Dresser Inspiration

While I've primarily stuck to the living room on this blog so far, it's because the bedroom needs a lot more work. Most of the bedroom/office is just plain embarrassing, and though there are a multitude of reasons why, one of the major yikes are the matching nightstand and dresser.

These two pieces (we used to have a matching desk as well) came from my younger sister's room back in New Hampshire. My little sister is the creative one in the family - she goes to writing school, she plays guitar and she's constantly doing art projects in her room. Needless to say, these art projects are also messy projects, and keeping her furniture in good condition was never really on her priorities list. So, last year, when my boyfriend and I desperately needed furniture for our first apartment, my mom jumped at the opportunity to replace the old, disgusting furniture in my sister's room by giving it away to us.

Lucky us, right? Well, actually, yes. Thanks, Mom, I really do appreciate it.

Soon after getting the furniture, I painted the knobs a simple black, which helped the look of the pieces a bit, but still left me bored and a little bit appalled.

While the pieces may not look the best, they serve their purpose, and structurally, they're in fine condition. So, rather than running out to buy a new dresser and nightstand, I want to re-purpose what I already have.

This weekend, for Valentine's Day, my boyfriend and I are going to his family's beach house in Rhode Island. While I'm excited to get away, I'm also excited to have space - space for DIY projects we can't do at home. I haven't broached the topic with him yet, but I'm hoping I can guilt trip him into letting (and helping) me complete this makeover while we're on "vacation" since he's missing actual Valentine's Day because of school. But, my boyfriend being my boyfriend (and male), wil require some visual convincing in terms of showing him what this project can look like. At the same time, I'm not entirely sure what I want either, so I've spent the last couple of hours browsing the internet, being inspired by some really awesome dresser and furniture makeovers. Here's what I'm thinking:

From Curlby

I love the idea of using various tones of the same color. I've seen this on other sites and am really into the idea of using a sample of each color on a paint swatch (that's what those things are called, right?). I think we'd go for blues or maybe yellows to match the decor, but I have a feeling that may be a little bold for my boyfriend's taste. And, while I think this idea would be great for the dresser, it would look a little funny on the nightstand, which only has two drawers.

From Refresh Restyle

I love this one for so many reasons. The Robin's Egg Blue on top (which you can't see much of from this angle) and the neutral brown make this a top contender for color choice alone. But, above all, I love that she used different, but still coordinating, knobs to really make her dresser unique.

From Lucky Me Studios

This one is beautiful because it's simple. I also love it because I'm obsessed with the color gray. I find it to be the most interesting neutral, depending on the shade you use, and it also goes with everything. I also love this piece because of the knobs - she actually Modge Podged (don't think that's a verb...) old newspapers onto the existing knobs. Not only does it look unique, but it's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying the beautiful but expensive knobs from Anthropologie.

From Salvage Savvy

Ah. I am in love. I love the colors, I love the two-toned thing she's got going on, I love the legs, and most of all, I love the pulls. Those are pretty much the most beautiful pieces of drawer hardware I've ever seen. Unfortunately, she doesn't tell readers where she got them, so I can't copy her per se, but it does give me some other ideas in terms of how to make an otherwise boring piece (mine, not hers) look extra amazing.

So, readers, what do you all think? Which makeover should I go for? Or should I go for something completely different? I'll add pictures of the actual pieces of furniture when I get home, but until then, just imagine something that's equal parts boring and gross.

UPDATE: Got approval (slash he's decided to help me) from the boyfriend, and have already chosen a color scheme. Keep an eye out on Monday or Tuesday for the furniture makeover!