DIY – Chevron Pattern Dresser – Kimberly Reuther

Those who know me best are well aware of my ability to envision possibilities in almost any space and are always pleased with the finished product. However, knowing my visionary ability means they are also cognizant of my low tolerance for detail work and executing these visions myself.

Therefore, when I conceptualized transforming this drab dresser into a modern classic a mere 2 weeks before my Habitat for Humanity deadline, I received a lot of eyebrow raises and not a lot of paintbrushes raised. Which is not quite what I had hoped, as I am also acutely aware of my shortcomings. But alas, I couldn’t let my weakness (nor sleep) stand in the way of my imagination.

See before shots of the dresser and a pillow which provided inspiration (and most of the eyebrow raises, I confess).

 

Luckily, my dad was willing to help with the basecoat of paint and then turned it over, in his words “you’re on your own, kid”. He didn’t want to touch that chevon pattern with a ten foot pole. Neither did my aunt, the queen of DIY projects, who I thought would surely have some sage advice.

So, I guess it really was up to me…hmmm, where to begin? On top of my habitat project, I had quite a few other things on my plate and didn’t have a lot of time to devote to getting this completed. The first few evenings were spent trying to get the dimensions of the chevron pattern down and figure out a template to apply the contrasting color. I painted the drawers white and was using the orange as the contratst. I would give you pointers but I honestly don’t know how I figured it out and I threw away the paint-crusted template as soon as I was done. I got so frustrated at one point that I almost gave up. The template moved while I tried to apply the orange paint which required 6 hours of touching up the white and creating “edges” where there were none. My dad came back on the project to apply the clear coats and the handles since I had run out of time & energy!

 

After all the work, I am very happy with how the dresser turned out. The homeowner is extremely pleased as well. I don’t know that I would attempt it again but I feel proud that I was able to execute my vision on my own. I now have a much greater respect for other DIY-ers and especially my dad. Thank you for the help!

Originally written by Kimberly for St. Louis AT HOME’s website.  View the post here.  You can see more of Kimberly’s work here.