He Found This Dresser on the Sidewalk and Used Stripes to Make It Look Like a Designer Piece
Rain-soaked wood and two missing drawers made this sidewalk dresser look ready for disposal. Its carved fronts and thick molding survived, giving a bold stripe pattern the shapes that would make the finished piece stand out.
Instagram creator Handyman Graham spotted it while out for a run in Toronto and brought it back for Natacha and Tex’s bedroom makeover. He rebuilt the missing drawers from scrap materials, repaired the damaged wood, and kept the details that gave the cabinet its character.
Red-orange stripes over a pale taupe base run across every drawer, wrap over the top, and follow the grooves in the trim. That continuous pattern gives the dresser its designer look, turning its once-heavy features into the most distinctive parts of the finish.
Found beside a discarded mattress
Rain had soaked the dresser before collection, so the first inspection focused on signs of swelling and damage. Its broad top, framed drawer fronts, and substantial base remained worth saving, and the measurements suited the bedroom.
Seven drawers left two gaps to fill
Back in the workshop, the nine-drawer layout revealed empty openings at both bottom corners. One surviving drawer provided a template for the replacements, including the box dimensions and decorative front.
Scrap plywood became the new boxes, while hardwood offcuts formed the fronts. Recreating the curved recesses and beveled edges mattered because flat replacements would stand out beneath the paint.
“I don’t want anyone to know that any of these drawers were made from scratch,” he said.
Old hardware came off before repairs began
Ornate metal pulls and white adhesive hooks covered parts of the original fronts. Removing them exposed the holes that needed filling with glued wood dowels before new knobs could go on.
Cleaning removed grime from the drawers and cabinet. Split wood received glue and clamps, and screws replaced staples securing some drawer slides.
Primer covered the scuffed finish
Scuff sanding dulled the old glossy coating without stripping the dresser to bare wood. Shellac primer followed, preparing the cabinet and repaired fronts for the new color.
Bone covered the piece before any stripes were marked out. That pale taupe supplied both the visible light bands and the paint used to seal the tape edges.
Green bands marked the future stripes
Green FrogTape stretched from the top edge down through the molding, across the drawers, and onto the base. At this stage, the green came from tape rather than a second paint color.
Tape width set the spacing, with a drywall square helping keep the lines aligned. Separate pieces allowed the drawers to come out without losing their position within the pattern.
Rounded wooden sticks pressed the tape into recessed panels and narrow grooves. Each change in depth created another edge where paint could creep underneath.
Base-color paint sealed the tape edges
Before adding the red-orange paint, he brushed Bone over the tape edges. Paint entering a small gap would match the base beneath it, helping close that gap before the contrasting color went on.
Habanero Chili followed in light spray passes. Once the paint reached a tacky stage, he pulled the tape toward the side of the surface to limit lifting, then touched up the few places where paint had seeped through.
Stripes crossed the whole cabinet
With the tape removed, the bands joined across all nine drawers. They continued over the projecting trim and down to the shaped base, giving the pattern a route through the entire piece.
Keeping the original profiles made the finish more striking. Red and pale bands moved in and out of shadow as they crossed raised edges, so the old joinery became part of the new design.
Wood texture remained beneath the paint
Across the top, straight paint edges sit over visible surface texture. The finish covers the brown color while preserving traces of the material underneath.
Two coats of satin lacquer completed the protective finish used for this project.
Black knobs gave the fronts a smaller accent
Round black knobs replaced the broad decorative pulls, leaving more of the stripe pattern exposed. Their dark finish connects with the black typewriter placed on top, while their compact shape keeps the carved panels visible.
Styling left room for the painted surface
Books, a striped candle, and a dark ribbed vase occupy part of the top without covering its full width. Branches rise beside the wood-framed mirror, adding height above the dresser’s long horizontal form.
Bedroom colors gave the dresser a setting
Against the pale blue-gray wall, the red-orange bands become the strongest color contrast. Warm checked curtains and a sculpted wood mirror keep the surrounding materials connected to the dresser’s original character.
Different patterns shared the room
Green striped bedding meets small checks at the window and broader bands on the dresser. Their different scales give each surface its own role, while yellow window trim and warm wood add color beyond the painted furniture.
Before and after show what stayed
Both views share the same wide top, heavy base, and framed drawer layout. Restored bottom drawers complete the storage, and continuous stripes make the once-brown cabinet read as one designed piece.
Watch the full dresser transformation
Photos: @handymangraham; finished-room photography credited to @carlatoni.