to share it with us. After the comments here I'd be surprised if she ever shares anything with AT again.

I like it, but I think it could have been a bit more polished, though pregnant and painting? I give you mad props (I can't paint to save my life, pregnant or not!). I would have stripped/sanded first, but eh, it's not in my house so as long as you love it, good for you!

Good job on repurposing. I love the color.

Love the transformation...I used to have one of those dry sinks...I don't where it went! Probably gave it away long before my children where on the way...

Also...last fall, for my daughter's "big girl bed" in her room that she shares with her baby brother, I bought a floor model $200 duvet cover at a mattress store for $40 in a gorgeous a bright tangerine orange floral--what color are the walls? Turquoise! It all looks so amazing!

I forgot to say...the turquoise was chosen to go with an armoire that was in my room when I was a baby that my mother painted turquoise when I was a teen...

The before did not appear to be an antique, or anything special, really. It was actually quite ugly. I think it was a good choice to paint it and repurpose it, particularly as a piece of furniture as temporary as a changing table.
No, it's not the best paint job in the world, but what I like about AT is that there's a sense of 'realness' from the posters. These aren't all super-duper design geniuses, but real people doing real DIY's, who can inspire others to do the same.

I think this is lovely, fab, and funky! I am sure you get lots of compliments on it when people come over. The before has its own character, but I'm sure it wasn't a piece that was loved every single day.