Sometimes all a piece of furniture needs to make it better suit your space is a bit of TLC. Instead of ditching it or just living with it, Daniel Kanter of Manhattan Nest shows how to revamp an older piece to make it feel like new again.
Daniel explains:
So Max and I bought this dresser a few months ago, and I've just been too busy with school and work and procrastinating to devote any time to fixing it up. I mean, it's a nice dresser — totally looks pretty nice and there's nothing functionally wrong with it, so it wasn't exactly first on my list of priorities. All I really did was wipe out the drawers before we started loading clothes into it, and Max threw a bunch of art books on top before I even had a chance to clean it off.It's hard to tell from the pictures, but it had a bunch of little nicks and scratches and bumps and bruises and chipped veneer and little bits of paint and cigarette burns and rings on the top!
Also, every time I did wipe it with any cleaning product, the towel would turn a shade of dark brown, which was a bit disconcerting. I love some nice rosewood, for sure, but decades of smoke and tinted furniture polish and wax and crap probably weren't doing the wood a lot of favors at this point.
Daniel shows, with full instructions and step-by-step images, how he transformed this older piece that was in need of some love and care into a like new piece of furniture. Check out Dresser Restoration on Manhattan Nest.
(Images: Daniel Kanter)
Find Your Style: 20 Classic to Contemporary Kitchens to Add to Your Inspiration Board
Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Shaw's Original Fir...
A Real Dinner, Fast: 5 Favorite Types of Almost-No-Work Meals
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
Beautiful!! What a show piece!
When I first saw this post, I thought, "Oh, no! They painted this, I'll hate it, and the painted wood lovers will attack!" Happily, Daniel recognized this dresser's natural beauty and enhanced it. Well done.
AGREE WITH RAINYWOODS AND ELLABEE!! F A B U L O U S!
@ellabee: haha, I thought the same but thank god!!
Yes, that is just lovely.
Fantastic job but I'm wondering why the wood grain on the bottom left drawer doesn't match like all the rest?
oh lovely! i was so nervous i was going to click to see the after being yet another painted piece of furniture. So relieved.
Definitely echoing the "OH THANK GOD YOU DIDN'T PAINT IT!" of everyone above.
Looks amazing!
The 'before' is great; the 'after' whew, even greater. That's one of the best looking pieces of furniture I've seen in a while. An envious congrats.
Absolutely gorgeous job. Well done! I was also afraid that it had been painted... :)
Does anyone know where to purchase inset pulls like the ones on this dresser? I have a piece that has inset wood pulls, but they're very fragile -- the wood keeps cracking. I'd love to be able to replace them with something sturdier like brass. Here's the piece: http://urbancholita.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/dsc_0011.jpg
Can I borrow Max? I have the same problem with 2 bombe chests and just can't figure out how to get it done.
Check out his blog posts regarding how he acquired the dresser. There's a story to explain that.
Wow. Incredible job! Veneer was so scary to me I retired a coffee table to the attic not knowing what to do with it. You have given me hope! You really got it back to looking new!
Your blog was much fun, btw. Now I have another blog to check!! So many blogs so little time...
I think the pulls are the old ones, just cleaned :-)
See what a treasure can be hidden in an old gourgeous piece of furniture!
(me too I was scared they painted it ;-) )
a big sigh of relief! :)
i actually prefer the before pic's coloring, but i can see how the after feels much fresher. congrats!
HOORAY for not painting it! Simply beautiful :)
This gets the Mid-C Frank seal of approval! Great job.
I was also afraid, very afraid, and then very impressed with the final version.
Very nice! Looks great!
Very nice.
YHL just did this same thing using only a magic eraser.
Like!
@parnassus -- if you follow the wood grain down on that side - it actually does go with what is above it. It is a drastic change in grain, but it looks authentic from here.
Manhattan Nest and Door 16 are two of my most checked blogs! <3
I was thinking - "hope they just cleaned it, hope they just cleaned it!" Yea!
I love this dresser.
Beautiful! I love how the grain shows through now.
What a fabulous before and after. Amazing job on a beautiful piece of furniture!
you can definitely tell the difference. it looks brand new. however, I don't like the handles.
Nicely done !!!
@urban cholita
Lee Valley has rectangular ones: http://www.leevalley.com/US/Hardware/page.aspx?p=55207&cat=3,43520,43521,55466&ap=1
Search for "recessed pulls" and you will find a lot out there - some are intended for windows or sliding doors, but may also work for your dresser.
What a stunning dresser! I could have lived with the before,but I do love the after! Well done!
Yay, he didn't paint it! Like the others I was afraid but now relieved.
Every time I see a post like this, there's a flood of "SO GLAD THEY DIDN'T PAINT IT!!". But when was the last time Apartment Therapy posted a plain old paint job? They don't really post them anymore (probably from all the complaints from wood-lovers), so I don't know why you're all constantly expecting paint jobs.
This is nice! It doesn't even look so much re-done as just un-grimed. Lovely!
So jealous!
would love one like that..
It looks much better now. Great job!
I wish that everyone wouldn't be so dismissive of painting, though. Not everyone likes the look of wood. It is too traditional for me and would look out of place in my home. I prefer my newly painted navy hallway table to the old wood color it was.