I have had this picture in my mind for over a year! I knew I wanted this look in my home and when we decided to fix up our main level and staircase, it all came together. The foyer. Black and white with that awesome kelly green. Done.
So, I took two of these Ikea Rast dressers...
...and turned them into this:
The first thing I did was find the color. This is literally what I did:
Yep, I matched my cords to the paint sample. Behr's Pine Grove. I bought a sample pot, tried it out and wa-la! That was it. Perfect. I painted two coats of the glossy paint and followed that with two coats of glossy poly. I know this piece will take a beating so I wanted to protect is as much as possible!
Edited to Add (Oct. 2013): The pine knots are beginning to bleed through. I should have primed them with some serious primer and THEN painted. I used paint with primer but it wasn't strong enough. Learn from my mistakes, people!
After I painted the dresser, I needed to install my awesome campaign hardware from Ansaldi & Sons (product 6071). I thought it was kind of funny that the hardware actually cost more than the two dressers! Crazy, huh? Just shows you how pricy hardware can be!
Now, you have to know, I am notoriously BAD at installing hardware. It's never level. The holes never match. I get mad, walk off in a huff, and leave it to the hubby. But this time I was determined to do it right! And I did.
The first thing I did was find the center of the drawer and "mark" it with a piece of painters tape:
The great thing about using painter's tape is that it didn't take off the finish and I was able to use the same piece for all six drawers. Score.
After I found the center of the drawer, I created a template:
I needed rather large holes for the hardware but getting a large drill bit to give me a precise measurement hole never works for me. So I took the time to use a small drill bit to start the hole and followed up with the larger, correct sized drill bit. Definitely worth the time!
Once that was done (times six), my dressers were complete. (Or so I thought.)
It's really hard to tell from the picture. But they looked like midgets. My foyer is two stories tall and they were just too short. Luckily, I knew I could order some legs on Ikea. So that's what I did. First, I had to build a base for the dressers since there was nothing on the bottom for me to attach the legs to so I had to remedy that situation.
Here's the base. I just used a couple pre-primed 1x6s and kreg jig to put them together:
I painted the parts that would be visible and then simply screwed the base into place. I also screwed the dressers together so the whole thing would be sturdy. After that, I attached the legs. (Spray painted gold to match) I cannot tell you how easy it was to attach the legs. I really wish I would have taken pictures. But trust me when I say I'd recommend those legs any day of the week!
And here is the final, final product:
And that mirror? I love it. If you remember, I found it when I went thrifting a few months ago! I didn't mean to copy my inspiration quite so closely, but it totally works! And the lamps? Target. The gold accessories? Target. I simply LOVE Target! The elephant is a treasure we found at Animal Kingdom last October. Lastly, since the dressers were not level on top, I remedied that situation with a piece of glass cut specifically to size. I used Binswanger glass and they were awesome. The price was really reasonable and their turn-around time was good, too.
I decided not to put on the corner brackets that sort of help define a piece of furniture as campaign. I kind of like the minimalist look. I'm afraid if I attached the gold hardware it will overwhelm the piece because it's not very big. Who knows? Maybe some day I'll change my mind!
One last time:
I'm just thrilled with how it turned out. It adds the pop of color I needed. If you hang tight, I'll do a full reveal of my foyer and the stairs. The stairs are just now getting trimmed out and they will be DONE! It only took four months:)
Edited: I'm linking to Miss Mustard Seed!
I can't find the same legs anymore so I'm guessing Ikea discontinued them? However, I think these would work and would give it a try. Let me know if you make one of these. I'd love to see a picture!
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00322053/
Posted by: Suzanne | 03/12/2017 at 07:56 PM
Love this! Can you re-link the legs you used from Ikea? the link is not working. Or perhaps give the dimensions on the legs you used, so I can find a similar style?
Posted by: tntlasi | 03/09/2017 at 08:03 AM
Hi Rebecca. To screw the dressers together I just used 4 small screws - two on the top and two on the bottom. I removed the top drawers and screwed the sides together with short screws. Just make sure the screws do not stick out the other side or they will get in the way of the drawer. The bottom area is hollow (below the toe kick) so I screwed the dressers together down there as well. It's super easy!
Posted by: Suzanne | 12/13/2015 at 08:38 PM
Hi- LOVE this! When you are describing the base, you also said that you screwed the dressers together to keep the whole thing sturdy. ... What does this mean exactly? How did you attach the two dressers? Thank you, in advance, for your insight! I'm a beginner and this is just fabulous!
Best,
Rebeccca
Posted by: Rebecca | 12/08/2015 at 09:31 AM
Do you have any more details on the base you built?
Posted by: Andi | 08/10/2015 at 12:45 PM
What color are your walls in this room? It's the defect gray!
Posted by: Shauna | 05/14/2015 at 09:38 PM
Dayanara - I actually rarely use a roller anymore. I can't seem to find a roller that doesn't leave a slight texture. I use a 2" angled brush and then brush one large section at a time (top, sides, drawer) and after the whole section has the color applied I go back over it with my brush dragging long, smooth sections from end to end. That seems to help even out the paint and get as smooth of finish as possible without a sprayer. I hope that helps!
Posted by: Suzanne | 08/04/2013 at 04:35 PM
Hi. Love this!! Did you use a roller or paint brush to paint this gorgeous piece?
Thanks!
Posted by: Dayanara Garcia | 08/02/2013 at 03:05 PM
Anna - Actually, you have to build a base if you want to install legs. The dressers themselves don't have anything to screw the legs onto - they're sort of hollow underneath.
Posted by: Suzanne | 06/10/2013 at 04:05 PM
Also, do you think I could just attach the legs without making a base for it? Thanks!
Posted by: anna | 06/09/2013 at 02:52 PM
This looks amazing. I really wanted to do do something like this and I am glad I found your post. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: anna | 06/09/2013 at 02:49 PM
I love this green. I just added this green to the inside of my hutch. Check it out at throughmyporchwindow.blogspot.com
Posted by: Susan @ throughmyporchwindow.blogspot.com | 04/24/2013 at 06:02 AM
Thanks so much for the kind comments Gretchen and Lauren! And I'd be honored to be featured on your blog, Lauren.
Posted by: Suzanne | 04/20/2013 at 04:03 PM
LOVE THE WAY THIS TURNED OUT, GENIUS! i would love to feature it, if that would be ok with you please let me know,
lauren
Posted by: west furniture revival | 04/19/2013 at 11:38 PM
ooh, very nice! I love that color. And I'm super impressed with your hardware installation...it looks like it was always there!
Posted by: Gretchen@BoxyColonial | 04/19/2013 at 08:52 PM