Tuesday, August 2, 2011

French Dresser

Now that the new House of Fifty is out I can share a few of the things I finished up last month.  (It's going to be quick - my mom has my two older kids, so I'm trying to take advantage of the time to knock a few things off my to-do list!)

First up is this french beauty…




Here it is before:


The paint color is Benjamin Moore's Santa Barbara Green in high gloss.



We put it in Madeline's room and I think it looks great with the yellow and choral color combo.  But she has a different vision for her room and tells me on a weekly basis that she wishes her room were pink or purple.  My response is to always tell her she'll love the room when it's finished.  That gets me a sassy, seven year old eye roll!  What do you think?  Am I wrong to not let her choose?

47 comments:

  1. I love the color and it looks great with the yellow! I bet your daughter will be happy her room isn't pink or purple soon...they outgrow those colors so quickly, while this is a much more sophisticated, big girl palette. BTW, I have three girls and am VERY familiar with the eye roll!

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  2. The eye rool must be a boy thing too!

    Yes, she'll love the room! I mean the coral is almost pink, right? lol! My son wanted a yellow room and I was painting it green. He loves it now!

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  3. I'm loving your dresser redo! I just did a rehab on what I think is the exact same dresser!! I'm loving the color you used!

    Before and After Here-
    http://poofycheeks.blogspot.com/2011/06/dresser-makeover-debut.html

    -Kelsey :)

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  4. Wow! Absolutely gorgeous! And no, you should not feel bad about not letting her choose her room decor . . . a 7-year old has no business designing her own bedroom (she wouldn't possibly like it for very long!). When I was about 12, my mom let me HELP her design my room--I wanted BRIGHT purple walls so she talked me into a light lavender; I wanted pink and purple bedding and we went with white bedding and a few pastel purple/pink pillows . . . anyway, point is, I loved that room for years, but I would have gotten tired of my color scheme awfully quickly ;-) Great work on the dresser, I LOVE it!

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  5. The room looks stunning! Love it! Anyways...about the color scheme and eye roll... I think that you two could easily make a little compromise... And maybe involve her in the decoration ( partially ).... She's still small but I think that there would be no harm If she could have the room painted in the color she likes... You can still decorate all the rest... So both happy with it in the end :) it's just my opinion... Have a great week :)

    - Urska from Live.Create.Inspire

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  6. Very pretty! I agree with you in making the choice for your 7 year old. She'll appreciate it once all her room is completed and looks lovely or as some kids say "Cool".

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  7. Wow! I love love love that blue!! The before dresser reminds me of the furniture I grew up with that used to be my mom's. It would be so much fun to find it and update it! Thanks for the inspiration!!
    http://designsaltinteriors.blogspot.com/

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  8. If your daughter doesn't want it in her room, I'll take it in mine! So beautiful! I am getting ready to paint my first piece of furniture and I am so nervous! Wish it wasn't so hot here in Texas (as is the rest of the nation!) because I'm ready to get started.

    I would probably find a way to work pink into the room. My 4 yo daughter would probably run away if I redid her room and didn't put pink in it! Ha!

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  9. Hey, Nat! The dresser looks amazing (along with everything else I've seen on your blog, of course)! You're so incredibly talented... I was stumbling on the internet and found this site a few weeks ago that might actually help you out with your daughter dilemma. You may already be aware of it, but basically you select up to 5 colors in any proprotion that you'd like, and it generates a collection of images with that same color composition. Maybe your daughter would like the room a little more if she saw a few pictures with all those same colors? Anyway, the site is: http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1fN9s9/labs.ideeinc.com/multicolr Hope you're doing well and good luck!:)

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  10. Thank you, Meg! That's just what I need!

    Natalie

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  11. I love it! And, I agree with everyone else. She'll probably change her mind about the colors soon enough. So much easier to change accessories here and there. At least, that's my thought! We just recently repainted my 5 year-old's room (from blue and red to white). He kept saying he wanted multicolored stripes or the whole galaxy (!) on his walls. He's happy with white walls and bright accessories, though. Good luck!

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  12. Just gorgeous! Those colors are perfect together. No, no purple rooms. That's what I had my room done as a kid and I hated it very quickly lol.

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  13. I'm a new follower and your portfolio is beautiful. I especially love this French dresser redo paired with the yellow lamps. Great colors!

    Solana

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  14. it's beautiful, but I think there shall be more pink in her room other than the little pink flower...after all, it's her room and we shall not expect them to appreciate our adult taste. I used to like fake flowers instead of real one when I was a kid....Pink can be beautiful too with your guidance.

    so you finally paint the lamp base yellow :). do u have to strip the previous paint again before u paint it yellow?

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  15. I love the dresser so cute. And I would love those colors too, but I think it's hard to know when to let a child assert their decorating style and when to not... my son is 2.5 and wants me to paint his room pink. Not really feeling a pink room for him or in my house, but don't really know what I should do. Do I tell him pink is for girls and he can't have a pink room? Do I put some pink stuff in there just to please him? Or do I paint a wall in there pink? Wish someone would help me decide.

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  16. I love your projects and think you have awesome taste. I also can tell that your children are the light of your world. That being said, as a person who loves to be creative I would think you would strive to help your children express their creativity as well. Remember that as much as we grown-ups want to have control it is important to let your child have some ownership on her personal space as well. You do not have to go as far as letting her have full creative control, but it would be beneficial to her self-esteem and personal worth to let her have more say in her space. Maybe have her create some artwork in whatever colors she chooses, or take her to a store and let her help pick out accessories (no matter how cringe worthy they are). I love your blog and look forward to my email updates. :)
    jamier76@gmail.com

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  17. Well if she doesn't want it, I'll take it! I'm in LOVE with that! I've been looking for a dresser with curves like that and this one is also my favorite color. Love it!

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  18. Natty, as you know I think your French dresser is absolutely stunning! If it had been for sale I seriously would have driven from CA to you to pick it up. I adore it!

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  19. Are you kidding me?! I love it! You are fabulous, my friend.

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  20. I stinkin' love it! :) FABULOUS JOB! I spotted this in House of Fifty and pretty much stopped all contemplation on the color I'm gong to use on an antique sideboard I'm working on... I think you already found it for me! FABULOUS, FABULOUS, FABULOUS!

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  21. WOW that is gorgeous! I always love seeing pics of brightly coloured furniture but chicken out when it comes to redoing my own furniture. Yours is perfect for a little girl's room though - love!

    kimberly

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  22. This is so spectacular.

    Truly.

    I got light headed and queasy when I saw it.

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  23. such a gorgeous color! love it!!

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  24. Awesome!! Love the color!!!
    Did this dresser have a shiny top? I have a desk/hutch combo that looks like the same style as your dresser and I really want to paint it, but don't know how to prepare the slick, shiny top. Any suggestions?

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  25. I LOVE this. The high gloss paint makes all the difference!

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  26. Stunning! I have a similar piece in my daughters room. I love that color with yellow ;)

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  27. That's is gorgeous. I love the color. I have no advice about your little girls preferences. I think my little girl only has a color preference when it comes to her paci =)

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  28. Love this dresser! The color is perfect, and it looks so good with the yellow lamps! I hope your daughter grows to love it too! Although I think you could mix some pink into this palette quite easily if it came down to that.

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  29. I LOVE what you did with this dresser and the yellow lamps are super HOT!! Gorgeous.

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  30. WOW!! I LOVE the color of that dresser--it's fabulous!

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  31. Love how this dresser turned out! Following your blog now & totally loving what I see here.I would love for you to show this off at my Wickedly Crafty Saturdays! http://wiccanmakesometoo.blogspot.com/2011/08/wickedly-crafty-saturdays-8611.html

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  32. I love the color and combination with yellow! great job!

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  33. This looks amazing - I love the turquoise and yellow, but what makes it really not typical is that pop of coral! LOVE!

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  34. Wow, that is GORGEOUS! I'm loving your color choice!

    Found you from FOF :)

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  35. Oh my word!! This is gorgeous!! I love the color you chose! It looks so good with the yellow lamps too!

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  36. I have just recently discovered your blog and think your work is beautiful. I have been an avid DIY-er for years so my two boys have grown up with it. Ever since they were young they have helped design their bedrooms. I discovered long ago the more I listen and involve them, the more they want to help and appreciate the room for much longer. They take such pride in knowing they 'designed' their own personal space. I do gently guide selections if I feel they are getting carried off into something too crazy, but for the most part I listen to what they want and then guide them from there. In the end it ends up being a great compromise. I feel they will never develop a true sense of what their style is if I don't let them experiment a little. They are now 13 & 18 and care just a bit less what their rooms look like, but I just finished doing my youngest sons room after he requested a 'vintage' theme. We had a blast making an old plywood flag(think potterybarn)finding an old camera, oil can, lanterns, etc. We even used old barn board for chair rail and distressed a dresser and his bedside table. Anyway, I think your guiding her is just fine, I think the key is incorporating their ideas in somehow and helping them get excited about it. Beautiful work on the dresser!

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  37. Oh wow, saving this post -- makes me really think about repainting the dresser in my living room... beautiful!

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  38. Love this! The color is beautiful!!!!

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  39. It's beautiful! I love the aqua and yellow together!

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  40. The dresser looks so bright and happy, I love it !

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  41. What a beautiful color! It looks fantastic with the pops of yellow.

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  42. Love this! Absolutely gorgeous! Someone previously commented about having a shiny, hard surface on her dresser. I have the same dresser and it also has the shiny, hard surface. I would like to paint the dresser but how do I prep the top so the primer, paint adheres and stays beautiful. Would LOVE to hear your suggestion. Keep up the great work.

    Rebecca

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  43. Honestly, I love your dresser and would love to have it in my room :-). But I understand your daughters eye roll very much. My mom decorated my room when I was 12 as a surprise. She put so much love, thought and elbow grease in it. Today looking at the pics I LOVE it, to that time I HATED it. I wanted a cool room with space to hang up my stuff, with my favorite colors and I couldn't do it. I think Kids see "decorations" different :-)

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  44. The blue and yellow look so good together!

    Rina
    www.glamathome.com

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  45. While I love the colors you picked out, I would probably let her choose the color of her room. Little kids don't have much control over anything, and while it really shouldn't be a big deal (to you) if her room was pink, it would mean a lot to her. In a few years, she will probably out grow it and want a different color. Thank goodness paint is cheap!! :)

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  46. Yes, you were wrong not to let her choose. But I love that dresser. And the white hardware--brilliant!

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