Before & After: A Vintage Dresser Refresh

updated May 4, 2019
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(Image credit: Nicole Phillips)

Nicole found this in a pile of furniture left for free, and immediately noticed its great shape. But, a banged up and scratched finish meant it would need refreshing. When she brought it home, she discovered that mismatching materials — light wood legs and a walnut veneer top — meant her original plan of staining wouldn’t work. So she came up with a better idea that still preserved some of the great wood and lightened the whole piece up.

(Image credit: Nicole Phillips)

From Nicole:

I took a dresser I found in our back alley, refinished the wood that I could and painted the rest with Benjamin Moore Snowfall White. I added contemporary brass hardware and oiled the wood veneer top with tung oil.

Gorgeous! Love that you came up with a way to still show off some of the great wood tone, even if your original plan to stain it all was thwarted by mismatching materials. And we adore those fabulous brass hardware pulls that make the piece seem really expensive. See more of this transformation on Nicole’s blog.

Thank you Nicole!