I’ve previously mentioned my slight obsession with the ReStore. It’s as close to a treasure hunt as a grown person gets. Over the summer, I stumbled on this 70’s beauty:
It was the deal of the day – only $10! I could envision it with sleek navy paint and bright gold hardware in my TV room. It would be such an upgrade from the Ikea shelving unit!
It was also the size of my first car. Everything was bigger in the 70’s.
I have pulled all kinds of furniture-hangin’-out-of-the-back-of-my-sedan stunts in the name of a ReStore bargain, but this puppy wasn’t going home that way. This was a bribe-a-friend-with-a-truck kind of moment.
Conversation with Paul goes something like this:
Me: “So honey, I got such a deal today! A new TV unit for only $10 bucks! One thing though – its a touch big. You can get your friend to help, right?”
Paul: “How big are we talking?”
Me: “You know, it’s like 6 foot long. Super solid. Excellent quality”.
In actuality, the dresser is over 8-foot long. I think it might weigh 200 lbs. I hear the gentlemen had a blast picking it up. Did I mention my husband is the best?
Somehow or another, it landed in my garage, where it stayed for 2 months. So many projects, so little time.
I should mention that I live in the snow belt. This is not, as I initially mused, a myth or a glittery winter accessory. It means that it basically snows every day between October and April (sometimes May!). The very large dresser sat where our car would need to be if we didn’t want to dig it out of said incessant snow. Hence my motivation to get the paint party started.
I chose a color called “In the Navy”. My friends at the Home Depot (I am in there so often we are practically on a first name basis) suggested I use a more durable alkyd paint but warned me that the color might be a touch darker than the chip. With the way my boys use furniture, it seemed like it was worth the risk.
On to prep. The drawers of my new treasure didn’t exactly open. Easy fix, I reasoned. For Paul, that is. He pulled and pried and they didn’t budge. We ripped off the back panel and pushed from behind. Voila! Here was the problem: they did not open because they were filled with 30 lbs worth of glass shelving, either from a fridge or a china cabinet. You truly never know what you’ll find when you thrift!
With the drawers finally out, I decided to keep them out to allow space for cable box, video game consoles, etc.
I despise sanding, and though I probably should have done it anyway, I skipped a step and instead used my favorite Zinsser B-I-N primer, after a quick cleaning, to get everything nice and smooth. Then it was time for the magic. I began rolling out the paint, and noticed that it was looking more purple than blue. I tried to reassure myself it would dry darker. I came in with a second coat, this time feeling a touch panicky. Paul came wandering in.
Me: “Honey, what color would you call this?”
Paul: “It’s purple. It looks like something Prince would have owned. It’s cool! Looking good!”
Egads!
I love purple, but not so much in home decor. This would not do.
Dejected, I finished the painting and walked away for 24 hours. Happily, when I returned the next day and in sunlight, the dresser was most definitely blue. Phew!
After a quick coating of bright gold spray paint on the hardware, here is the finished product:
It easily holds all the trappings of modern entertainment and then some.
Paul and our Awesome Amish Carpenter somehow dragged my hefty “new” entertainment cabinet to the second floor TV room. Where it will stay forever and ever. Because it is too big to even consider moving again.
Cheers to 70’s upcycled treasure!
Old, Pretty, and Slightly Broken 