This Ikea dresser has really made the rounds! In its first life, it was a dresser in a young boy’s room. It performed that job marvelously, then made its way to a college apartment. Here too, it was a sturdy piece that provided plenty of storage.

But, when it crossed over into ‘adult’ life, it was time for a makeover! Join me in my painting studio (aka: my backyard) for Friday field trip today to check out how some Annie Sloan paint and a few new knobs have updated this Ikea piece.

The first thing it needed was a little cleaning and some wood fill in a few spots. And, because it was crafted of a knotty wood, I knew it needed to be sealed to prevent any knots from showing through the paint. So, I applied a coat of Zinsser primer sealer.

After that, I used two coats of Annie Sloan French Linen – one of my favorite colors for a beachy look!

From here, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to add an anchor…or, maybe some stripes?  I decided finding knobs would be my first order of business since purchasing twelve knobs at a decent price was not going to be easy. The dresser came with wooden knobs and I was hoping not to reuse them. Unfortunately, every knob I liked was $6 or $7 and purchasing twelve at this price was beyond my budget!

I started contemplating making some knobs out of rope; thinking I may try to make some monkey’s fist knots and started researching how to tie them.

Then, I got a call from a friend who said she found some great rope knobs at Home Goods and they came in packages of 6. When I discovered the knobs were actually monkey’s fist knots and each package was $12.99, I knew these were my knobs!

After purchasing two packages of the knobs, I knew I wanted to do a grain sack style stripe to coordinate with them, so I masked off and painted the stripes using Annie Sloan Old White paint.   It is easy to mask stripes with blue painter’s tape, but it does take a little patience!  After the stripes were dry, I mixed a wash of Old White paint and water (approximately 70% water). I painted this over the piece, working a section at a time and wiping it off with a cloth after painting it on with a brush. I love the way the wash gives some depth to the piece and helps with the beachy vibe.

Next, I added a coat of Annie Sloan clear wax. After that, I did some distressing, concentrating on roughing up the white stripes. After the distressing, I added a second coat of clear wax.

Doesn’t it look great? I am finishing it off by using some old nautical maps for drawer liners. :)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing with Finding Silver Pennies, Nancherrow,  Craftberry Bush, The Shabby Nest, and French Country Cottage.