The Latest: Nov 2011

When Meg’s sister had a baby boy, she knew she wanted to give her new nephew a special present to welcome him into the family. She found a dresser on Craigslist desperately in need of a makeover and saw the potential for the perfect gift. Though many would agree with her husband’s assessment that it was only good for firewood, Meg had a vision of what a little paint could do.

Lots of us have dreamed of designing fantasy kitchens with all the bells and whistles. Then our actual budgets deliver a brutal reality check. That’s the case with this “before,” which belongs to a house that was bought to be fixed up and flipped. The owners couldn’t spend a lot of money, so they made up for it with smart shopping and a barrel of elbow grease.

The tagline for Julia’s blog and furniture design business is “from ugly ducklings to beautiful swans”, an accurate description for the transformation she achieved with this battered Craigslist find. Purchased from a family that just didn’t have the space to hang onto grandma’s dresser any longer, this piece was crying out for a little TLC.

When Cynthia picked up the server above at auction, it was completely covered in that creamy yellow paint; she was so eager to begin the redo, she didn’t even take true before pics! Though not a fan of the paint treatment, Cynthia loved the lines of this little server and price tag of $20 was hard to pass up.

There’s nothing particularly wrong with this wicker chair. It’s got a nice shape and nice legs. It’s just so…brown. But not for long!Oh, spray paint, is there nothing you can’t do? This chair is so pretty now! Kendra from Sweet Magnolia Way has been working on a big girl room for her daughter so she pulled this forgotten brown chair up from the basement and gave it new life with a few coats of spray paint.

Want to add some color to your bookcase but are a afraid of making a long term commitment? You can experiment with as bold a color you like with this simple, temporary foam board trick.That’s right. Foam board. Cut the foam board to fit in the back of the case and paint it any color you want. Hey, paint each side differently and switch it up twice a year if you like. If you have a bookcase with no back, even easier, tack the painted foam board to the whole backside.

When Erin fell in love with a DIY dresser re-do found online, she just knew she wanted to create her own version. She kept her eye out for a suitable dresser for her house, finally snapping one up at a local thrift store. Though smaller and blockier than her inspiration piece, the piece was perfect for the two-tone treatment she wanted to try.Erin painted and primed the frame of the dresser with a lovely blue-grey (Cement Grey by Behr), then sanded and stained the drawers in Ebony (by Minwax).

Nothing about this nightstand screams out ‘I belong in a little girl’s room.’ But maybe that’s because I don’t know how to listen. The transformation this nightstand undergoes should encourage all of us to give our old furniture a second look and a closer listen.Melissa at Houseography must be a furniture whisperer to see a nightstand for her little girl in that solid old oak piece from her grandparents.