Repurposing an old dresser

I love to refinish and restore old furniture. I have several pieces in my house I have stripped, sanded, stained, painted and loved into something I could use again. In some cases old antique or hand-me-down pieces of furniture were restored into what I consider treasures.

The other day I began a new project to turn an old dresser into a cabinet to use underneath my TV. I needed something to hold my DVD player and the "box" that comes with my cable. I also wanted something to hold movies. Originally, I thought I would find something in a yard sale but I have been searching for just the right piece and so far, no luck.

This piece was my old dresser in my room when I was growing up. My sister had used it for a number of years and when she no longer needed it, she decided to store it in a shed. After a while, remembering it had been mine, she offered it to me.

It was in pretty bad shape. The French Provencal dresser that used to be very pretty was blistered, peeling and yellowed but I knew it had good "bones" and I felt I could make it into something I could eventually use -- so I thought, "why not now?" I needed a dresser and I could make this work.

I hope to have it ready within two weeks. I was thinking of staining it, but I may just paint it because some of the white paint is going to be hard to take off. I might one day return it to the original French Provencal color, so painting may be the best option.

I am sorry for not having the best "before" photo but my husband had some extra time and decided to help me by sanding off most of the old, yellow and peeling paint. I thought that was very sweet and now I just need to do some final sanding before painting.

Now, I need to search online and in magazines to decide on a design and color. I probably will simply paint it to match my other furniture, but I want to check out all kinds of ideas -- then implement the ideas. I will be giving updates here as I make progress.

I found a few ideas online for repurposing dressers and other furniture and thought I would share.

I have used a dresser for a vanity in the past. I really loved it. My carpenter just cut out the hole for the sink in the top and a place for the plumbing from the top drawer. It worked like a charm.

Here's another example.

I loved the painted dresser above. Isn't it perfect. Mine won't be this color but I really love it.

I really loved this blog. The dresser was painted and the drawers covered in a smart and trendy wall-papered pattern. Very nice.

This dresser was turned into a potting and garden supply cabinet. Are you surprised that I love it?

The chest above is really pretty in this farm-style kitchen. Great storage for a kitchen without many cabinets.

Last, my favorite. This is one of the best kitchen islands I have ever seen. Great color. It kind of looks like one in a past issue of Newnan-Coweta Magazine. No wonder I love it!