Sometimes I like to challenge myself and take a really wrecked ugly duckling and attempt to make a swan out of it. I ran across this dresser at a garage sale. Five bucks. The dresser was wrecked. The paint was goobered up, it was covered with 1970's stickers and the front of the middle drawer was gone as were most of the drawer pulls. But, a couple of the drawer pulls it did have were old vintage brass ones from the 20's. I wanted those art deco pulls so I bought the dresser. The guy I bought it from wouldn't let me just take the pulls and leave the dresser, so I lugged the ugly thing home.
Once I was home I figured I might as well do something fun with it. I wrapped the bottom of the dresser with a thick Victorian house trim. This gave the piece a nice heavy feel to the bottom that really balanced out the addition of the top shelving unit. I went for a very architectural look, the piece mimics the shape of a Roman or Greek Temple.
Instead of making a new front for the drawer with no face, I added a cut out. This made a center shrine almost that still pulled out like a drawer. The top shelf had an added drawer and the top piece is made from 100% reused and recycled wood (The top's base is the corner of 5th panel cut off of a Victorian five panel door--seen in my previous post "Jeremy's Bed", with an added wrapping of 1960's ornate picture frame trim).
The decorative diamonds are hand-cut on the saw and the finials were hand-carved in Bali and the appliques were hand-carved in Thailand. I bought them from the woodcarvers myself.
I've always wondered if the buyer has ever found the hidden compartments?
Roman Temple Dresser Makeover: Ratty old dresser, Pine, Tongue-and-groove molding, Victorian House Trim, 1960's Ornate Plaster Picture Frame Molding, Hand-carved Camphor Wood Finials, Hand-carved Appliques from Thailand, Hand-cut Diamond Appliques, 1970's Wood Knobs, Miller Latex Paint, Spar Varnish.
Designed and Built (except the dresser) by Brett Bigham
Black Dog Furniture Design
Portland, Oregon
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