House project - Dining room - buffet

If you remember this post from last week, I am tired of having a tired dining room.  I decided that a buffet under the map would make the space feel cozier.  It would also break up the monotony of wood tones if I found something and refinished it, either with paint, or wallpaper, or stencils, or... you get the idea.  The possibilities are endless.

It would seem that the large china cabinet in the room would house everything I need, but I have lots of table linens {being from the South, it's required.  I also have four sets of dishes.  Go ahead, roll your eyes}.

So here's what I wanted.

1.  A piece, probably a dresser, that was well made,

2.  Not in good cosmetic condition and,

3.  Free or almost free.

Let me explain number two.  I wanted a piece in poor condition because I just can't paint over a perfectly wonderful piece of furniture.  It just seems wrong.  I don't mind watching other people do it, and I'm always impressed with the results, but it would be tough to do myself {though I have had visions of having a go at our beautiful bedroom set.  I'll never buy a set again.  Now I'm stuck.  Don't get me wrong - they're very nice, but they all match}.

So I searched, and I searched,  and I searched, and I searched, and I searched, and I searched, and I searched.  For months I searched Craigslist.  Because I had no time constraints, I could afford to wait until IT showed up.  Many times I found what I thought was IT, but IT was gone by the time I called. 

Then I found ... IT.

For just $20, this little baby was mine.  And with these curves, I knew she was a girl. 

I think she fits well in the space.  I am thinking of sawing down her legs a couple of inches to clear the chair rail so she can sit closer to the wall.  Thoughts?

Okay.  If' I'm talking about sawing legs off, I'm not calling the dresser a girl anymore.  It's just wrong.

The dresser is dovetailed and in good condition minus having a really shoddy paint job.  I was thrilled to find it, though it will just sit here until it's warm enough to work on it outside {sigh}.  Did I mention we are going to get two to four inches of snow tomorrow?

Even though I already love it, I am open to the possibility that the dresser takes up too much space in the room.  I hate when rooms feel cluttered.  I'll periodically evaluate as I complete projects in there.  If it is too much, I'll either move it somewhere else, or resell it on Craigslist.  I'll bet I could make a profit!

If you had a blank canvas like this, what would you do?