A Modern French Provincial!
Okay, you guys! I am SO SO SO excited to finally be sharing this furniture makeover with you! It’s really embarrassing to admit, but I finished the beauty back in February – I did her side by side with her Little Sister, (I showed you that makeover back in June.) So why the delay in getting this companion piece up here on the blog? Well, first I couldn’t find a mirror I loved and then I got distracted working on the office and the playroom/living room makeovers that I just kept putting styling and photographing this beauty on the back burners. Well…delay no longer, it’s time for her big debut…
We found this dresser in a local up-scale consignment shop (same store we scored this great deal!). We paid $300 for her, but she was pristine. She’s solid pecan wood, with not a dent or scratch. Her drawers all had dove-tail construction and glided in and out perfectly. Sure $300 doesn’t quite qualify as the thrifting bargain of the century. But I had a vision (more on that later this week) and we desperately needed additional storage in our bedroom, so she came home with us.
Like her Little Sister, she in no way matched our style or the decor scheme we have working throughout our house. We are all about clean lines and modern finishes. Curved mirror and scrolly hardware? Not so much! After letting her sit in our master and collect dust and junk for a good few months (yikes – these before pics are mortifying!), we dragged her out to the garage for a big ol’ makeover.
I’ll share more about how we pulled off this makeover in another post (coming soon), but today, I just wanted to show you her all prettied up for her photo shoot!
She’s been sitting in our room for quite some time now so I’ve gotten used to her new look; but boy oh boy, do these pictures remind me of the awesome power of paint and new hardware. I feel like we took 20 pounds off of her, and wow is she just so glamorous! Now that’s a good makeover!
The paint is a custom mix of some paints I had on hand. It’s the same I used on the Little Sister: Sherwin Williams Albacore White (from this project) and some Martha Stewart’s Driftwood Grey (the darker of our two stripes in the living room). For a complete experiment, the color is truly stunning in person.
The other big delay in getting these photos up was trying to find just the right accessories for the top. Contrary to what the “before” pictures suggest, I try very, very hard to keep this surface free of junk. I like my surfaces simple but chic. Over the past few weeks, I finally found some hammered vases at Marshalls and knew they were just right for this spot. The lamp is from HomeGoods – found it on clearance about a year ago.
The gorgeous hammered mirror is from HomeGoods – I passed it up the first time I saw it. After thinking about it for 2 weeks, I prayed it would still be there when I went back, and it was! It’s the perfect look for above the dresser – all the reflective surfaces both on the mirror and the frame really add some light and sparkle to this dark room! The candlesticks are also from Marshalls – all three came in at $23!
I am so very proud of this furniture transformation. The final result is even more stunning than I had hoped for, and it really brings a hotel suite glam to our Master Bedroom.
The outside isn’t the only thing that’s pretty. While I didn’t paint the insides of the dresser or the drawers, some modern chevron contact paper really helped make the insides feel as special as the outside!
Here’s one more peak at the before and after…
Coming up soon, I’ll show you exactly what I did to give this dresser (and her Little Sister) a modern makeover! (Updated: Get the full tutorial for this dresser makeover HERE!)
P.S. Don’t miss my process for making over this dresser here (click on the photo to take you to the post!)
And check out the full room reveal below!
Megan
33 Comments on “A Modern French Provincial!”
Wow! You really do know how to dress up a piece of furniture! I'm hoping to venture on a project like this soon – for the first time! *gulp* I'll be coming back for painting tips I'm sure 🙂 Great job. It's a beautiful finish x
You did such a great job! That dresser is gorgeous!!
You are awsome and have a beautiful taste!!!
Megan, this is a stunning makeover! Beautiful paint job, hardware and accessories. Everything is gorgeous. Woo-Hoo! Well done, Megan! 😀
Hi Megan, this looks absolutely gorgeous and I can't believe what an amazing transformation this is! I love the fresh look and you did a such a great job! You are definitely making me think there might be hope for my very old bedroom furniture! 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing and pinning! Hope you are having a wonderful week!
Beautiful!!! It's stunning!! You did an amazing job!! Love it!!
This is really fabulous and the wooden furniture is treat to watch. I love wooden furniture.
I seriously love the before picture with the jammies. A lot of times when I do projects I take late night photos too. I love how it turned out and how you completely changed the feel of this piece with the hardware and removing the mirror! Thanks for sharing with us!
-Emily @ House and Hone
This is stunning! Love it! Hope you can link up to my party! http://suburbsmama.blogspot.com/2013/10/sunday-linky-30.html
Awesome collection of modern home furniture for home, all are very beautiful. Keep rocking
What color is your wall color? I am trying to find it for my room lol
Wall color is Martha Stewart Winter's Day. You can find all of our house colors here: https://thehomesihavemade.com/2012/07/celings-chair-rails-and-stripes-oh-my.html Hope that helps!
I have this same exact dresser that I picked up on the curb! I painted it with a can of $2 mis-tint from Home Depot and it is the exact same color! I am painting my walls today a very similar color as yours!! I guess great (design) minds think alike 🙂 Mine is just a little slower although I did paint the dresser over a year ago.
love it,love it,love it
Love this! When will you be posting the full tutorial for this/the little sister? We have just moved into our new home, and I’d like to give our furniture a color update, but really do not know where to start! Thanks for the inspiration!
Hello!!
Thank you so much for your comment! You can find the tutorial for the other dresser here: https://thehomesihavemade.com/2013/06/a-modern-makeover-for-classic-piece/ and see my process for both dressers here: https://thehomesihavemade.com/2013/10/5-ways-to-modernize-dated-furniture/
Hope that helps and good luck!
Megan
I love the dresser, but what did you do with the mirror?
Hi Dana!
Thank you so much for your comment! We removed the mirror, thinking we’d save it for a different project. I ultimately sold it to a friend (it matched her style so much more), and she painted it and put it over a different dresser!
Hope you have a great rest of the weekend!
Megan
Can you let us know the details on the new drawer handles? Thanks!
Hi Victoria!
I apologize for the delay in getting back to you! The handles on the big grey French provincial dresser are straight from the hardware aisle at Lowes! Such solid and sleek handles for a great price! It’s been a while since I bought them, so I am not sure if they still carry them…but my guess is that they do!
Hope that helps!
Megan
Did you have to plug the holes for the hardware and drill new holes? I have the same dresser but my pulls are slightly different. They are 2 3/4 and I can’t find any modern looking pulls that size.
That mirror! I saw a similar one at HomeGoods this past year…passed on it but went back looking for it and it was gone. I still haven’t found like it since. Do you by chance know what brand the mirror was?…does it still say on the back perhaps? I’ve been googling mirror for months trying to happen upon it, as with your post. Fingers crossed you can help me out!
Hi, just saw your post. Love love love this dresser. Having never refinished before, I’m sitting here with some rethunkjunk paint because I want something EASY – no sanding. Can you tell me how you wanted this dresser? Did you sand? Wax?
Thanks.
Hi Cat!
Thank you so much! You can check out a lot of the details for this dresser makeover here: https://thehomesihavemade.com/2013/10/5-ways-to-modernize-dated-furniture/
In short, I didn’t sand at all, but primed with Zinsser 123 Primer. After two coats of paint, I waxed the sides and front and did several coats of a clear poly on the top for added durability.
Let me know if you have any other questions that I post doesn’t cover!
Megan
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Hi Megan how wide are the handles for your dresser? I have a French provincial thst I am redoing but I’m not able to find new hardware to replace what’s there ? Can u help me? Thanks lori
Hi Lori,
If I recall correctly, all of our hardware was from Lowes. The wider handles measure 6.75″ but we did fill the original hardware holes and re-drill for these handles.
Hope that helps,
Megan
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I’m late coming to the party, but WOW what a transformation. We are new empty nesters & getting ready to redo our kid’s rooms. Our son’s is the home gym & our daughter’s will be a guest room. I’m going to paint both rooms a light gray yet to be determined. We have dozens of paint chips taped on the walls deciding. I have the full original French Provincial bedroom suite in my daughter’s room that my parents purchased new in 1963. It’s the same color brown as your dresser & I’d planned to paint everything either white or gray. I stumbled on yours when I googled to see some sets painted gray & you’ve got us sold. The queen bed, chest of drawers, nightstands & dresser will all be painted a couple of shades darker than the walls. I plan to take the mirror off the dresser & mount it higher on the wall to give it a more dramatic look. I’m going with gray walls & white trim, the gray furniture, the bedding I bought is a nice crisp white coverlet & my throw pillows are a silvery gray & that light pinky-peach blush color. Can’t wait to see it all put together & finish getting all the fun accessories. Thanks so much for the inspiration!
thank you for this post, even years later. I have a set dresser very close to your bigger one and then a tall mens dresser as well. This is JUST The look I wanted. I’m so glad to see it in person before I begin.
Can I ask how much paint you went through? I’m trying to decide how much to purchase. After months of this quarantine I needed a creative project and this is going to be it. Thank you.
My husband doesn’t like painted wood, this set was a gift from his parents and right now this is all that is in the budget, but I’m convinced I can make him like the finished product. Anything is better than the original which we’ve been using since we were married over 20 years ago…gosh, we sure do deserve something better. 🙂 Hi mother gave us a beautiful custom headboard that was grown on our farm from special wood, so I’m going to try to pull this off with just a gorgeous dark headboard, but the rest of the accents cleaner and simpler, more neutral. Thank you for the visuals of this. BTW, you should paint more! 🙂 Blessings.
Hi Danelle!
Thank you so much for this kind comment, and I am sorry for taking so long to get back to you (life is a bit nutso right now 🤣)
It’s been a while since I painted these pieces, but honestly, I doubt you’d need more than a quart. Paint goes much further on furniture than it does on walls. Especially if you prime and use really high quality paint for the color.
Fingers crossed your hubby likes it – I don’t regret painting ANY of the furniture in our home!
Good luck!Megan
I know this is a lonnnnnnng shot but I have this exact same dresser and have wanted so badly to find more of these original handles. Since you changed them all out is it possible you still have them and would be willing to part with them? Thanks!
Hi Jackie!
Thanks so much for writing! Unfortunately, those handles are long gone at a yard sale or donation spot. Interestingly, you are not the first to ask, lol!
I am so sorry I can’t be of more help but good luck with your search!
Megan