14 Simple And Spectacular DIY Dresser Transformations

Just because you no longer want a certain piece of furniture doesn’t mean someone else can’t use it. Actually, you don’t even have to get rid of it in the first place. A makeover can easily solve the issue. It’s a solution you can use whenever you get bored with the look of a dresser for example. It also works if you can get your hands on an old piece of furniture and make it your own after changing its look and style.

before-dresser
primer-after-dresser
after2-dreseer

Take this old miniature dresser for example. It was found sitting alone in a storage unit. It was in pretty good shape and only needed some aesthetic changes to look like new again. First the old wood stain was removed with sand paper. Then the dresser was repainted. Four or five thin layers did the trick. The original hardware was preserved.

Dresser makeover

An elegant design strategy when transforming a dresser is offered on fynesdesigns. The idea presented here is to add trim work to the drawer fronts. In order to do that you’ll need the trim, a saw, wood glue, and air nailer, sandpaper and paint. Measure and cut the trim pieces to create the frame for each drawer front. Line them up and glue them in place. Then paint the whole thing.

Pine dresser makeover

Painting the dresser is the simplest redesign strategy. Take this ugly old thing on pocketofposies for example. The whole thing was painted. The shell features a single color but when a drawer is open a surprise is revealed. The sides of the drawers were painted with stripes. Use this strategy to add a quirky touch to your dresser and to create contrasts.

Fabric wrap dresser

Instead of painting the dresser you can also try to wrap it in fabric. This is definitely an unusual idea. You can check out how such a makeover would look like on littleredwindow. Basically you have to remove all the drawers and to reveal the main body of the dresser. Take some fabric and nail it to the underside, making it as tight and smooth as possible. Then put the drawers back in.

Painted dresser makeover

When working with paint to change the look of a piece of furniture, painter’s tape is your best friend. Use it to create geometric designs and to keep the lines clean and smooth. A good example is offered on thesweetestoccasion. The black and white combo is timeless and offers this dresser an elegant and classy look.

Mountain dresser makeover

Tape was also the key element when redesigning this dresser. The entire dresser was painted black except for two angled lines that meet at the top and form a triangle on the front of the dresser. The top also preserved its original natural wood color. {found on hellolidy}.

Ikea rast hack

A makeover can also be given to a brand new dresser. Let’s say you get yourself an Ikea Rast and you want to give it a little bit of character. You can check out madincrafts for a project that focuses on this exact piece. The dresser was paint and, since it had to legs, four were provided to raise it off the floor. The dresser also got new hardware and some metal stud ornaments around its frame.

Modern industrial nightstand from ikea rast

The same simple Ikea Rast was also used for the project on simplydesigning. This time, however, a little bit of paint wasn’t everything the dresser needed to gain a new look. Custom overlay was used here. After the dresser was painted, the metal overlay was added. This gave the piece an industrial look while also using a geometric pattern so often seen in contemporary designs.

Gold leaf and white dresser makeover

Let’s say you have an old dresser with a very worn look. You could give it a complete makeover and a totally new look or you could choose to embrace its original design. Keep the old worn look intact and add your own touch to the design using some gold leaf and tape as shown on thedempsterlogbook.

Campaig dresser restoration

A makeover doesn’t necessarily have to mean a complete transformation and a whole new look. It can also be a restoration of a beautiful piece of furniture. The first rule when restoring a beautiful but old piece of furniture: don’t hide the wood behind paint. Wood stain is a much better option. You can find out more about restorations and the details you need to take into consideration on homemadebycarmona.

Leathr belt drawer pulls

Sometimes beauty is in the little things like these leather drawer pulls that were added to a dresser. They were made out of old leather belts and were attached with nails. The idea is ingenious and the style matches a lot of pieces of furniture. Find out all the details of the process of themerrythought.

Green after restoration

When you find a piece of furniture that already looks great, like this mid-century dresser featured on billiemonster, there’s no need to really add anything. A coat of paint or stain should do the trick. The green really suits this dresser and the criss-cross pattern on the drawer fronts is highlighted beautifully. The hardware is gorgeous as well.

Dry Erase Dresser Makeover
Dry Erase Dresser Makeover Icon

A wonderful idea for a dresser meant to be used by kids is to use dry erase paint. You know how kids love to ruin the walls and everything else whenever they get their hands on a marker. Well they’ll actually be allowed to use it on this dresser. In addition, you’ll get to customize it in a lot of fun ways. {found on ducklingsinarow}.

Dresser before reno
Bar after renovation

Part of a dresser’s makeover can also be to change its function. For example, a small dresser can be transformed into a wine bar. The process is described on hometalk. Some transformations would have to be made to the piece but nothing major or too complicated. Remove some drawers, add some wine racks and that’s all.