The Turquoise Dresser

Some people rescue shelter dogs. They maybe start off with one or two and then before they know it they have 13 dogs packing around their home, all saved from the brink at the local shelter. I am becoming somewhat of a rescue furniture owner. I have a big soft spot for tired, old, free furniture that is sitting around mangled and down-hearted.

This is a dresser that Nate's parents gave to us when we moved back to San Diego (thank you!) which they had in turn been given from a neighbor about 20-25 years before. I think we can all agree that it isn't doing much for the energy of anyone looking at it. One day a few weeks ago I got a crazy hair to paint it turquoise! A coat of primer. A coat of turquoise. A rub down with some sandpaper for "old worldy" effect. A final coat of sealer. And tada! A brand new piece.


This is our "new" dresser in turquoise. It's just fun and vivacious to have a large piece of turquoise furniture welcoming you into a room. In my mind's eye it has new, simple silver hardware but new hardware costs money and I don't care enough about the hardware right now to pay for it. Before the remodel I really didn't like the hardware, but now I think it makes more sense.

Some other recent projects have included:
~A free end table we got from the gal who's wingback chair we bought off Craigslist. The table was dirty and it's legs were detached. I cleaned it, repainted it with paint left-over in the garage, and spent a few cents on washers and bolts and now it is sitting pretty in our guest bedroom. It kills me to see people throw away great furniture. I love the free section on Craigslist!

~ An interior 6 panel door. My original thought was to turn it into a headboard, but it wasn't quite right in our room, so now I think I'm going to turn it into a laundry table for the garage.

~ We have a broken bedside table that I'm itching to redo.

I promised my husband and myself that I wouldn't spend all my spare time on the Craigslist free section looking for needy furniture to bring home...only occasionally. And Nate, good man that he is, knows it is really futile to ask me why I would choose to bring broken furniture home, or why I would choose to paint them turquoise. I don't know. Because it sounds like fun!