Serpentine Dresser in Antique White

One night a couple of weeks ago, I decided to browse Craigslist “just for fun.”  This really is a bad idea for a furniture hoarder like me.  I have plenty of projects waiting in the wings and the last thing I need is another one.   To no one’s surprise, I spotted a  vintage serpentine dresser that I just couldn’t pass up.  I emailed the seller who lived very close to me.  In fact, she was just a couple of blocks from my son’s school.  How convenient is that?

The next day, I was loading this lovely dresser into my van.

The drawers were in near perfect condition, they just needed some cleaning and shining.  The rest of the dresser, especially the top, had some significant veneer problems.  I decided to leave the drawers in their original condition and paint the rest.

After addressing the veneer problems, I cleaned, sanded, patched and primed the dresser with two coats of primer.  I then painted it with 3 coats of General Finishes Antique White milk paint.  I sealed it with General Finishes High Performance Top Coat in Flat.

The original finish on the drawers was impeccable.  I just cleaned them up and polished them with a coat of  Howard Feed-n-Wax.  That grain, warm tone and sheen are beyond beautiful.

I added new white knobs.

The dresser was missing several of its original keyhole inserts, which is not uncommon. They tend to fall out over the years.  In my experience, it is very difficult to find replacements to fit the existing holes.  If anyone has any intel on this, I would love to know! I have an ever growing stash of these, but none of them fit.  I even measured the holes and ordered some new ones, but they didn’t fit, either.

Plan B.  I used two of the original inserts for the keyholes on the top drawers.  I then used some cute keyholes covers I found at Hobby Lobby (in the jewelry section of all places) for the bottom 4 drawers.  They coordinate with the knobs and give it a mix and match vibe.

And let us all pause for a moment to admire those feet.

Thanks for stopping by.

Susan