Dresser With A Little Bling

I bought my dresser when I first moved out of college, so that should tell you how old it is. I got it from Walmart, and honestly it has held up quite well with no complaints.  If you've been following my blog since the beginning then you know I gave my dresser a face lift a few years ago. However, now I am ready for something a little more sophisticated. I needed something that matched the level of amazing that my bedroom is turning into. I didn't dislike it, and in another room it would have definitely worked. Just not feeling it in this room. I looked into buying a new one entirely. However, since I haven't bought a dresser in several years, I was totally oblivious to what really nice dressers cost in this world. I don't think I saw anything that I liked that was less than $300-$400. So a DIY it was. Besides, this would be my chance to embark on the fancy knob section at Hobby Lobby. Here is the before.

Being that this was going to take some ingenuity and I didn't want my clothes all over the place, I took my time and started with only one drawer. Also I have had so many ideas about this design, I wanted to leave room in case I changed my mind again. First step was to remove the existing design from the front. I originally used textured scrapbook paper, so I needed to carefully scrape all of that off.

Then I gave the dresser a good sanding, and covered the 2 drawer pull holes with wood filler. In the new design I am moving the holes to accommodate 2 knobs instead of one pull.

Now that I had a blank canvas, it was time to make something of this drawer. I was going for something a little more decorative this go round, and decided to add molding to the front edges. I actually found the pieces I wanted on a trip to Lowes. I measured carefully, and used my miter saw to cut them to size. 

I used wood glue to adhere all of the pieces to the front of the drawer. Then I used clamps to firmly hold them in place while it dried. 

Once the glue set completely, I painted the drawer black. I went for a matte finish on this project. I gave the drawer 2 full coats to the front and sides.

In between coats of paint I tackled the other pieces. My biggest issue with the dresser before was that the shape was looking a little boxy and basic. So, I decided to add some fancy legs. I bought 4 prefab legs from Lowes, and painted them black too. 

While the legs dried, I painted the dresser base. It was originally a glossy black. I sanded it down, and gave it a coat of matte black. Yes, I did paint in my bedroom. Not the greatest idea, but carrying the piece down 2 flights of stairs to the garage just didn't seem practical. 

To attach the legs, I flipped the dresser upside down. Well more like slowly rolled, while trying to avoid little person injury. I measured where I wanted them to go, and drilled a pilot hole. Then I slowly screwed the leg in until it was nice and secure. 

I repeated the process and added in the other 3. 

Then once again while still avoiding little person injury, slowly flipped it right side up.

Now to return to my drawers. The only thing left to do was add new knobs. I measured how far apart I wanted them, and then drilled new holes. The knobs had really long posts so I secured them with a washer and a nut on the inside. I must have tried out 10 different knob scenarios. A few of which consisted of me making my own. (I know, shocking) I ended up with these fancy ones from Hobby Lobby. I like that they had a little bit of bling. I got them for 50% off so I only paid $35 for all 10 of them. 

I was totally satisfied with my test drawer. Once I was sure, and I mean completely sure I repeated the process on the remaining 4. I pulled off the hardware, scraped the texture off of the drawer fronts, sanded them down, added the trim, painted them, and finally added the new knobs.

Before 

After

So once all of the drawers were done, I went one step further. I added liners. I wanted to do something a little fancy inside. I debated a few things, but in the end went with fabric. It seemed the most practical and cost effective for the project. In my head I was imaging polka dots. While in Hobby Lobby though I came across this chevron print. Definitely a lot bolder than I had originally imagined but for some reason it called out to me. When I got to the cutting counter and there wasn't enough of the polka dot print, I knew it was a sign. I went with the chevron.

I cut the fabric to fit the entire inside of the drawer. Then I used spray glue and double sided tape to secure it to the inside. 

Isn't it beautiful! I am definitely loving my print choice. Feels like a party when I pick out my socks. It took me a little long to complete all of the drawers, but I have to look at them everyday so I wanted perfection. Once I was done I brought all of the drawers upstairs and put the whole thing together.

I modified the inside of the base. I was going to add new drawer slides, as the ones the dresser came with aren't of the best quality. However, I couldn't find ones to fit the size of the dresser. The drawers go all the way to the sides so there is no clearance. So, I just worked with what I had. To add stability I reset the slides a couple of inches forward, and shifted them up. Then I added a piece to the bottom to help keep the bottom drawer level. 

 I held my breathe as I put all of the drawers back in.

They fit! *phew* Isn't it FANCY! I love it.

..and still loving my inside print choice.

I know it's not as interesting as the other one, but I was going for a simpler design as I knew I wanted oh so exciting knobs. I didn't want too much going on. I love it though. There are a few other details I am thinking of adding, but for right now I'm going to leave it. You know, I think my room is pretty much done. *Happy Dance* Well, for now that is. Until then...it's on to the next project.