Young House Love

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A Big Girl Bedroom With A Daybed & A Secondhand Dresser

A dove and a moose walk into a bar. Just kidding, not a bar. That’s not kid-room appropriate. How about a dove and a moose walk onto a playground? Anyway, I’ll just cut to the chase. We finally found a dresser for Clara’s big girl room, complete with dovetailed joints! Hence the mention of a dove (ah, they don’t make ’em like they used to).

We wanted one for the playroom/ big girl room for Clara once she moves in there (so that eventual-second-child can use Clara’s original dresser since it works so well as a changing table in the nursery). And that way we’re not undoing one room to redo another room, which always feels counter productive. Plus nine more drawers worth of storage in our house = jackpot. Especially when it’s taking the place of an old room full of clutter, which used to be what this space was.

Dresser3

It was a pretty great secondhand score thanks to Sir Craig And His List (craigslist for those not down with my dorktastic lingo). For just $50 we’re the proud owners of this nine drawer dresser. As for how we found it, we just searched “dresser” on craigslist in our area a few times a week (maybe once a week if I forgot) for about a month and then finally this guy came up:

Claras Dresser1

Our only real requirements were something from a non-smoking household (that’s a hard scent to remove), something with at least six drawers like Clara’s nursery dresser which has worked out so well for us (nine is a total bonus!), and something long as opposed to tall (since we figure as she grows she can reach these drawers and get dressed herself more easily than she would with a tallboy since she might not be able to reach all those upper drawers).

After we got it into the room, we tried the daybed and the dresser on a few different walls and preferred the dresser right to the left of the door as you enter the room (it’s a lot shallower than the daybed, which sticks into the room quite a bit, so we liked that on the back wall with the dresser across from it).

Dresser1

And here’s the other side of the room to help you get your bearings:

Dresser4

Oh but our new dresser’s not in perfect condition…

Dresser 1

… so we’re planning to either refinish it or paint it depending on how the room evolves around it. We don’t want to rush into anything so it’s easiest to do what we call sticking & moving. We drop it in place in the room and just keep on adding other elements that we need in here (a rug, window treatments, art, a new light fixture, etc) and we’re sure at some point it’ll become a lot more clear if we want to refinish it in a deep wood tone, paint it a moody navy, or go snowy white with it. Who knows, we might end up somewhere else entirely! No matter what we decide, you know we’ll keep you posted!

But where does the moose come in? Remember the estate sale light that I sprayed ceramic-animal-white back here? Boom, moose.

Moose2

I promised you guys a shot of him with his final lampshade on, so there you have it. Remember the fabric-covered shade was a book project (#182) so we couldn’t share it until the book was out but now that it’s out, I’m all about it. We used fabric leftover from Clara’s monthly picture to recover a shade that we already had, and I actually used the back side of the fabric (I’m a huge fan of using a fabric backwards to mute it down a little).

Moose3

So now you’ve basically seen one wall of the room starting to come together. Can’t wait to hang something over the dresser. Hint: it’s not going to be frames or “traditional” art. We’ll share pics as soon as we have it done! Hopefully Wednesday (we’re on a plane all day today coming back from the West Coast, but we have a giant to-do list that we hope to tackle tomorrow and then shoot and share things as soon as we can).

Dresser2

Oh and you’ve already seen the daybed on the other side of the room, but just for fun I thought I’d toss this picture in here too so you can see how the upholstered lamp shade “plays” with the pillows and blanket. It’s looking pretty happy in there. And I can’t wait to add some other colors like navy and teal and yellow. Soon I hope!

Dresser6

In the meantime, who’s the cutest fake sleeper you know? Does her name start with a C and end with a lara?

Dresser5

What are you guys searching/eying/buying on craigslist? Any other furniture sources that you love? Do you know any dove/moose related jokes? Did any of you guys go thrifting this weekend for the ol’ Macklemore Challenge? Thanks so much for all the fun we had with that on Friday. Can’t wait to see what you guys scored!

Comments

  1. natalie P says

    Be thankful for Craiglist, we Australians rely on expensive Gumtree and road side collection :)
    I had a great road side collection find, my poor hubby and sis-in-law had to carry it a block down the road, but worth it. I ended up using wallpaper for something different on the doors, thinking it should be easy to remove one day.
    http://beautyofeveryotherday.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/before-and-after-sidetable.html
    I know my blog is very outdated, Im too busy reading others to update mine :)

    Reply

  2. Dana Caffrey says

    Beautiful dresser! Like mine when I was still young. Unfortunately, I need to dispose it and donated it to Salvation Army when I moved out. And the bed is cute also. I enjoyed reading the page.

    Reply

  3. Stacy Gordon says

    I absolutely loved that dresser and that color-popped cot too. If you’re planning to redo the dress, however, you can consider painting it white with a speck of pink or gray somewhere. This is just a suggestion and I’m sure you’re going to come up with something really striking. Waiting for it to come…!

    sell ugly house fast

    Reply

  5. Lauren (in PA) says

    My grandma called…she want’s her dresser back!

    Just kidding…but seriously, I have that dresser, the whole suite (well long, and tall dressers and end tables!) actually and it HAD been my grand mothers!

    I use it daily and it is SOLID!

    Have fun with it!

    Reply

  6. diane says

    Clara looks so tiny in that bed. My daughter stayed in her crib until she was four (why not) and then moved into a very similar white daybed so brings back lots of memories. Love the moose lamp but he looks like he is floating, maybe paint a small rim around the base in one of your colors like navy to “weight” him down a bit. safe flight!

    Reply

  9. Lynn says

    Good find on Clara’s dresser! Have you ever used Old English Furniture Polish? It covers nicks and scratches on wood furniture like the ones on your dresser, and works like a charm. I’ve been using it for years, and a bottle lasts forever. You can find it at Walmart or Amazon — lots of places carry it. It will cover those scratches so well, you might not need to refinish the dresser.

    Reply

  10. Kate says

    I love craigslist! I would say that I’m slightly addicted. When my husband and I moved in together all we had was a bed and two makeshift night tables. We managed to furnish our entire apartment (except for a couch) for around $500 from great finds on craigslist. This included dining room table, chairs, real night tables, end tables, coffee table, book case, china cabinet and a couple of mirrors. We are in the process of purchasing our first home and we are planning on furnishing it with craigslist finds.
    We were given your book as a Christmas present last year and I am looking forward to using some of your DIY ideas in our new home.

    Reply

  11. Jeanna Sanchez says

    Hi Guys I LOVE your blog, you two seem like the coolest of peeps! It did score a super deal on the craigslist a couple weeks ago..wish I could show a pic but I love asian influenced design and I came across a vintage wrought iron chinese chippendale table and chairs for $25.00! I was curious to see how much they usually sell for and found the same set on ebay for $1500 bucks.Im gonna keep it but it just makes the deal seem even sweeter. Gonna redo my patio in the spring. Keep up the Great work guys!

    Reply

  13. Tarnya Cook says

    You’ve inspired me Sherry to work on a room re-do for my 6 year old daughter. Her baby drawers are falling apart and her room needs an update to the little girl she now is.

    Thanks. xx

    Reply

  15. Nicholin says

    I love all the CL finds you guys come up with. It makes me wish we lived in a more populous area. Maybe then, the people doing the listing would realize their items are second hand ‘treasures’ rather than the *cha-ching* goldmine they believe them to be.

    I’m still on the lookout for the perfect hutch/buffet/cupboard for the dining room. It can’t be too much of a ‘glass-tastic’ showpiece, it needs to be simple and one could hope that it’s not too expensive. heh. No luck yet for the perfect combination of those factors. I try to hit craigslist weekly, but sometimes I just plain forget.

    Reply

  16. Heather M says

    That is the exact dresser my mom is handing down to my daughter for her big girl room! She has the whole bedroom set with dresser, mirror, bed frame, and night stands. A little history, it was my great-grandmother’s bedroom set. My mom and I figured it’s from the 20s. As a kid I always wanted it for my room, and now very excited to have it in my daughters. I just painted the headboard white today. Can’t wait to see what you guys do with it!

    Reply

  17. Christina says

    I love the dresser! (And the Clara-Room posts have me checking your site frequently now… (Was a couple time a week, to now a couple times a day! Love kids rooms…)

    My question, are you at all concerned about hidden creepies lurking in the dressers you adopt? Like moths that eat clothes or bed bugs? I know those pests are very difficult to remove from used furniture. It seems like you’ve been lucky so far, but I wondered if you take any precautions or if that is at all a concern.

    The dresser I inherited from my husband’s family turned out to have moths, and no matter how many times I cleaned it I couldn’t get rid of them… And they destroyed all my silk, wool, and cashmere blends. I no longer buy those anymore. It stood empty in our basement for a couple months and now is in my baby boy’s room and so far so good… But he doesn’t have tasty clothing as bait.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      John’s apartment got bedbugs when we lived in NY so we’re reaaaaaally careful about checking furniture for signs of pests (they leave droppings and many are visible to the naked eye themselves). We like to leave things in a holding area like the carport or the sunroom (and check and recheck them to see if anything turns up before bringing them into the house). Then I like to wipe them down with vinegar (inside each drawer, etc) which seems to help too :)

      xo,
      s

  18. Sassafras says

    Love how Clara’s room is looking! Great score on Sir Craig’s List!! I’ve been on there searching for a LARGE vintage kitchen sink that has the big back apron and the grooved in drainboards and also one of those Frenchiefried shower basins w/the lions claw feet (they’ve got them at I think it’s Signature Hardware) but I want an old-school one.

    On the dresser, have you tried those putty like crayons that come in wood-shades that are made specifically for furniture repair? How about the old walnut trick where you rub a literal walnut over those missing pieces of stain?

    Reply

  21. Holly says

    I have this same dresser! I’ve never seen it anywhere else before. I’ve painted mine a few times (it came from my neighbor, who had each drawer in neons, then I painted it blues and silvers and yellows in high school, and now it’s brown with an off-white trim) and I’m actually getting ready to change it again. I did double knobs instead of pulls because I had a hard time finding pulls that met the measurements and looked right with the curve of the drawers.

    I’ll take a picture of it tonight and share :)

    Reply

  22. Catherine @ Happily Ever Crafter says

    That’s an awesome Craigslist find! I’ve been dresser-less since I got married over 10 months ago but we have yet to find two (somewhat) matching dressers so we can have all our clothes in our own bedroom! My husband has a dresser in the guest bedroom for now. I refuse to bring it into our room because it’s so ugly! I just want a high boy and a long dresser that at least go together, for a reasonable price, that don’t smell and can be sanded and painted/stained if needed. Is that too much to ask??

    Reply

  23. Allison says

    We have that exact same dresser in the 12-drawer version (wonderful hand-me-down from the ‘rents) and I’ve been thinking of re-doing it. Can’t wait to see what you do so I can get some tips from the pros :)

    Reply

  24. Nicole Evans says

    You guys have the best luck on Craigslist! Among many other things, I’ve been searching for a mid-century modern dresser for several months. I was so envious when you found yours for the living room! Twice last week I had one within my grasp, but the first one was being sold at an antiques shop for $195 (waaaay out of my price range), and the second went to another CL buyer, even though I emailed RIGHT after the ad had been posted and offered to pay more than they were asking – biggest bummer of a Saturday right there. It seems that the past two weeks have escalated my search into a desperate obsession with Craigslist dressers…

    On a different note, thank you so much for sharing the Thrift Shop video! I’ve become familiar with it, and after having a horrible day today, the song came on the radio right as I pulled into the Goodwill parking lot. Of course I had to have a dance party right then and there, and then I realized there was a person in the car parked opposite me, just staring. I got the laughs I needed!

    Reply

  25. Claire says

    I haven’t read all of the comments so maybe someone has already mentioned it…You would love the Craigslist iPhone app that let’s you set up “alerts”!

    I have a bunch of alerts setup on my app, ie I want a glider chair that swivels. So every time someone posts the words “glider” & “swivel” I get an alert that pops up on my phone. It’s pretty awesome because you find out about the posting right away & you don’t have to remember to search periodically.

    Reply

  26. Maureen says

    The dresser reminds me so much of a vintage one I scored at a Salvation Army. It is my favorite piece and serves as a buffet in our dining room. I’d love to send you before and after pics – not that you need inspiration.

    Reply

  27. Lesley says

    Well that just proves what a short attention span I have… I meant to comment about this when you first posted, then it wasn’t until January Superlatives that I noticed it generated a lot of discussion… that I was not part of.

    Anyway, as soon as I saw the dresser style, I thought you could leave it or paint it, but the one thing I would do to draw it into the style of the bed and chairs would be to use some modern drawer pulls – I skittered over to Ikea (and apparently got lost there) before coming back with a recommendation; I’m thinking Bastig (first choice), Vinna or, if you really want to see the round, Varde. The polished nickel would relate to the chair legs, the kitchen hardware, and now the pewter bird cage, and each option would bring a modern edge to the rounded lines of the dresser.

    As for the comments about the non-standard distance between the existing pull holes, you could do a double knob or I’ve seen folks use rope or cording to tie a knot in the inside of the drawer and leave a loop on the outside for the pull.

    Reply

  28. Dani says

    Can you tell me what you used to stick the fabric onto the old shade? I’m thinking of doing this myself but dont want to go making myself any fire hazards. And do you think it will work on a glass shade? Like, hypothetically, a “Grono” lamp from Ikea?

    Reply

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