Before and After: An Old Shabby Chic Dresser Becomes a Modern, Fluted Beauty for Just $85

Fluted furniture is very popular right now, from end tables to nightstands to dressers to consoles. A cylindrical fluted table evokes classical Grecian vibes, while a console table with detailed lines can almost look Art Deco.

No matter the aesthetic you’re going for with fluted furniture, it’s no secret that it looks designer and high-end, and it’s also no secret that it can be quite pricey. Fortunately for Apartment Therapy readers, there are plenty of ways to DIY fluted furniture so inspiration abounds.

Here’s another project to add to that list. Seasoned furniture flipper Michelle McRae (@shellychicboutique) used a genius material to add texture and clean lines to an old dresser that had been previously painted in an “old shabby chic style.” Future flippers, take notes: Pole wrap is the inexpensive material you’ll want to use to recreate the expensive look.

“This is actually my third project using pole wrap,” Michelle says. For this particular dresser, she wanted to experiment with varying up the direction of the fluting, and and she also wanted to try using darker paint. (The black used for the frame of the piece is Behr’s Limousine Leather.) “I had seen a black fluted dresser for sale that gave me the push to try black,” she says.

And both paid off big time: The small pieces of pole wrap were a bit tricky to cut with her jigsaw, but Michelle is pleased with the pattern. And she loves the contrast of the pole wrap (sealed with clear polyurethane but kept its original color) with the black trim.

To finish the dresser, she added gold feet to elevate it — literally and style-wise — and new drawer pulls, both from Amazon for under $30.

At just $85 total, Michelle’s DIYed dresser looks unrecognizably chic.

Inspired? Submit your own project here.