The Tale of the Ugly Green Dresser

This project was one of my first and favorites.

I owned a small dresser that I could use, but it was the wrong color.

 

Fortunately an Annie Sloan stockist, Suite Pieces in Huntington, NY, wasn’t far away. Before perusing the paint samples, a display of knobs caught my eye. One set called out to me and I knew they were “it.” Only a select few understand the strange and mysterious summons of furniture hardware.

The blue and white knobs made picking the paint color easy. Annie Sloan Napoleonic Blue.

At this point, I had little experience with chalk paint and wax and I didn’t want to get too fancy. I removed the old knobs, kept them together in a baggie and added them to my box of knobs. This was a good sign that I could possibly stay organized.

I found a dresser in this color and a doable technique, on Pinterest and felt no shame as I tried to copy it… in my own style of course.

I covered the boring green with two coats of Napoleonic Blue. This is a color named for a man who wanted to conquer the world and failed. I wanted to conquer a dresser. Sometimes you have to ignore an omen.

I applied clear wax and gave it a day to dry. Then one coat of dark wax and a good buffing. The inside of the drawers aren't painted but I plan on Old Ochre for some contrast

Beautiful! But my dresser didn’t come to life until I added those knobs.

It don't mean a thing if you ain't got that bling!

Let's call it a literary project because I put books on top. Credit to my creative husband for the photo of our house over the dresser.

What I learned:

•  The perfect hardware is sometimes a good place to start
•  Imitation is the sincerest form of inspiration.

P.S. I spotted the same green dresser on an episode of Ray Donovan. You know you’re hooked when you’re watching a high-tension action flick and looking at the furniture.

Next week: "The Orient Express"