Living Room Dresser Reveal

I actually didn't think that I would be doing this post tonight because up until a few hours ago- the dresser was STILL in my garage waiting on another set of hands to carry it into my house.  But my dear friend Judy stopped by today to bring me a desk and while she was here she kindly offered to help me bring the dresser inside!

Short story long- I have been looking for a piece of furniture- ie. a dresser or buffet table- for my living room to put my TV on.  I bought a TV stand from Target shortly after moving into my Palace and it has served its purpose.  I was never in love with it but it was better than leaving my TV on the floor- like it had been for months.  No shame.  Here's what it looked like before- don't mind the pumpkins.  That's what she said.

I scoured that list by Craig, antique shops and consignment stores for the last two years, finding nothing like what I wanted.  I saw a couple of dressers on CL but either they were already sold or I never desired to go get it.  Until my personal shopper Miss Wendy emailed me one morning and what was inside was perfect.  I sent the owner an email asking if it was still available and they let me know that someone had already inquired about purchasing it but if it fell through, they'd let me know.  Dammit.  I could just feel this one- this perfect one- slipping through my fingers.  UGH!

Well they emailed me about 8:45pm that night and said it was mine if I wanted it.  They lived in Columbus, IN which is about an hour away from where I live.  So I was very hesitant to go pick it up that night. You know- cuz of the Craigslist killers out there.  And we couldn't go get it on Tuesday so I had to ask them if they'd hold it for me until Wednesday after work.  I had zero hope that they would- but they came back with a "Sure. No problem."  And I think I might have squealed a little bit.  And then best part- it was only $50.  Score!!!!

So that Wednesday after work I picked up Miss Wendy and right as we were getting ready to head out, a huge hail storm was rolling through the route that we were planning on going.  Wendy's hubby Jon suggested a different route so off we went.  Well my GPS did not like that route one bit.  It kept trying to turn us around- even after about 30 minutes.  So Wendy called Jon to see what the deal was and he was all like "Well I'm not sure, but that's the way to Bloomington."  OMG SERIOUSLY!!!!  We weren't going to Bloomington.  We were going to COLUMBUS.  Bloomington does not equal Columbus.  So we were off to a rough start.  After Wendy got done cursing him out we figured out where the hell we were going.  Along this very scenic route we came upon this house with a huge front yard with the lawnmower just sitting in the middle of the yard.  I jokingly said something about how random it was.  Then we saw a downed power line in this persons driveway.  STILL didn't think anything of it.  Until we came up to the car in front of us, stopped in the middle of road.  And we were STILL not thinking anything of it.  Until Wendy sees a telephone pole snapped in half, hanging only by the power lines, going across the middle of the road.  Yea this was awesome.  We were in the middle of Green Acres, no idea where we were going and we literally just missed a tornado by about 5 minutes.

Needless to say, we drove through a bunch of neighborhoods trying to get around the downed lines and finally made it to the house to get the dresser.  Two hours later.  WTF- it's always an adventure.  At least Miss Wendy didn't need to pull out her knife.  I bring her along cuz she's my muscle in case they try to abduct me rather than sell me a piece of furniture.  Always be prepared.

Luckily the trip home was much easier and this beauty only sat in the garage for a couple of days before I was able to go get the paint.  Here is the before shot.

I had picked up a paint swatch about a year ago on a random trip to Home Depot.  Thank goodness I kept it because it was the exact color I wanted and matched the two vases in my living room perfectly.  It's called Misty Surf and is also available at Menard's via Pittsburgh Paint as well.  So that weekend I sanded the dresser to get the surfaced a little rough and then  went out to get a quart of paint.  I was able to get one coat done on Saturday night and I put another two coats on that Sunday.  And ever since it's been sitting in my garage.  Boo.

It almost looks white in the above pictures, but I promise you it's not.  It's a very light blue with just a hint of gray and green in it.  A teeny tiny hint.

I love the detail on the drawers.  I was looking for something really ornate and this ended up being exactly what I wanted.

I had literally just spray painted the handles in my garage when Judy came over so I couldn't put them on the drawers when we brought it inside.  They were a dark brassy color so I just pulled out the Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint and gave them a more chocolately color.  I mean, who doesn't need a little chocolately color in their life?

Yes- I know.  I need to now move the wood art up a bit higher now.  I'll get on that later.  They line up with the dining room artwork so it's 4 pieces that need to be raised.  And this mama didn't have time for that.  For now, I'm just staring at this beauty!!  When the handles finally dried, I brought them in and put them back on.

The components will be hidden inside the drawers as soon as I buy an IR extender.  And the place mats will go away right after the components.  I just didn't want them to scratch up the top.

So what do you think? It definitely brightens up the area a little bit.  I did the blue because eventually when I win the lottery or find myself a sugar daddy, I plan on doing the lower level in dark wood floor.  So the floors, coffee table, end tables and leather chairs are all dark brown.  It really needed to be something lighter and I also think by doing it lighter it brings out the detailing on the drawers better.  I love it.  One more project crossed off the list.....

Now- what should I do with that desk Judy brought me!!!