Back in October, I bought a dresser off eBay. At just over £50 I think it was a bit of a bargain. Particularly when the comparable versions I’ve seen brand new in furniture stores run into the hundreds of pounds.
I loved its detailing and personality – something our lounge really lacked in its confused state between flat-pack lifeless furniture and temporary storage space.
It was destined to become our bar. And whilst I’ve always been a fan of darker furniture, on this occasion the poor battered dresser needed some TLC, so I figured a bright lick of colour would do the trick.
So I picked Arles by Annie Sloan. You can read my thoughts on this paint here.
I painted the dresser 3 times. Yup, that’s how many coats it took, and equated to the entire tin. I also gave it a few coats of wax to protect the surface (trust me, it needs it – this bar is going to be getting a lot of use!) Then I spray painted the metal fixtures in black as they too were looking a little tired after what appears to be a few years of deterioration. We used Plasti-Kote in Super Satin and it was done in all of 3 seconds on a bit of newspaper in the spare bedroom. Easy peasy.
This process, whilst simple (and loads of fun, as I got to watch so much on Netflix at the same time) took me about 4 months in total, simply because of the ongoing kitchen renovations. For so long, the dresser was hidden under kitchen units and mounds of tools. But then it moved to the lounge for a sanding. To the hallway for its first coat. To the bottom of the stairs for another. And upstairs in our spare bedroom for its final coat and an initial wax. It really has made its way around the house and feels like we’ve had it forever!
Re-assembling it was the most fun. Joe was really getting excited to see the finished result. The ferrets were jumping all over it as they sniffed out the new addition. And I was just keeping my fingers crossed that it looked half decent – after all, it was my first attempt at anything crafty for the house!
And here are a few close ups…
What do you think?
I really love how the dresser changes colour throughout the day. We have a variety of yellow-hued lighting in the lounge and blue-shaded lighting coming from the kitchen. Not to mention pourings of natural light from windows galore downstairs. This means in the evening it looks a darker orange, deep and rich to match the cosyness we want to accomplish in our lounge. And during the natural daylight hours, it reverts to a more pastel, less garish finish.
You may noticed I’ve not actually dressed it up yet although trust me, there is quite a hefty amount of booze that can fit into those cupboards. I’ll do another update when it’s all decorated with pretty ornaments and special glasses. First though, I’m going to pour Joe and I a drink…
