Dark Green Dresser and Thrifted Mirror Makeover

Published on January 22, 2020

Two vintage finds receive new life with this dark green dresser and thrifted mirror makeover. With a little love and a lot of paint, these pieces have been revived and are as good as new…or better!

The Dark Green Dresser Makeover

A few months ago, I sold Hannah’s farmhouse-style dresser after finding a beautiful mid-century replacement on FB Marketplace. Like so many projects I bring home though, it ended up sitting in the garage much longer than planned. So, after Hannah had been dresser-less for two months, and I had failed at painting the dresser myself, I waived the white DIY flag and hired my painter to spray it.

I had to use a tiny bit of wood filler to level out some dents in the top of the dresser before my painter took it, but other than that, it was in excellent shape. The drawers work perfectly and there are even built-in wooden dividers in two of them…so cool!

This is what the dresser looked like when I brought it home:

And this is what it looks like now:

Hannah and I chose the color Royal Pine by Valspar, and we are in love with the deep green color. After my painter dropped off the sprayed dresser, I sealed it with Minwax Polycrylic in satin to give it a shiny, lacquer look. I also used Rub’n’Buff to revive the original vintage hardware.

Vintage Dresser Hardware

Original hardware before:

Hardware after:

I’m in love with the lines of this dresser as well as how it’s made. The drawers slide beautifully, it’s sturdy, and it’s solid wood through and through.

The Thrifted Mirror Makeover

Hannah’s mirror was yet another project that had been relegated to the garage for way longer than planned. So when I finished the dresser, it gave me just the push I needed to move the mirror from the “To Do” pile to it’s permanent home.

I went back and forth on whether I should strip the frame of the mirror to reveal the natural wood or spray paint it white. In the end, I let Hannah make the decision.  Since she is drawn to a more modern aesthetic, she chose white lacquer for the frame.

I’m so happy she did because it was definitely the right choice. I love how it looks all shiny and white!

When I placed the over-sized vintage lamp I found at an estate sale on her dark green dresser in front of the white lacquer mirror, it was magic. Better than that, Hannah loves it!

In all honesty, I can’t believe we’ve been here a year (see the story of our forever home) with Hannah’s room in the state it’s in…not that it’s bad, it’s just completely bare. Getting this side of the room squared away is giving us the momentum we need to plan and execute the rest of this space.

I’ve never had this much of a decorator’s block with my either of my girls’ rooms (or their beautiful bathroom remodel), but because I’m considering their tastes and styles as they’re getting older, I think it’s just taking longer than usual. That’s okay though…I’ll finish them soon enough, and I’m not about to let these projects pull me away from time with them.

What do you think of Hannah’s dark green dresser and thrifted mirror makeover? Would you use a bold color like Royal Pine?

Thanks so much for being here!