Make A Dining Room Sideboard Out of a Dresser

I’ve been working with a sweet client on a whole-house design.  We’ve pretty much been working from scratch – buying new furniture, window treatments, rugs, and accessories.   Up until now, we couldn’t find a great sideboard for her dining room (which is a really important design element for this open concept floorplan) at a price that works within the budget.  This is the one we would have loved to have for her space:

 ballard designs sideboard

 

Like this, but in a slightly patinaed, blue-green finish.  This piece from Ballard Designs is beautiful, but at $1400, maybe we could do better.  My client had this black Pottery Barn dresser in her guest room that I thought we might repurpose to use as a dining room sideboard, but she wasn’t sure.  I was pretty sure.

 

photo

dresser before

 

I chose Benjamin Moore’s Dragonfly as the new color for the dresser (soon-to-become sideboard).

benjamin moore dragonfly

source

 

I had the lovely Heather faux paint the dresser in Dragonfly, slightly sand the edges to reveal some of the black beneath, then top it with a light coating of dark wax.

DSC_5769

 

And here’s the beautiful finished sideboard, perfectly perfect for this space and at a fraction of the cost for my client!

faux finish dresser sideboard makeover

sideboard after

 

I think it’s even better than the original inspiration piece.  Topped with great art and a pair of lamps, this sideboard is the perfect color to anchor this dining room and tie in with the rest of the design.

painted sideboard in benjamin moore dragonfly

sideboard after

 

I can’t wait to show you the whole space, but we’re still waiting on dining chairs that are on back-order.  What do you think of this repurposed beauty?

If you want to learn more about how to use paint colors in your home and which ones to choose, you can order my Color Video Workshop here.

Linking to:  Furniture Feature Friday

 

 

 

27 Comments

  1. Sheila @sZinteriors

    I think this is a fantastic makeover, and the colour is to die for. What a great piece to set this dining room apart!

    Reply
  2. Connie Nikiforoff Designs

    I love repurposing dressers for sideboards or other uses in the home! Great job! Sadly many people “can’t think outside the box” about dressers. They hear the word ‘dresser’ and think only of clothes storage. Oh what they may be missing 🙂

    Love this re-do!

    Reply
  3. Pam

    It’s beautiful and perfect for the dining room. LOVE the color. I used to have my mother-in-law’s dining room set (it was probably from the 60’s) and it had a sideboard that matched it that looked just like a dresser. It was the best storage piece and so fun to decorate the top of it. (Wish I still had it).

    Reply
  4. GIna

    This is beautiful! What a great project and a terrific piece for table linens, flatware, candles and rings, party items, etc. I love to repurpose furniture!

    Reply
  5. MK

    I love the concept and you made a great color choice. I especially love the black peeking thru. What sheen did you use? Flat paint?

    Reply
  6. ceil tarwater

    ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS! I agree, the repurposed dresser is so much better than the one you and your client thought might work! GOOD JOB!…Love the BM color!

    Reply
  7. Lisa Grubb

    Love it! So inspiring.

    Reply
  8. Linda

    Gorgeous! I love it, and I agree — it’s better than the inspiration piece!

    Reply
  9. Michelle L.

    I am in love with that! Dragonfly is gorgeous! Beautiful work, Kristie and Heather!

    Reply
    • Kristie Barnett

      Thanks Michelle! Missed you at camp this weekend!!

      Reply
  10. Kay Shive

    P.E.R.F.E.C.T!

    Reply
  11. Kathleen Steenson

    Love this! I, too use a dresser as a sideboard; mine is, unfortunately, pretty deep and crowds the table a bit. If you plan to do this, check all measurements first.

    Reply
    • Kristie Barnett

      Good advice, Kathleen – ALWAYS measure before you buy new pieces, or try out pieces from other parts of your home in the place you will be using them (before you paint!)

      Reply
    • LibbyP

      My dresser is now a sideboard, too – but I really am just storing the dresser in the dining room until I can afford to have it repaired. We move quite a bit and the dresser is no longer “square” (well, “rectangular”). Maybe when I have it squared, I’ll have it painted – it is perfect in the dining room and already paid for!

      It does offer great storage – deep drawers for serving pieces, top narrow drawers for flatware.

      Thanks as always, Kristie!

      Libby P

      Reply
  12. Roya

    Kristie, I would like to paint a buffet this dragonfly color. Do I have to prime the wood first? Also, I’ll be painting wood paneling in the basement. Also prime that first? Thanks for your blog and any advice you can give me. Best, Roya

    Reply
    • Kristie Barnett

      Because we wanted the black to show through when we sanded it slightly, we chose not to prime the wood first. Always prime wood paneling (and sand it a bit before doing so)!

      Reply
  13. Kelly

    I think your dresser came out nicer tha. the Ballard Design piece! Love the color choice!! Great job!!

    Reply
  14. Paula Van Hoogen

    Superb! You find the best colors, Kristie. I have always liked mixing unexpected furniture in new spaces and using what you have. As was the case here–the result is often better than the desired new piece.

    Reply
  15. sideboards

    That’s really cool. I love your creativity 🙂

    Reply
  16. Allie

    What was the specific type of wax used in the final step! Hoping to try this as well!! Beautiful work!

    Reply
      • Allie

        Thank you so much!

        Reply
      • Allie

        I just wanted to double check… in the blog you said that you used a dark wax… so did you use the dark or the clear. I’m to this point on my project and don’t want to mess it up! Thank you 🙂

        Reply
  17. Anne

    What Benjamin Moore name paint did you use? What sheen?

    Reply
    • Kristie Barnett

      Anne,
      We used Benjamin Moore Dragonfly, but it was toned down with a wood stain over it. I don’t remember the stain color.

      Reply

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