Before and After: A $25 DIY Gives a Beat-Up Dresser a Fresh Modern-Meets-Vintage Look

Curvy furniture is really having a moment right now, and designer-looking dressers and console tables with round edges are no exception.

Woodworker/DIYer Ndandu Khavhadi (@justamomwithadrill) got the trendy look for around $25 — and in three days — by reworking a dated and dinged-up dresser from her daughters’ room that was about 13 years old.

“It had no character and made the whole room look dull,” Ndandu says of the dresser before. “The design was outdated.” She wanted to keep the drawer storage but change the body of the dresser to be a bit more contemporary.

To pull off the redo, Ndandu sawed off the legs and trim of the dresser around the drawers; that gave her a new silhouette to work with. From there, she wrapped new wood around the edges and added new legs.

“The most difficult part was figuring out how to make the curves,” Ndandu explains. “I experimented with Masonite.”

Masonite, a relatively low-cost engineered wood, is commonly used in theater sets, cake decorating, and even skateboarding parks because it can be easily bent. To make her Masonite even more flexible, Ndandu poured water on top to make its steamed fibers bend easier.

“This was the most scary part,” Ndandu says, but her experiment paid off big time, and she says she’s proud of the totally new silhouette she created.

“It has character and modern with a vintage twist,” Ndandu says. “It tells a story and fits so well with our current style in our home.”

Ndandu painted the dresser a light blush shade (Duram Smart Paint’s Savannah Sunset) and added new gray drawer pulls and mid-century style legs to finish off the furniture piece.

The DIYs don’t stop there. Ndandu used the leftover Masonite to cut shapes and create the artwork above the dresser that matches the color of the wall. Not only does it add visual interest, but it also helps hide old holes.

Ndandu also created the lamp out of two separate pieces — a gooseneck stand and a pleated shade that she thrifted, sanded, painted, then put together.

Ndandu, a seasoned DIYer who has completed several budget-friendly transformations in her home, says her advice is to not be afraid to experiment and dive in to DIY. “There is a large DIY community out there willing to assist,” she says. “You can get so much more without spending so much money.”

This piece is part of Money Month, where we’re covering everything from side hustles to down payments to a beginner’s guide to investing. Head over here to read more! 

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