The Emerald Dresser

Okay, so this isn't a basement update like I had planned.  I'll get to those.  I know you're holding your breath.

We bought our entry dresser back when we lived in Washington.  We needed storage and that house didn't have much.  I used it then for linens and other dining things.  It was stained a dark walnut color, and while it was in pretty good condition, it was very dull and needed some shine.  I have no pictures of it from that time.  It was pre-blog, back when I took pictures of people instead of my furniture. :)

When we moved to Wisconsin, the dresser was my first project.  I sanded it down and painted it.  Now, if I had that dresser in it's original state in front of me right now, I might think twice about painting it.  I didn't know how easy staining and poly-ing is way back then.  So it became teal. 

Very teal. 

Against an orange wall.  The only picture I have of it that color is actually a video of Ella from when she was four.  You don't have to watch the video {it's not academy award winning} - you can just look at the grainy picture.
 

I loved the teal being so bold.  It was gutsy and a little scary and it helped me to jump off the cliff of decorating in my own style. 

Eventually, we brought the dresser into the dining room to use as a buffet.  The teal was CRAZY in there, so I decided to get on the distressing band wagon and paint it gray and then sand it down so that the teal showed through in some spots.  Brilliant idea, no?

 

No.  It didn't exactly work as planned.  I didn't wait long enough for the gray to dry, so it gummed up in the sander and made for a dresser that was less distressed and more haunted house.
 

 

The only things I loved about it were my new knobs, which you can see a couple of pictures up.  Two things to note:  1.  I know the map is too big for the dresser {it was already in place when we brought the dresser in}.  I had planned on changing it out for a picture gallery in that space, but we moved before I got to it.  2.  It is not fair that the little ball of cuteness peeking out at you in the picture below is now four.  Not fair at all.

Well, that sad dresser sat there like that until we moved here.  When it fit perfectly in the entry, it really needed a paint job.  Nothing like welcoming your guests into your doom and gloom.

I debated between red {to go with the chandelier over the piano}, yellow {which of course, we later used on our front door}, and green, but obviously ended up going green.  Normally I lean toward the yellow hued greens, but this time I wanted something richer.  I went with an emerald green, which I LOVE.  It's very bold without being overly loud.

I was a little concerned that it would be on the Hunter Green side circa 1994, but it came out pretty much how I was hoping it would.

Ending thoughts.
-I am not sure that this dresser is actually finished.  I am thinking of sealing it with a clear wax to even out a few places in the finish {in the right light, you can see the spray paint lines}, but I don't know if that would make it really hard to repaint it when I get tired of the green.  I mean,I love the green now, but I think we can all agree that a dresser has had four looks in four years is likely to change again. 

-I chose to spray paint this time because that is what I used last time, so I knew it would stick well to the previous layers.  I have begun to lean away from spray paint in wood furniture applications because of the lack of color options and the uneven finish that can develop{and it's actually more expensive}.  It is easy and quick, though!