For a long time now I’ve wanted my very own dressing table. In my head I wanted one with drawers down the side, that I could sit into. I would have a mirror with lights along the side and I’d be in 7th heaven. At (almost, nearly, ok over!!) 30 I also felt I deserved such a dressing table. And given my love of upcycling and second hand, I knew it wouldn’t cost much to achieve it.
So I started trawling my local second hand shops, looking for my perfect dressing table. I came across this dresser, which as you can see is a little different to what I was ideally looking for. After I’d seen it, I passed it by thinking it wasn’t what I was after. But it stuck in my mind and I went back a couple of times to have another look. In the end, although it didn’t look like what I was after I bought it.
A friend, who previously worked with old pieces of furniture, told us that if we removed the back of the mirror we should see a date that the piece was manufactured. He was right, and we found out it was 1963! So, anyhow, to start with I took all the drawers out and left all them as well as the carass outside. Obviously, you need a dry day but leaving the dresser outside like this helps get rid of the “old” or musty smell.
When you take it back in, give it a good wash with just warm soapy eater. Make sure you get all dust, etc and use a dry cloth when your finished to remove any water. I use Annie Sloan paints and think they’re absolutely amazing. They’re about €25 euro and I get mine in La Maison. A 1 liter tin lasts for AGES!
Annie Sloan paints don’t require an undercoat, and you could literally paint any surface. Plus you can mix your own colours. So, using Annie Sloan Paris Grey, which I’d previously used on my bedside lockers, I started with the first coat. With the first coat I spread it quite thinly, in my mind it’s the equivilent of a scratch coat. This paint dries so quickly, but I usually give it overnight in a room with an open window.
The next day I put a second thicker coat of paint on and left it to dry. By the third day I put a water based varnish on. Usually I would put three coats of varnish coat on any piece, particularly if it’s going to be a piece that is used regularly. I forgot to mention that I paint all parts of any piece seperately. By that I mean I took out all the drawers and removed the mirror before painting. Always allow each piece to dry overnight between coats.
I found these gorgeous knobs and my dresser was finally finished. I’m still on the lookout for the perfect stool to go with it. The top two drawers are filled witb my make-up and fake tans (I have a slight obsession), so that when I get my stool I can just pop the drawers open and everything is there in front of me! I found the drawer dividers in penneys!
