Social media really is amazing. It’s the entire reason this gorgeous antique waterfall dresser came my way. Social media connects us with people that were once a part of our lives. People that even though we haven’t spoken to them for ten, twenty, thirty years, we still consider them our friends.
An old friend from high school contacted me through Facebook. She had seen my refinished furniture posts and thought I might be interested in an antique waterfall dresser her sister had in her basement. Of course, I was thrilled. Not only was it fantastic to hear from this long lost friend, but I’ve seen waterfall dresser makeovers online and had always wanted to try my hand at one.
The message she sent to me said, that the dresser would be in need of restoration but is solidly built, estimated to be 75 years old, and was at one time a very beautiful piece. The “old” told me it was made of solid wood which is always a treasure find. The “in need of restoration” didn’t scare me. I expected drawers that stuck (which I could fix) and perhaps dents in the wood or chipped wood veneer (also easily repaired).
So I contacted her sister, Roseanne, and made arrangements to pick up the dresser in the beautiful, historic town of Concord, Massachusetts. While I had never met Roseanne, when I arrived at her house it was like I had just met another old friend She was very much like her sister – very friendly and welcoming. We could have talked for hours!
Well, that was a year ago! I’m finally getting around to finishing this project. It wasn’t that it required any more work than any of the other furniture projects I’ve worked on during the past year, it was more that knowing the age of this dresser and how it came into my possession, I wanted to do it justice.
Last Spring, I painted this dresser a dark gray. Then I stared at it… and stared at it… and stared some more. It just wasn’t speaking to me. This happens to me all the time. I let furniture sit in my garage until one day I just know the color or design it needs.
My first vision for this waterfall dresser was a black & white Union Jack flag across the front. Then decided that had been done many times before.
In the end, I decided that a basic black with a gray and white stripe design was perfect. The simple stripe highlights the clean lines of the dresser without distracting from the beauty of it.
The dresser is solid wood with some wood veneer that was in great condition considering its age.
The drawers are dove-tailed construction and very large. The insides of the drawers were in very good condition as well. I lightly sanded then clear coated them with a water-based poly for extra protection.
Thank you to my friends, both old and new, for passing this dresser along to me. I’m looking forward to sending it to a new home where it can live another 75 years.
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Thank you & Enjoy!
Vicki
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