Our Crazy Orange Dresser

For awhile now I have been wanting to makeover a thrift-store dresser.  Since we got married we've been using those cheap-o plastic drawers to store our clothes that couldn't be hung.  It worked for a little bit.  But soon those old, falling apart, drawers became more frustration than they were worth.  We headed to Palouse Treasures--a thrifty fave of ours--and plucked ourselves an upgrade.  It cost us $30 which I honestly think was a little over priced.  Still, we would have probably spent that just to replace our plastic drawers.  It was pretty ugly and cheaply made.  We saw bigger, sturdier dressers, but they meant coughing up more cash.  We decided that this one was just the quality we were going for:  it's better than what we had before, but light enough to accommodate for our frequent apartment-hopping.  We don't expect it to last forever, just to make life a little easier until we can replace it when we have our college-graduate salary jobs.  

I didn't get a true "before" picture.  Hubs was just too eager to tear those drawers out and get to work. As you can see it's got a fake grainy pattern which is almost like very thick sticker that you could peel off.  Under this is what looks like particle board.  

Enter Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  Ok, so *warning* this stuff is a bit pricey.  In my opinion, though, it is completely worth it!  We ended up taking some of the cost from my personal fund (a section of our budget that I get to blow) since part of the appeal is just a way for me to have fun doing a project. Chalk Paint is amazing!  I have NEVER painted anything before, and it was so easy.  You don't have to use primer, a little goes a long way, and it leaves a lovely smooth finish.  

Here is the finished product.  Is bright orange too crazy for you?  We love it!  I think it makes the plain-ish dresser look modern and fun.  I left the original drawer pulls on because I think it adds just a little vintage touch.  As soon as it was finished Philip said, "It doesn't look like a cheap thrift-store dresser anymore.  Now it looks like we bought it for a lot of money  at an antique store."  And I was like, "That's the point!"  

Here it is in our bedroom.

I topped it with a lamp and mirror we got as wedding gifts.  That "vase" is a bottle I embellished with some twine.  The print is a score I found on Etsy.  It is one of the four vintage encyclopedia pages:  various trees, birds, and flowers.

Here is the pattern on our bedding just to give you an idea of how it fits in with the rest of our decor.  Our comforter is a light color with some subtle splashes of orange.  I think that's what makes such a  bold color work.  

What do you think?  Would you ever incorporate such crazy colors into your home?  Have you done any projects lately?