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Before and After: Mid-Century Asymmetrical Dresser

painted vintage furniture before and after

This mid-century modern dresser was picked up a few weeks ago at a Summer yard sale for a steal. It sat in our living room for a while until we finished a few other projects and figured out what we were going to do to it. It originally came with 2 mirrors that had broken frames, were bulky and weighed a ton. Luckily we managed to sell the beveled mirrors and made back our money on the dresser purchase! Who knew there was a market for vintage beveled mirror.

mid century modern dresser

I am totally in love with the lines of this mid-century piece, the asymmetrical design has so much character and allows for displaying books or plants in a unique way.

The surface of the entire piece was in horrible condition, scratches, water damage and missing trim. Very little wood veneer was salvageable, so we sanded it all down, patched and filled all the areas that needed it and primed it with CIL Smart3 primer. The knobs and pulls were super cool, but also in rough shape with the white enamel coming off and the brass peeling badly.

mid century modern dresser
mid century modern before and after

A top coat was applied in high-gloss Benjamin Moore Advance. The drawer fronts are Mantis Green and the body is Snowfall White. The legs and wood trim were sanded down and stained with danish oil in light walnut to add some contrast to all the white. Lastly, the hardware and feet were primed and painted with metallic copper spray paint.

Check out the final results:

Mid Century Modern Dresser
Mid Century Modern Dresser
Mid Century Modern Dresser
Mid Century Modern Dresser

10 thoughts on “Before and After: Mid-Century Asymmetrical Dresser”

  1. Frani W

    Amazing! What a good job you did of upcycling that tired mid-century piece into a beautiful and functional piece of furniture. Kudos!!!

    1. Thanks Frani, I look forward to seeing it in it’s new home soon, a sweet little nursery for a new mom.

  2. What an interesting piece. I’ve never seen one like that. It’s just lovely how it turned out. Perfect for a nursery or even a mcm decor family room!

  3. Love love love what you did with this piece! I have been in search of a round knob that matches the ones on this dresser. Any chance you have extras or know how to find these? I have just one missing from a full mid century Johnson Carper bedroom set I own. I appreciate any info you have on this.

    1. Thanks so much Amy! Unfortunately I don’t have any extras and I have no idea where you’d find one. They were really unique, I have yet to find another piece that looks like this or has the same knobs. Best of luck on your hunt! Perhaps try searching for vintage knobs on etsy?

  4. Rebekka

    Midcentury pieces are hella expensive especially with real wood. Now it looks any ikea furniture copy cat.
    I think its too much colour. Of course the job and colours are nice and well done. As such its a great job
    But not suitable for a unique 1950 teak wood drawer.

    1. Thanks for your feedback. Sadly this piece wasn’t solid wood. All of the pieces I fixed up were plywood with plastic fake wood veneer or very thin veneer that wasn’t repairable because it’s so worn down. So the result is paint in most cases. Also these are salvaged from the side of the road too, usually have been rained on. It’s nice to give them a new life and save them from the trash.

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