Before & After – A Pretty in Peach Dresser for the Nursery

When it comes to painted furniture I land somewhere in the middle. I'd almost always prefer a beautiful piece left un-doctored than risk witnessing a midcentury stunner slathered in chalk paint and stenciled decals. But sometimes, GASP! I do think a fresh coat of paint can actually better serve a vintage piece of furniture – specifically if you're starting out with something like this:   

Found via Craigslist it's a super solid Henredon dresser with dovetail joints, built to last sometime in that covetable, but oh, so ambiguous Mid Century. The lines are great with their faux bamboo styling, but, come on, that finish is way more This Sits Next to my 80s Waterbed than Heirloom Midcentury Modern, right? Whatever, I warned you.

I knew one of the first items I'd need for the nursery was a dresser that could double as a changing table. I was set to purchase this super basic one from Ikea (planning to paint it, of course), but the cost of shipping was almost half the price of the dresser itself, and 6-hours round trip to pick it up wasn't appealing. Luckily, Craigslist came through and soon after I was engrossed in the painstaking task of painting furniture.    

Normally, I'd start with oil-based primer to achieve a solid base for my topcoat, but being pregnant necessitated I skip the noxious fumes. Instead I just used KILZ water-based primer which ended up working perfectly. Then it was time to choose a color. I know, I know, pink is so on the nose for a baby girl's nursery, but it's what I kept coming back to. And besides it's not pink, it's peach...

Everyone has their own method of choosing the right color, and I'm always intrigued to see how. So if you're curious here's my very unscientific process: 

I literally just pick out a bunch of swatches, line them up, sit back in a chair, and start whittling the options down. I try to trust my gut and not spend too much time overthinking. For this project that looked like removing anything that read too orange, too purple, and too baby pink.

I quickly got it narrowed down to two finalists, but then got stuck. 

So I made my best move yet and polled Instagram.

And you did not disappoint! The overwhelming consensus was Peach Whisper so I went for it!

I love it! The color feels fresh and cheery without being completely obnoxious. And updating the hardware with these inexpensive brass pulls from Lowes has it feeling instantly modernized, ready for its second act!