Atomic Split

At some point last year, my car was full of goodies to be delivered to a local thrift store for donation. While unloading, I stepped into the back warehouse to be greeted by my arch nemesis, a dresser. Not just A dresser, but THE dresser. I knew it must be mine!

I drove home, my mind lusting over the endless possibilities. As soon as humanly possible, I drove back to the thrift store and nervously surveyed the furniture to lay eyes on her. And at a price far lower than I thought I would see. I ran as fast as I could to buy it, and then later realized... perhaps I should have measured my car. (It did, but it was a comedy of driving with my knees up to my ears, but sometimes you must sacrifice for your art.)

The dresser, disguised as a credenza, resided in the living room in front of the large picture window and acted as a storage unit for all of the random flotilla (DVDs, extra remotes, etc.) for over a year. During that time, I had such visions of grandeur for what it would be come - refinished walnut, painted white and detailed, or any other number of wild internet fantasies. Reality? Nothing happened.

After finally succumbing to the plaintive requests of the Mr. for more light in the living room, we replaced the dresser/credenza with a lovely vintage Lane cedar chest with three drawers. It now sits flush with the bottom of the picture window and, as much as I hate to admit it, does let in a lot more light. And, for some reason, the cats are completely disinterested in it.

I ended up listing the dresser of awesomeness Craigslist, but had a rough time selling it. (Although I did make contact with an awesome MCM-fiend in the area, but he ended up having too much furniture to take it home.) After about a month of no-shows and random email propositions, it finally did go to a good home - another young woman who was into mid-century furniture. The Mr., enterprising as always, upsold her for two gorgeous walnut MCM chairs that needed reupholstering. Bless his heart.

Caffeinated!

The bathroom vanity at SLP leaves a little to be desired. If I had to carbon date it, it would be from the late 90's when the kitchen was remodeled (estimate based on the serial numbers of the items coming out of the kitchen.) It's perfectly serviceable, although one drawer does stick a little. It has seen some wear and tear from the previous family of four. The wood is in OK condition overall, but the finish is this ghastly orange-tinged oak color. :|

In order to extend the life of this bathroom, and quite possibly my sanity, an update of some sort is required. I would consider painting it white, but the vanity top is a creamy color and I think overall would look a little weird in this space, so I have decided to go the opposite direction - espresso.

I stumbled across Monica Wants It a few months back and the technique to use espresso stain to darken oak cabinets. It seemed logical to invest $20 for stain and polyurethane. In a grand effort to avoid another project, I took apart the bathroom last night, did all the prep work, and have applied the first coat. I cannot wait to see the end result! (Ok, well, I can... the end result will be in another 6 coats plus drying time, but that's moot!)