Sunday, January 24, 2021

Mid Century Makeover {Blonde Dresser Set 1950s}



So I'm calling this "blonde" wood and I'm not sure if that's technically correct or not, but you've seen these blondish-greenish-tannish dressers before. If you google in "blond dresser" your screen will fill up with images of these - so there's that. I swear everyone's grandma had this set in one of her spare bedrooms. But it definitely has a greenish hue to it... kinda like when us blondies went swimming too much as kids and the chlorine turned our tow-heads to seaweed-heads.  Iowa summers could be torturously hot and there was a summer or two when my mom must have just wanted our belly-aching to quit and would drop us off for the afternoon at the Parkersburg swimming pool - if we got our chores done.  "Here kids, paint this hay rack and IF you get it done by lunch time, you can go swimming." To us poor kids it was better than... well just about anything. Ha.

Unlike most of the furniture I get that is in a dastardly state of repair, these were in great shape! 


I got a little crazy redoing furniture this summer and just plumb forgot to take pics of the process. So all ya got is this hammered copper spray paint I used on the hardware.  It's my el favorito! Hammered spray paint. Don't go living another day with out it, kay?


So if you need more explanation than just the pretty photos, I painted the main bulk of the dresser with a slate blackish DIY chalk paint and distressed all the edges with sand paper.  I sanded the top and ledges in the middle and on the bottom just enough to take the green tint off and make it a true blond wood (towhead blond, not  the chlorine-induced seaweed blond).


Ahhhh, isn't it just gorgeous? Can I say that without sounding like I'm totally patting myself on the back?  Probably not.  But dang, it's good looking now.



Now the long dresser.  This one got almost the same treatment, except I took the sanding to a whole 'nother level and good grief that was dumb.  I should just stopped like I did the other one.  But no... once I got going, there was no turning back. About half way through it got totally stubborn and I think I blew through more sand paper than I have on ten other dressers total.


The result of all that sanding and taking it down to the bare wood?  When I put the same exact walnut stain on it, it pulled red tones out of the wood and ended up well... with a reddish tone. I still love it, but I didn't think I could sell them as a set any longer because the wood finishes didn't match in the slightest!


Would you be surprised if I told you I have the same tall chest of drawers in my son's bedroom?
And I've never touched it? It's old school blond-green been chillin' there for several years waiting to be painted....  Kinda like the plumber who always has a drippy faucet I guess....

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