The Interior DIYer
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Bedroom dresser update – reveal!

It may have taken me close to two months to do it, but I’m very excited to at long last be able to share our updated bedroom dresser! 

Around this time in December Rust-Oleum got in contact about working on another project. Our bedroom dresser was in serious need of being updated so I chose to repaint our dresser with Rust-Oleum’s Chalky Finish Furniture Paint in ‘Strawberry Vanilla’ and topped it off with some of their mat Furniture Lacquer [you can read my full design decision making process here]. It took much longer than expected to update our dresser [a handle order that went wrong + having a newish baby = things now take 42 times longer than I’d like], but despite the delay, I’m more than delighted with how it turned out. 

Because our dresser was so dark, it took 3 coats of ‘Strawberry Vanilla’ to cover the previous paint. I let the dresser dry for about 6 hours between each coat before adding the lacquer finish. I added two layers of lacquer as our dresser gets a lot of use and is also in a high traffic area in our room. I thoroughly mixed the lacquer, applied the first coat and waited 24 hours before applying the second coat as per the instructions on the tin. My one mistake was I didn’t thoroughly mix the lacquer before I applied the second coat and the second coat came out streaky. This was simply because the lacquer had settled in the tin between coats. I mixed it really well and applied a third layer of lacquer and it turned out perfectly. Because I added 3 layers of lacquer altogether, I let the dresser dry fully for about 2-3 days before putting the drawers back in and placing anything on top. 

Something I found really handy was applying the paint and lacquer with a small sponge roller. Using a sponge roller meant each layer was applied to the dresser and drawers from start to finish within 20 minutes. Whereas if I had used a brush, I’d say I’d still be working on it. 

The black Ikea borghamn handles really finish the dresser and work perfectly with the antique pink. I’m all about strong contrasts and juxtapositions, so the strong black handles balance the lightness of the dresser and tie it in with the rest of our room. They make it – dare I say – a bit sexy? 

I don’t want to sound overly dramatic, but I’m really in love with our dresser now. The reason I love interior design so much is because of the mental health benefits that come from updating a space. How one change to a room can make such a huge difference to a space and how you feel about that space. Our room was feeling a little bit dreadful these past few months, but a few coats of paint have really made such a difference. 

DISCLOSURE – while this blog post is not sponsored, I did receive this paint and lacquer free of charge from Rust-Oleum. As always, all words and opinions are my own. I only work with companies I like and of course, think that you will too. Thank you for supporting the companies that support The Interior DIYer. 

Also featured – faux marble bedside tables – faux marble step stool – our engagement story [in the large picture frame]
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Bedroom dresser update – the plans

Ever since I painted our bedroom black the night before Cora was born, there were a few things that needed to be updated. Our black curtains were one, and our dark grey dresser was another. Don’t get me wrong, I love black and wear nothing but black all the time, but there was too much of it in our room. Our dark dresser was now too close to the colour of our bedroom walls, and since we now had a baby, repainting a dresser was pretty low on my priority list.

At the beginning of December, Rust-Oleum got in contact about working on another project and asked if there was any furniture of ours that needed updating. I immediately thought of our bedroom dresser so took it as a perfect opportunity to update it in a completely new way.

Here’s what our dresser looked like before [and even before that – yeesh]. I spent a few days on Pinterest and decided on the lightest of pink paint. Rust-Oleum’s Chalky Finish Furniture Paint in ‘Strawberry Vanilla’ was perfect, topped with Rust-Oleum’s Furniture Lacquer to give a protective finish to the chalk paint. At first I was thinking of making our dresser very ornate with gold handles and add wood appliques to the drawers [kind of like this], but the longer I thought about it the more I realised it would be bad-fake [I’m not too keen on fake antiquing, unless it’s done really well and I didn’t think I could]. Our dresser is old and very possibly mid-century-something, so I decided to stick to a design that suited it a bit better. And something a bit funner.

Because our apartment is so small, there’s not much space between the end of our bed and the dresser. Our knees / pockets / hips were forever getting caught on the current handles, so I was on the lookout for a long handle that wouldn’t catch on our knees / pockets / hips. To make things just a bit more awkward, I wanted a handle that would fit the existing holes which were placed 416mm apart. I found a beautiful pair of handles on Etsy, but the order became not only very delayed, but complicated so it was cancelled. Which is the main reason this update took so long.

I checked the IKEA website and not only did they have solid non-knee / pocket / hip-catching handles that were spaced 416mm apart, but they were beautiful handles. They were black borghamn handles and they were solid iron. I’m so close to finishing our dresser update and in fact I’ll be heading out today to pick up the sweet, sweet handles in what I’m hoping will be the fastest IKEA trip ever [I’m sure I’ll be over-sharing on my InstaStories if you’re curious]. Wish me luck. 
DISCLOSURE – while this blog post is not sponsored, I did receive this paint and lacquer free of charge from Rust-Oleum. As always, all words and opinions are my own. I only work with companies I like and of course, think that you will too. Thank you for supporting the companies that support The Interior DIYer. 
Previous projects with Rust-Oleum – faux marble bedside tables  
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IKEA Bekvam step stool gets a faux marble makeover

After a very welcome few days with no agenda other than eating, remembering to occasionally change position so I don’t get DVT, more eating, drinking and throwing my sleep routine into complete chaos, I decided it was time to actually do something. Something not too challenging that could be done whilst watching endless seasonal movies and Top Gear. Queue the need to repaint something.

After updating our bedside tables, I had plenty of Rust-Oleum paint left over. Our IKEA bekvam step stool was looking mighty haggard after I used it while sanding and repainting all the doors and skirting boards in our hallway last spring, so I had the idea to give it the same treatment as our bedside tables. Marble-ise it. It’ll be marbleous! [sorry / not sorry].

I took it through the same steps as our bedside tables with the exception of using more coats of white paint to cover the dark grey. Ideally I would have disassembled the stool, except that long ago I painted over the hardware the first time I painted it [now 3 colours ago]. I know, bad DIYer. But that was in my hasty youth and I have since learned. 

Once I had enough layers of white paint all over, I used a really subtle marble effect on both steps. It shows up incredibly subtle, so I may paint the rest of the stool black to really make the steps pop, but I’ve yet to decide on that. For now, it’s miles better than before. And if the steps get scuffled, I think it’ll only just add to the marble effect.

So what about you? Have you made use of your time off this season? Or are you still hiding under the duvet? I actually didn’t realise today was Monday until about 13:00, soooo … 😀

Disclosure – while this blog post is not sponsored, the paint I used for this update was leftover from paint I received free of charge from Rust-Oleum. Just FYI-ing you so you’re in the loop. I only work with companies I like and of course, think you will too. Thank you for supporting the companies that support The Interior DIYer.