Before and After: A $20 Garage Sale Dresser Gets One Fun and Fresh Redo — and Then Another

Solid furniture pieces can last a lifetime, especially when you consider that they’re ideal for making over again and again to suit changing tastes. This project from Lucas and Emily Shaw (@EmmyLuDesigns) is a great example of how a classic piece can be adapted for new styles.

Emily and Lucas bought this six-drawer dresser 10 years ago for just $20 at a garage sale. Back then, they were giving their daughter a colorful navy blue and pink bedroom, so they gave the dresser a makeover that suited the style: a white frame, with ombré pink painted drawers.

But a decade later, their now-tween daughter has more of a boho style, so Lucas and Emily wanted to give her a dresser that felt more in line with that vibe. Thankfully, since the dresser was well made, it was ready for another round of painting.

This time, Lucas sanded off all the paint on the top of the dresser to expose the natural wood underneath; he also fully sanded down one layer of the decorative edge to serve as a natural wood accent.

Lucas wanted to sand down the drawers to reveal their natural wood, too, but found that below the painted surface they were mostly plywood — so instead, he primed and painted the drawers and frame of the dresser a satin white.

Lucas also filled in the old holes where the swing pulls were installed, and instead added rattan knobs to add a bit of a natural element to the face of the piece. Finally, he sealed the top with polyurethane to make it durable for daily use in his daughter’s new boho-inspired bedroom.

“Transforming a piece of furniture can take some time, but it’s super easy and such a great alternative to buying a new piece,” Lucas says. “We love that we put our creative spin on it and we’re able to really give our daughter a piece of furniture that she can use in years to come.”

Inspired? Submit your own project here.