I did this one for an old high school friend of mine who liked the idea of toy storage that didn’t have to look like toy storage. You can find the one I did for myself here: Lego Storage Dresser Revival.
Not too much distressing. Just enough to add character.
Add some lovely water hyacinth baskets…
Some pretty stuff on top…
And, voila’, Pottery Barn’s got nothin’ on me! You’d never guess there were toys in there, would you?
Brandi says
Wow, Jamie! This is seriously amazing. Beautiful makeover!
Jamie Lott says
Thank you so much!!
Kerry says
What did you use to sit the baskets on? in the before picture it looks like there is nothing there.. and the after there is some sort of board or wood so that the baskets don’t fall into the drawers. am i making any sense? hahha!
Jamie Lott says
Yes! You make perfect sense. I have to rework the inside on some of the pieces to accomodate the baskets!
Anonymous says
i have the same question…i want to do make a dresser into a console for tv components and need to have a flat surface…any advice?
Jamie Lott says
You know what, it honestly depends on the piece. I’ve never been able to do the same thing twice! That would be too easy!
Jennifer says
Where are the baskets from??
Jamie Lott says
These are from Lowes.
Anonymous says
Did you paint it then distress or stain/ distress? I want to try this 🙂
Anonymous says
What color stain did you use???
Anonymous says
Love your idea after you painted did you add a gloss finish so the paint dosnt peel off.
Leese Shines says
beautiful work !! I have an OLD OLD coffee table I was just going to re stain a lighter color but originally wanted to do it black. What did you use to get this look ?
Brit @ Confessions of a PinAholic says
Found you on Pinterest. I’ll being doing tons of furniture revivals soon! This will come in handy!!
Jeff Hill says
What black paint do you use?
Blasphemous Homemaker says
Can you pull out the baskets and show what you use in there to keep them up? I need to do this with an old piece of furniture I have but I haven’t been able to think of what to do where there drawers used to be.
Anonymous says
I would also be curious to see how you keep the baskets in place. a piece of plywood?
Jamie Lott says
Thank you all so much! Please be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for upcoming videos on some of my techniques:
http://youtube.com/southernrevivals
Also, be sure to Like my Facebook page for frequent updates.
Thanks again!
Anika Yeley says
Love all your revivals. What paint / stain / finish do you recommend for wood furniture like this?
Anika Yeley says
I looked at your YouTube and there was nothing on this type of work!
Janell says
I wonder the same. Really interested in trying my own projects, but don’t see any clues to how you do your work.
Jamie Lott says
Anika & Janell,
My YouTube will be in full swing at the beginning of the year. I will be offering basic painting and furniture refinishing tutorials. I do not offer tutorials or step by step instructions on my custom pieces as these are one of a kind, custom pieces for my clients. However, my videos will teach you the skills necessary to DIY some pieces of your own so I hope you’ll join me and stayed tuned. Thank you!
Jamie says
So it’s 2016, and I don’t see any of these tutorials on your YouTube page, and there’s only a few videos as it is. Just curious if you were going to be posting any? Thanks!
jamie says
Hi Jamie
I’d always planned to but there’s just so much else to get to. Most of my videos are embedded into their corresponding posts and aren’t viewable from my YouTube (because they wouldn’t make sense on their own). Hopefully I’ll get to doing more in depth videos dedicated to YouTube in the future.
Bonnie T says
WOW! This is EXACTLY what I’ve been looking for. The size and functionality of a dresser that doesn’t look like a dresser! Hoping to be able to find a “How I did it” section. Brand new to Pintrest 🙂
Anonymous says
I always knew you were good at taking something and making it useful and more attractive
Your ever loving RGAN
jessica stripe says
Oh wow that is fantastic, I cant believe you have managed to make the dresser look so god. Do you have any tips for newbies on reviving furniture?
Mom24 says
I just want to know how to do this type of distressing! grrrrr.
SouthernKappa says
I have a dresser that is dying for this treatment!
Alex Peters says
I am trying to do the same thing with my old dresser, but I cannot find a stain that matches what you used. Please post the paint/stain you used for the Pottery Barn makeover. Thank you
jamie says
Hi Alex,
I did not use a stain, only paint. It’s just Black from Benjamin Moore. I talk a little more about the kind of paint I use, and why, when using latex in this post: https://www.southernrevivals.com/2014/04/uncle-joes-dresser-answers-questions.html
Katie says
Hey Jamie! I LOVE this dresser revival and wanted to let you know that I’m featuring this post tomorrow for Round-Up Monday (with a linkback, of course). If you would rather not be featured, that’s fine, just let me know! You did an amazing job:)
Katie
www.funhomethings.com
jamie says
Thank you Katie! I really appreciate the share!
Danita says
How would a beginner go about doing something like this? Do you have to “remove” the finish, paint over it and then sandpaper it down? Is it THAT easy or is there more to it? I LOVE this look.
jamie says
Occasionally, if a piece is very shiny I do sand very lightly to give the paint something to stick to. Otherwise I do not remove the finish in order to paint. Using the correct materials, paint designed specifically for painting furniture, for example, will make your job much easier. It is that easy! I do recommend starting with something small and practicing before moving on to a large project.
Kristi H. says
Can you help me out with HOW you refinished it? I have the perfect dresser, but I don’t know the steps to take to refinish it. If you could tell me what you did then I think I can adapt it to my piece.
jamie says
I truly hate to be vague but it really just depends on the piece, what it’s made of (is it all wood?) and how it’s been cleaned (i.e. Old English polish, etc.) I plan on doing a Basic Furniture painting series starting in Jan. For the best results, be sure you clean it well with a degreaser, sand lightly if necessary and be sure you’re using a paint designed for painting furniture. Oh! And have fun!
Kit says
I love the make-over, however it would be extremely beneficial if you provided more detailed instructions. There are no steps on how to take it from thrift store to fab find.
Kee says
There’s no step by step process though…After reading some of the comments it’s like you don’t want to share? Is there a step by step anywhere by chance or similar to this?
jamie says
I’m sorry that’s the impression that you get. Many of the questions were answered via email because this post was on a different platform at the time it was originally posted. You may find this post helpful: https://www.southernrevivals.com/2014/04/uncle-joes-dresser-answers-questions.html
Angela says
Hi there-I’m a first time reader- just love the cabinet. cheers!
jamie says
Hi Angela! Thank you and welcome!
Linda says
I’m having trouble finding large pulls like this. You did a dark blue dresser with large pulls too. Can you share a source for the pulls?
jamie says
Hi Linda,
Honestly, I get my hardware from so many different places like Hobby Lobby, Amazon, etc. I really need to put together a post or at least go back and add links to existing posts. I’m not sure which blue dresser you’re referring to but if you’d like to have a look here: https://www.southernrevivals.com/category/furniture-makeovers/client-files/ and let me know which one you’d like more info on, I’d be happy to help you.
Brittany says
Looks great – but people are looking for help/advice!!
jamie says
Thank you! But I’m not sure I take your second point. I have offered help and advice throughout the comment section here in this post, having answered every question I’ve received either here in the comment section or via email. Perhaps you’re new to my blog in which case you may not realize that this post is almost a decade old. It was written when my blog was hosted on a different platform and was, at that time, just used as a client portfolio.