We Put a Dresser In The Living Room.

Way back in the summer of 2009, when we found out that we were pregnant, one of the first items we bought, and the first collaborative project that we worked together on for Hazel, was a pale green dresser.

Rather than purchasing a streamlined clothing storage option from IKEA, we wanted to find something with a bit of history and class. After scouring second hand stores, we happened upon this one, at a steal- 15 bucks! The dresser had a coat of saggy primer slapped onto it, and definetly needed some TLC. And we brought it home, and fixed it up! It was the first project I used a palm sander on- due to the crappy prime coat- and fondly remember sweating in the sweltering sun with dried bits of sand sticking to me. *ah, memories* I coated the dresser in a high gloss Pale Avocado paint (at the time, we were both digging the high gloss painted furniture look!)


Pale Avocado 2146-40


For a personal touch, I also lined the drawers with a coat of blue semi gloss that I had kicking around. The dresser served glorious use during Hazel's first year. And then she started to walk...

...and now that dresser lives in our living room. Odd place for a dresser? Maybe. Or maybe it could become the next great trend. So, how did our baby's dresser end up in a location like that? Well, first of all, when I painted the thing, I neglected to paint the inside frame... and it made Hazel's clothes smell a bit funky. Secondly, the dresser is old- and probably was assembled before drawer gliders were ever thought of- so, if you're not careful, the heavy drawers could fall out on you- not the best feature to have for a mobile toddler. We agreed that we needed to get our growing child a new wardrobe system, and gave in and bought her an IKEA wardrobe (and it was on sale!).

Before I went to work, we agreed to have Jackie's mom come pick up the dresser, and put it in storage until we had a yard sale. When I got home from work, the dresser was in the living room... still there. With a sheepish grin, Jackie admitted that it was too hard to let go of the dresser, due to its significance. I admire that about her. And I'm glad we kept it.

The knobs, pictured above, are a vintage classic, and are a small detail that make the dresser such an incredible piece to have around.

Nesting in front of our hot pink wall, the dresser fits right in. It currently houses some of my gardening tools, and will eventually be a home for our table linens.

I know- a dresser in a living room- weird. But, it's become the perfect little hutch area, and is another resting place for pictures and other decorative accents- and best of all, it's a piece loaded with meaning and value to us! Once agian, this is a lesson for me that I am forever continuing to learn- listen to your wife the first time around. She's probably almost always right.