A Queen Anne Dresser and a Little Love


When I saw this Queen Anne dresser sitting in my sister’s garage several months ago my heart did a little flip.  It. Was.  Gorgeous.  The lines.  The hardware.  The fact that it had never been painted, stained or coloured in any way.  It was swoon worthy!old_dresser_before_makeoverAs my heart went pitter patter, I tentatively asked where she got it and what she was doing with it.  Her answer was like the sky had opened up and the angels were singing… “It’s for you!” she said “and I got it for free!!”  “Do you want it?”

Ummmm… you have to ask??

Physically it was in pretty bad shape despite it’s raw beauty.  It was rickety and the drawers were falling apart but I didn’t care one bit!The dovetailing on the dresser drawers that were falling apart and needed to be re-glued. www.recreateddesigns.comAs soon as I was able to, I got it moved to my house and I began it’s transformation.  To start, I took apart the two large drawers and re-glued the dovetailing.   They were in bad shape.

While I was literally waiting for the glue to dry, I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to decide what to do about the hardware.  The hardware was in great shape, was very heavy and suited the piece but I hated the gold colour.  If I was going to change it though, now was the time before I began the painting so that I could fill in the current holes.Silver lead Rub n’ Buff used over old brass hardware to mute the brassy colour. www.recreateddesigns.comI ended up deciding to keep the current pieces and toned down the gold by rubbing on some Silver Leaf Rub ‘n Buff.  (for more Rub ‘n Buff ideas and directions, see here)  I love, love, love how they turned out and am so happy that I decided to re-use them!miss_mustard_seed_bergereOnce I had that decision done and knew that I didn’t need to fill any holes, I quickly got to the painting!  I chose Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint in Bergere.  Bergere is a smoky blue with grey undertones that reminds me of water in a lake.old_hardware_updated_rubnbuffI applied only one coat of the Bergere because I loved how it showed the wood tone through the paint and made the piece feel like the paint had been on there for a century.  Two coats would have made the paint too opaque and wouldn’t have suited the Queen Anne piece at all in this case.thin_layer_bergere_distressingAfter painting on the coat of milk paint, I did some light distressing in places where the piece would have naturally received wear and tear had it been painted many years ago.  Distressing always makes me feel like I am giving a piece some character and a story.  dresser_recreated_bergere_hemp_oilThe final step on this piece was to decide what to do with the gorgeous piece of wood on top.  It had quite a few water stains on it but I just couldn’t bare to paint it.  I ended up lightly sanding it down and then rubbed on two coats of Miss Mustard Seed Hemp Oil to bring it back to life.dresser_top_refreshed_with_hemp_oilI am sooo glad that I left the top natural!  I love how it ties the piece all together.queen_anne_dresser_bergereI am absolutely in love with this piece and it fits perfectly in my living room.  I have no intention of getting rid of this one any time soon and the fact that it was able to be redone with just a little paint, hemp oil and some silver paste is a testament to what can be achieved!

10 Comments on " A Queen Anne Dresser and a Little Love "

  1. Lisa

    Loving your dresser Lisa! Well done! It looks gorgeous! I’m featuring it this week at Making Broken Beautiful! Thank you for sharing it lat week!
    Smiles!
    Terry

    1. Lisa

      Thank you so much Terry! That is such a lovely surprise to my day πŸ™‚ Hugs, Lisa

  2. Lisa

    Wow Lisa, it is gorgeous! Love, love the color and yes; glad you left the top natural. I’ve only use chalk paint, but would like to try MMS milk paint. My dil did and loved it! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

    1. Lisa

      Thanks so much Jann! I’m right there with you; love the colour and sooo glad I left the top natural. You will definitely have to give MMS a try. It takes some getting used to but I love working with it. Thanks for stopping by πŸ™‚ Hugs, Lisa

  3. Lisa

    Lisa, this piece is stunning! I love the way you left the top to highlight the wood grain and painted the body in such a gorgeous shade of blue. Your sister is awesome. Love this piece lady job well done, Coco

    1. Lisa

      Thanks Coco! I am completely in love with this one and it will definitely be staying with me for many years to come πŸ™‚

  4. Lisa

    So beautiful. You did a great job in recreating this piece. Thanks for linking up and sharing with us at Funtastic Friday.

    1. Lisa

      Thanks Sherry and thanks for taking the time to stop by πŸ™‚

  5. Lisa

    Great job transforming this dresser Lisa. The blue looks great. You have a sweet sister to save that for you. Thanks so much for sharing your dresser at Dream. Create. Inspire. Link. I hope you will join us again this Tuesday night! Take care, Tara

    1. Lisa

      Thanks Tara πŸ™‚ And yes, she is great… she is always on the hunt for me and finds some amazing things!

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