Monday, December 5, 2011

Dresser to Media Cabinet Transformation

This just might be my all-time favorite furniture transformation so far. We turned a thrift store dresser into one pretty fabulous media cabinet!



Megan and Liam have been on the lookout for a long, low media cabinet for a few months now. But you've seen them in the catalogs. The prices are outrageous. Plus they live in an apartment right now and it's hard to justify a big purchase that might not work in a new home. So of course we decided we would just make one! And this mid-century dresser from the Goodwill became the perfect candidate. It was a bit scratched up, but otherwise in great condition.



I actually passed on it the first time I saw it for $40. But I kept thinking about it. Megan has a fun mix of modern and vintage pieces and I thought she'd like the lines on this one. When I went back for a second look (thank goodness it was still there), it just happened to be a Sunday and the furniture was half price. That was it! This piece was coming home with me. I immediately sent Megan a picture and she loved it too. And this became our Thanksgiving weekend project.


The first decision was to remove the middle row of drawers to allow for the various media components.




We removed the center drawer guide rail.



Then we found some leftover bead board paneling in the garage that was the perfect thickness to make a smooth and level shelf.



We got a little help from the boys so we could get busy painting.



We just used the smooth side of our paneling in the cabinet.



Then we (the boys) drilled holes in the back of each section for the wires to go through.





Oh perfect, thanks for the help boys!



Megan and Liam chose the color Pier in the Behr paint and primer in one. It's a really great shade if gray with a good bit of brown in it - very neutral and very fresh.



I did the trimming ...



and Megan broke out the roller. I highly recommend the Whizz concave foam cabinet roller for pieces with long smooth surfaces like this one.



And here is Megan and Liam's brand new media cabinet!







Megan decided to keep the look modern, so no distressing on this one.




I love the oval glass knobs they picked! Aren't they pretty?



And see those extra boards tucked in the drawer?



We decided they might come in handy if they don't fill all the compartments with components and want to cover the holes. They can just tape the boards over the holes as needed.




And aren't these the cutest legs?



We finished the painting over Thanksgiving weekend and then I wanted to give this piece several coats of wipe on poly for good measure. The problem was that it rained every single day for the next week and the poly refused to dry in the garage. So we had to move the cabinet into the foyer and use a fan to help it dry. So basically I had to start the Christmas decorating working around one giant piece of furniture and a very loud fan!


But this piece worth it! This was a really fun and satifying project and now Megan and Liam have one beautiful, functional and very thrifty new media cabinet! Plus it is a total one-of-a-kind original! And we even painted and kept the drawers, so this piece could easily be used as a dresser again. It doesn't get any better than that!


Yesterday we delivered it to it's new home. This was quite possibly the heaviest piece ever and it just barely fit in my vehicle. This is why I will never be able to drive a regular car. I need to move furniture!




And did I mention that Megan and Liam live on the third floor? So maybe we weren't quite finished with the boys just yet.



I promise to show you this piece in place soon, plus a little tour of Megan and Liam's cute apartment all decorated for the holidays!



Isn't it fun see a piece and imagine new possibilities?

*An update, here's the link to a tour of Megan's Holiday Home! See this beautiful media cabinet in it's happy new home!

I'm linking to...


buttonbeneath my heart

The Girl Creative


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Funky Junk's Sat Nite SpecialChic on a Shoestring Decorating
The Shabby Nest


It's a KeeperFurniture Feature Fridays


A Crafty SoireeCatch a Glimpse Button


Beyond The Picket Fence






Photobucket






PhotobucketHOG


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Domestically Speaking Power of Paint Party

Tickled Pink at 504 Main


27 comments:

Allison@FabRehab said...

SO inventive and cute at the same time! LOVE it Sharon!

outjunking said...

I do love those knobs. Very smart.
Lisa

Anna@Directions Not Included said...

I adore it. Why cannot I find pieces like that in my area?! That is exactly what I want to do but I keep turning up empty. It is perfect.

Our Hopeful Home said...

Okay, why don't we have half off Sundays? You did great! She's so lucky to have such a crafty/ingenious/thrifty the list goes on Mom! A beautiful media cabinet plus a bonus dresser! And the knobs are quite elegant. Thanks for linking up with Club G.W.!

Vagabonds Mercantile said...

The knobs are perfect. I have a very large entertainment center I think we will be parting with, going to replace it with a similar idea.

Sarah AKA The Thriftress said...

I think dressers make the best tv consoles! And the story was very amusing!
Sarah

Korrie@RedHenHome said...

I love this piece! As much as I love curvy legs and all...the modern lines appeal to me as well.

Sarah Yoder said...

This turned out really beautiful! Nice work.

Cassie Bustamante said...

you know when you see something you love and your heart races???? well that is happening.

Junky Vagabond said...

Such a beautiful transformation! The knobs are the perfect accessories :)

6th Grade said...

holy mid-century madness! i'm so jealous that you found it at all let alone for $20!

great job on the retrofit for media!

Sanditerese said...

Awesome! That is exactly what I need for my TV. I'm going to have to start looking for something just like it. Love they way it turned out.

Kim @ A Brush of Whimsy said...

I love it Sharon! Megan is one lucky lady! Those knobs are so sweet, too!

Colleen said...

Love it, love the knobs, love the colour and I especially love that you got it for $20!!

Rosemary@villabarnes said...

It looks awesome, and ver high end now. Great job.

Katie said...

I LOVE this!! I love everything about this piece!! It looks incredible! And yes, I do love those legs!!

Heather said...

That is a great redo...those oval knobs are perfect! Love it!!!

Lauryn Ashli said...

LOVE it.
thanks so much for sharing!!
{love} lauryn @ lovenotesbylauryn.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

You did a really nice job on this. I've been thinking about transforming a dresser into an entertainment center and this really helped!

The color and the knobs are pretty.

Thanks!

marissa | Rae Gun Ramblings said...

I adore how this turned out I wish we were a more handy family so I could upcycle cool things I've love you to add it to my what we wore and made party over at http://raegunwear.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

I want those knobs! Everything looks perfect!

Sarah Nello said...

I so do love this!! The colour is lush too! :)

Ruth said...

This cabinet looks amazing. I love the shape. It looks incredible. I love the color, too!!
Ruth

Tammy said...

This turned out great! I love mid century furniture and was a little sad when I saw the before picture, but then when I saw the condition of the piece in the close up pictures I realized you just gave a great new life to a piece that had really seen it's better days. Thanks for sharing it with us! :)

Unknown said...

I just love it!! Great transformation!!!

Simply Simplisticated said...

What a teriffic find! I can tell you had a dream:) Love the finished piece,thanks ,Deidre~ http://simplysimplisticated4.blogspot.com

Chrissie said...

Love this cabinet. What amazing work!