Standing in line at the Home Depot, hand basket filled with paint thinner and sand paper, I realize that I may very well be insane, for I was gearing up to update an old, hand-made family dresser that I had previously– not once, but twice — tried to tackle. Would this third attempt at a creating a modern, fun and functional piece of home decor be my last? If history was any indicator, probably not.
On attempt one, an unfortunate lapse of judgment in the paint department resulted in a dresser that could have been dreamt up by the Harlem Globetrotters.
Exhausted, defeated, and in no hurry to continue my intimate relationship with the orbital sander and foam paint brush, I resolved to hastily fix the problem with fabric and a staple gun. Undoubtedly an improvement, but only a temporary fix to buy myself some time before once again taking up arms against the contrary cabinet.
What I had always been shooting for was something modern, grown up but still a little fun. The fabric fix was most certainly fun, but you have to acknowledge, it was also a tad alienating. So I went back to the drawing board to come up with a solution that would age gracefully as styles change, but still maintain a little “edge” so to speak. Something a la this…
The fabric would have to come off, as well as the multiple layers of blue and yellow paint. But that wasn’t the whole of it. I would also remove the trim around the base and add some hairpin legs to really drive home that updated modern feel. The only thing that would stay was the hardware. Finally, finally I think I nailed it.