When you get married you inherit a lot of each other’s stuff. The good, the bad and the ugly. Bringing it all together in your home consists of compromise. Among these inherited items, were my husband’s old childhood dressers. They were beat up, well used and dated. But they functioned well and had a nice shape. I loved the idea of having the dressers that were in Jeremy’s nursery in our baby’s nursery – with a few updates of course!

When I was 30 weeks pregnant with Evelyn, I started refurbishing his dressers. I removed the hardware and spray painted all the pieces in Rustoleum’s Oil Rubbed Bronze. I realized the dressers were not solid wood and instead were covered in a shiny veneer. I opted not to sand the dresser, which ended up being okay for the chippy, shabby chic look I was going for. 

I cleaned the dressers with a soapy wash cloth and let them dry before painting. We picked out a semi-gloss paint in Sherwin Williams Restful White. It was the closest match to the creamy color of our crib. Four coats later, I wished I would have used primer! 

After the paint had dried, I took a piece of sand paper and sanded off the paint in areas where you would typically see wear and tear to give it that shabby chic vibe. I added crystal knobs and reattached the rest of the hardware that I had spray painted. 

I absolutely love that these dressers are filled with memories of Jeremy’s childhood, but hold a fresh, more feminine look for our baby girl to enjoy in the years to come!

Do you have any old pieces that could use a face-lift? I’d love to see your projects!