dresser makeover

A few months ago, I was on the hunt for a dresser for our bedroom. I didn't want to spend a lot since we are wanting to install a good closet system in our closet someday and completely do away with a dresser in the bedroom. But for now it's needed. 

My search took me to Ikea, the Tarva to be specific. The great thing about this dresser is that it's the perfect blank slate. With a little paint (or stain), some new pulls, and a few hours on a Saturday, this dresser can pretty much turn into whatever you want. 

I used Ace Cabinet, Door and Trim paint, colormatched to Benjamin Moore's Chelsea Gray, and Martha Stewart Bedford pulls (from Home Depot) for the hardware. I love these pulls so much, I'm sure I'll use them again for future projects. 

I have used Ace's Cabinet, Door and Trim paint for a number of projects, including painting our upstairs trim and molding, dressers, a bookshelf, and have even repainted a few past projects using this paint because it holds up so well.  I LOVE it. It dries rock-hard and super smooth, it's my favorite paint for projects like this. 

I love how it turned out. The only thing I might change in the future is the legs, they are a little skinny and don't quite go with the look I like. They look a little harsh to me or something? But until I find some other legs I like for it, I'm calling this project done. 

My original plan was to camouflage the TV with a small gallery wall (I know some people get crazy about TVs in bedrooms, but my husband and I are crazy about watching movies cuddled up in bed, so you gotta do what you gotta do, eh?), but I kind of like the layered look, too. Maybe layering another picture or two around the "L" will be enough? We'll see where it ends up. 

So for now, the dresser is done, the styling is a work in progress, and we have enough room for our clothes (hooray!). Our bedroom is slooooowly coming together!

Have you tackled any fun projects lately?

++UPDATE++

I get a lot of emails about this dresser, so I'll answer some of the most common questions to hopefully be a little more clear about my painting process.

The wood grain on this dresser is really pronounced and has a lot of texture, so even though I used a good, thick paint, it still shows through. I don't mind this (I even like it!), so I just painted one coat of paint and was done.

If you want to hide the wood grain a bit I would suggest sanding the dresser first, and then applying a primer. You might even want to use wood putty over some of the bigger knots to make them less obvious. I did none of this, however. I did not sand, use primer, or use a sealer at the end. I literally just painted the dresser using a foam roller and paintbrush, added the hardware once the paint was dry, and never looked back!

I've used this dresser daily for over a year now, and it's held up great. If you want a more glossy finish I would suggest sealing the paint, but mine has held up beautifully and looks just as good as it did the day I posted these pictures.

Hope that helps!