Heading out of my Comfort Zone: Two-Toned Dresser Redo

Whew.
It's been a day.

And most definitely a monday.

Sorry this post is getting up so late...

Just a bajillion little things that led to having no time to sit down and chat it up here.

Until now :)

I've been dying to share my newest furniture redo with you guys and see what you think.

I'm pretty used to keeping it simple and within my 'comfortable' color schemes.

So I was excited to go outside my comfort zone and go in a different direction than I usually do.

A friend of mine offered me this dresser when her parents were moving and getting rid of some of their childhood stuff.

This dresser had seen better days so it came to live in my garage :)

Check it out...

So this guy hung around a bit until the weather finally allowed for some good painting to happen.

It took a bit for inspiration to hit but thanks to the back-up I got from my Facebook friends,

I decided to go with the beautiful grey I picked up at Habitat for five bucks.

I love the slatted design on the tops and sides.

And the grey was the perfect, silky hue for it.

While the first coat dried, I played with the hardware.

Changing the hardware wasn't much of an option for this piece considering I would have to do something about the giant holes that they live in if I did.

So I stuck with the original pieces.

The color scheme I had in my head didn't scream oil-rubbed bronze.

So I decided to just glaze the original brass.

It ended up with a nice worn look that I loved!

I used some black acrylic paint, brushed it on, and then gently wiped it off.

I didn't really wipe it off much to leave the look I wanted.

Once it dried, it was good to go.

Want to see the difference?

This is where I strayed off my normal path.

Usually, I'd go all one gorgeous color, maybe some distressing and glaze.

Or possibly some white accenting.

But I really liked the idea of keeping some of the wood color around.

But I wasn't head-over-heels in love with the color of the original wood.

So I decided to tape off the middle insets of the drawers after I painted them.

I painted the edges the grey color and then used painters tape to tape off the middle part.

I did let the grey paint dry overnight to keep it from lifting the paint right off though.

Here's where these guys came into play...

some of my favorite go-to helpers to get the job done :)

I used the pre-stain conditioner to prep the wood after I gave it a good sanding.

Then I brushed on my dark walnut mixwax stain.

Here it is after a couple of coats:

Ok.

So I did something crazy here.

Bear with me.

I decided that even with the walnut stain, it wasn't giving me quite the rubbed aged look I was going for.

I stomped around a bit trying to decide what was bothering me and then it hit me.

Umm. My favorite thing in the world.

It needed glaze.

Duh.

(that was my internal monologue in case you were wondering)

I brushed the glaze on and oh.my.gosh. I was in love.

Head over heels love.

Now, I'm not going to go crazy and do this on every piece from now on, but it was the perfect touch that this guy needed :)

Go ahead.

Check out the difference for yourself and tell me it didn't make it look a bazillion times better!

I popped the drawers back in, took my sander to it for a few minutes to give it a good distressing then sealed it with a protective wax to give it a buttery, satin feel.

Check him out now!!!!

Ahh!!

Isn't he soooo good-looking??

I admit, I was nervous there for a bit about how it was going to really turn out but it looks so much better in reality than it did in my head!!!

Don't you love it when that happens??

And just in case you need another glimpse of it's humble beginning, here's a quick reminder...

I'm in love with him.

And I hope someone else is too because, sadly, we don't have room for him in our house.

So he'll be finding a new, fabulous home to live in :)

(Why is it a he?? Really. Who knows. It's how I picture it.)

So spill it you guys.

I'm anxious to hear what you think about my newest venture.

Loving the two-toned or is it not quite your cup of tea??

I have a ton more furniture redos coming up so gear up :)

And I hope you're as happy as I am that Monday is finally over and we're that much closer to spring break!!

Love you guys :)

'Nite.

Linking to:

Get Your Craft ON @ Today's Creative Blog

Tips and Tutorials @ Homes Stories A to Z

Homemade Projects @ Tip Junkie

Lil Luna Link Party @ Lil Luna

Wednesday Wowzers @ Oopsey Daisy

Stache Party @ My Lil Pumpkin Patch

Show Me What Ya Got @ Not Just a Housewife

Show and Share @ Southern Lovely

Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts

Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims

Link it up Wednesday @ Junk in their Trunk

Hookin up with HOH @ House of Hepworths

Under 100$ @ Beyond the Picket Fence

Show me Extraordinary @ The 36th Avenue

Share and Wow Wednesday @ A Turtle's Life For Me

Everything but the Kitchen Sink @ A Little Knick Knack

Simply Creations @ My Simple Home Life

Catch a Glimpse @ A Glimpse Inside

Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge

Free for All @ Sassy Sites

Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed

Weekend Wrapup Party @ Tatertots and Jello

Saturday Seven @ Positively Splendid

Craftomaniac Monday @ Craftomaniac

Bedazzle Me Monday @ Everything under the Moon

Tuesday To Do @ Blackberry Vine

March Before and After @ Thrifty Decor Chick