Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest: Class It Up!

(This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. 🙂 )

Sometimes you find an awesome piece of furniture to make over … and you think you know exactly how it should look.

I was pretty sure this vintage dresser should look simple and elegant so I painted it a stunning shade of blue and thought it was good to go.

It wasn’t.

Sure, the dresser looked a lot better than it did when I found it. And it did get a lot of complements at our shop All Things New Again in Leesburg, Virginia … but it never sold. Why not?

One day I realized the problem. The blue paint was a nice start, but this makeover wasn’t complete. This piece needed a classier look to show off those great feet. And the clunky brass hardware that came with it wasn’t doing it any favors. It needed something more …

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I found exactly what this dresser needed on the D. Lawless Hardware website. Oh my goodness! Someone like me who likes to re-do old furniture could spend HOURS on this site perusing the huge selection of knobs, pulls and other awesome furniture accessories. DISCLOSURE: I may have spent hours  just ogling over all of the knobs, pulls and other awesome furniture accessories on this site. (And it was fun!)

D. Lawless Hardware is the sponsor of this month’s Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest. DISCLOSURE: I received free product from D. Lawless Hardware to complete my entry in the August 2016 Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest.

The theme is: Class It Up. In other words, transform a Plain Jane piece of furniture into something classy and elegant.

Look at this lovely lady now!

I added Saltwash (leftover from my June Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest entry) into more of the blue paint and pounced it on to create texture. Then I painted red over everything and lightly sanded to reveal just a bit of the blue underneath. I kept some blue around the edges to frame out the piece and accentuate those elegant lines. Then I applied brown glaze to tone down the brightness of the colors and highlight the details on the feet.

The new paint job was pretty, but the D. Lawless Hardware items are what really give this piece the pizazz it needed.

I selected classy Rocco Style Drop Pulls to replace the old brass hardware.

The pulls were so beautiful “as is” that I felt a little bit guilty about painting over them, but I wanted to pull out the blue color from the rest of the piece. I used the dry brushing technique and also added glaze to accentuate all of the pretty details on the pulls.

The cost of new drawer pulls can add up quickly. I thought for sure 8 new pulls would totally blow the budget we were given for our contest entries. Nope! Not even close. I had plenty leftover to add a pretty appliqué to my order. I chose the Large Scroll Crown With Cameo Middle because I liked the way the opening in the center followed the same curves as the openings on the drawer pulls. I also painted the appliqué blue and added glaze to pop out the details.

This is not how I originally envisioned this piece … but it is so much better now!

I’m not the only one trying to Class It Up!

Head on over to 58 Water Street to see how Fab Host Colleen re-vamped a vintage dresser. You will also find links to ALL of this month’s amazing transformations at the end of Colleen’s post.

Bloggers interested in joining future contests should email info@fabfurnitureflippincontest.com for more information.

~ Courtney

All Things New Again is a family-owned furniture and paint boutique in Leesburg, Virginia (about an hour or so west of Washington, DC). We offer our own eclectic brand of hand painted furniture, several lines of eco-friendly paint for your next DIY project, and fun classes and workshops. Stop by the next time you are in town!

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We’re linking up with:

Friday’s Furniture Fix #53

DIY Vintage Chic: Friday’s Five Features No. 154

Head on over to see some of the best furniture makeovers on the Internet!