I picked up this beauty with hidden potential at Goodwill, like almost all my pieces. This is what he looked like for a very long time. Poor thing, somebody didn't love him. Let's face it, he was sort of ugly...
I've often read that people do research on their pieces. I never have other than looking online to get ideas for refurbishing...though I usually already know what I want to do when I get a piece! But I thought it would be fun to find out a little about this Bassett dresser. On the back it had a long code, perhaps an item number? I typed that in along with "Avante", which was also stamped on the back. This is what came up.
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I cleaned up the original brass hardware with Brasso, gave the body a quick sanding, primed and painted the body in ultra white, and used Restor a finish (I love that stuff!) on the wooden parts. The painted portion got a clear coat, and the wood grain was waxed. The detail drawers I hand painted with a 1 inch brush. I did 3 coats of primer and 2 coats of paint before I was happy with the coverage. It took about 20 minutes per drawer for one coat. That doesn't even count the clean up after (hey nobody's perfect!). I had to try to fix as many of my little mess ups as possible! Oh man, that's over 5 hours on just those drawers...
Totally worth it!
Here's a look at the drawers mid refinishing. The right ones have been treated (but not yet waxed) and the left are the original dull condition.
Speaking of drawers, I've become a dovetail joint snob. I haven't bought a piece in a very long time without them. They're just a must have! ;) I love how they have a two tone wood look! I did not line the drawers on this piece. I would have used brown and white zebra like I did on my first 2 tone mid century dresser, and I was thinking that might turn off a male buyer. Plus they were super clean and nice inside, so I left them natural.
Here's how I would have put the drawers. I photographed the dresser both ways, so buyers could envision how they would want to place them. Not to mention, if you get bored of it one way it's easy to change it up and have something a little different!
This mid century modern dresser sold in a record 4 days! I asked the buyer which way she liked the drawers best, and the winner is down the center! She also said she'd never have thought to put them that way...so I'm glad I did a bit of research on this piece!
What do y'all think?