We’ve been on the hunt for a new media console for our living room since, well, as long as we’ve lived here almost. That “hunt” is mostly defined by periodic stops through our favorite furniture-rich thrift stores to see if anything grabbed us. We were probably a couple of months from giving up entirely. But then I got this text from Sherry.
Sherry had run into Diversity Thrift while I stayed in the car with Clara. This is how discouraged this hunt had become… I didn’t even get out of the car anymore. Here’s the pic Sherry sent me, which was enough for me to get my butt out of the driver’s seat and check out Mia in person.
She fit the criteria we were looking for in a new unit – which mostly consisted of “just be bigger than our current piddly little guy” – which you can see below from this post about our new TV (which further dwarfed it). A bonus would be more storage. Six drawers or more were on our wish list.
So we brought Mia home. We were eager to put her directly into the living room, but she had some wobby leg issues (as we were warned on the $59 price tag). As in, every leg was wobbly. Which probably explains why a handsome clean-lined dresser like this sat at the thrift store for over a month (the tag indicated that it had originally been $79, but after going unsold for a month it was dropped down to $59).
Wobbly legs can definitely be a deterrent because they go to the heart of that item of furniture. You know, it’s not something that a little paint or some stain can fix. It’s filed under “structural integrity.” But Sherry and I examined all the drawers (which slid easily and were made solidly) and checked the rest of it for any functional damage and found none. So we decided not to let those wobbly legs scare us off…
I hadn’t ever fixed wobbly legs before, so I was going into it a bit blind. But I figured I could just identify what was loose and hopefully tighten it. For instance, this center brace shimmied back and forth waaaay too easily.
In fully removing it (which I did before reattaching it) I discovered an old screw on the side that was supposed to hold that leg in tight. So with a quick replacement screw, I was already making progress.
When I reattached the brace with more new screws, the center section got significantly better.
And having discovered the secret leg-screw (wait, that sounds wrong) I was on my way to tightening all of the wobbly legs. But In some cases I found that merely replacing the screws and getting them in there nice and tightly wasn’t enough to stop the wobble completely (although it was a huge step in the right direction). So thanks to some Googling, I read about the suggestion to add some wood glue around the joint. I used the end of a paperclip to really work the glue into the seam as well as possible. Then I used a moistened rag to wipe off the excess glue around the outside so it didn’t look all messy like it does in this picture (this was taken pre-wipe):
Once all of the legs were glued and screwed (again, my wording is less than stellar here) Sherry helped me turn the piece upright and – resisting the temptation to test its wobbliness – we let the glue dry for a good 24 hours. The next day we went in and gave it a gentle shake.
It was AWESOME. No more shaking or shimmying at all.
Unfortunately Mia, even with her new solid legs, isn’t quite ready to come inside to the living room. She needs a good cleaning – and possibly some refinishing or painting, depending on how well the cleaning goes – before we let her in. You can see her bumps and bruises pretty well in this photo taken back in the thrift store…
… so we’ll be back with the updated & cleaned up Mia after we’re done scrubbing her down, bringing her into the living room, and getting the TV all set up (we anchor it to the wall to keep things kid-safe). Sherry’s actually scrubbing away on it right now so as soon as she finished up, takes pics, and writes the post we’ll be back with that info. In the meantime, how do you guys find furniture? Does one of you run in while someone else stays in the car? Are the photos texted back and forth? Do you accidentally end up naming things thanks to text typos? We can’t be the only ones…
Psst- Clara shared a few more holiday-fun-ish details with her penpal in Germany over on Young House Life.
Cassidy says
Very cool! I can’t wait to see what you guys do with it!
Olivia says
I’m really impressed with your patience – congrats, on finally finding the right fit for your room! I can’t wait to see what it looks like when you’re done with it!
Sarah C says
I love getting furniture at Thrift stores too and tend to do the shopping solo, find something I like and bring it home as a big surprise for my husband :). Then I tell him all my grand ideas how to refinish it and he basically gets persuaded (forced) into helping. He’s normally not on board at the begining but when the product’s finished he’s glad I got it and proud of his work, so it works out :). We spent this past weekend crafting up a solution to wobbly/broken legs on a chair I got, bunch of screws and wood glue later… it’s awesome!
YoungHouseLove says
So cool Sarah! I love it!
xo
s
kyle says
Instead of hinging or opening for remote access, you can drill a hole through the drawer front where the sensor is on the box and then cover it with fabric the same color as the wood. It sounds chweapy but it ends up looking MUCH better than it sounds and doesn’t require weird gadgets or tremendous modification.
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds cool!
xo
s
Amanda says
Sherry got bangs!! Oh my gosh, I was reading about the console and happened to look over to the right and saw the Instagram. Holy crap, you look soooo gorgeous Sherry! Absolutely stunning. Can’t wait to see your new do tomorrow in Austin! lol I have been on the fence about bangs for the past couple months on getting my own, and you have definitely inspired me to go for it.
YoungHouseLove says
The nice thing is I can pin them back if I’m feeling shy. Haha!
xo
s
jenny says
Oh my goodness! i love this piece! We do not have thrift stores that good where I live. We have antique stores that think their pieces are made of gold!
Awesome find!
And i love the convo between you two….sounds like a conversation that would be had at my house! ;)
Adrienne says
STOP! I was at diversity thrift awhile ago and debated buying that dresser for probably 45minutes I just saw so many possibilities! When I realized I had nowhere to put it, I tried pawning it off on two of my friends(they didn’t have room either). It was just so pretty I wanted it to have a good home and it definitely found the best one! Glad I get to see its makeover!
YoungHouseLove says
No Way!! That’s so funny!
xo
s
blair says
Holy crap I love it so much. I don’t have the garage/outdoor space for furniture overhauls so after a few (ok, a LOT) of failed shopping trips I ended up getting one custom built for me.
Kate says
Did you guys see that Dan from Manhattan Nest recently (few weeks back) restored a mid-century dresser? Fine steel wool and Murphy’s oil soap rubbed with the grain – finish with Danish oil and feed-n-wax. He used Barkeeper’s friend on the hardware for an extremely flashy-brass result (may not be your taste). Good luck to you and Sher-bear!
http://manhattan-nest.com/2012/12/19/dresser-restoration/
YoungHouseLove says
I LOVE that! He’s a genius.
xo
s
Melody Strayer says
I LOVE it!!! I have been searching for something like this forever, and I finally found a very similar mid-century mod dresser at a yard sale last summer for… wait for it… $5!!!!!! I was unsure if I wanted to refinish/paint/do something crazy with it. And my internal dialogue (literally) went something like this: “John and Sherry would tell me to live with it for a while before I do something to it.” And so it’s been in my living room ever since, and I am SO glad I left it as is. There are definitely a few scratches, etc. but nothing that strategically placed stacks of books (yours included!) don’t cover. I am going to try some Watco rejuvenating oil (a la Kara Paslay Designs’ dresser refresh), but for now, it’s fine. Great find, guys, and I can’t wait to see what you do it it!
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! That’s so exciting!
xo
s
Maria says
My nickname is Mia so I am already attached to your console! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo
s
Caitlin @ Desert Domicile says
It looks amazing! I can’t wait to see the transformation! And $59?! WOW! The mid-century modern dresser turned entertainment center I made over almost looks like Mia’s sister!: http://www.desertdomicile.com/2012/07/mid-century-modern-dresser-turned.html
YoungHouseLove says
So pretty! LOVE yours!
xo
s
Emily says
What a great find! I can never find stuff like this so inexpensively in my area. I’m excited to see how you place it.
A note on ventilation of media components: you should consider creating openings in the back of the unit or removing the back panel altogether, as these types of electronics typically generate a lot of heat. Consequently, lack of proper ventilation can shorten their lifespan, or even perhaps pose a fire risk(!). I am sure this is something you have thought of (I am reminded of of your wireless-router-hidden-in-a-stationery-box idea), but maybe other readers would benefit from this knowledge.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip Emily! Great to know!!
xo
s
Boosker says
Bahaha, this post had the best/funniest wording ever. I especially appreciated that you described a photo as pre-wipe.
Lisa says
Great find!
Also my 3 month old daughter is named Mia…so I had to comment :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, love the name!
xos
Pam C says
Very nice!
We bought an old hi-fi stereo cabinet and converted it to a TV stand. Gotta love furniture made from real wood. What a huge difference.
Laura C says
I love that John’s iPhone screen specifies “Wife – Sherry”…makes me wonder if he’s a secret polygamist. As in, are there other “wife” entries in his phone, like “Wife – Cindy”? ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! We read somewhere that adding Wife and Hubby to you phone helps someone call the right people in an emergency :)
xo
s
Laura C says
Oh, duh! That actually makes so much sense. I should do that!
Ryan says
We just bought a similar piece (same shape and same leg configuration, though ours has 2 doors and 3 drawers).
Here’s a pic:
http://www.prideinlife.com/2012/12/our-house-the-living-room/
No idea if they’re made by the same company or not but when ours was sanded down and refinished, we found out that the wood was two different variances. When we stained it, it came out as two-toned and it is beeeeeeeeautiful! :)
YoungHouseLove says
So pretty! Love yours!
xo
s
Shelby says
Wow. My mom has had that exact same dresser my whole life. She must have gotten it before I was even born. Funny thing is we’ve been slowly updating it as well. Last year for xmas, I got her some new hardware for it to update it a bit. This year at xmas I helped her move it around the livingroom to become, you guessed it – the new TV entertainment center!! Great minds think alike? :)
YoungHouseLove says
Love that!
xo
s
Shelley @ Green Eggs and Hamlet says
I love the looks of Mia. She reminds me of the dresser in Clara’s room. Can’t wait to see how you guys shine her up, I’m personally hoping she’s in good enough condition post-cleanup for stain but if you paint her I’m sure that will look great too. Awesome find.
Sarah says
LOVE Mia! What a great price. Wobbly legs is definitely a turn-off when I’m shopping for furniture, but I’m glad you guys were able to fix her up! I can’t wait to see what she will look like. :)
Sarah
Lilian says
Very nice! Didn’t you think of putting this beauty on wheels? I love TV cabinets on wheels, makes life easier to clean the wires… and to attach new equipments, my son is always bringing friends with different game players than his to play here! Anyway, just an idea!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s another fun option!
xo
s
Jennifer says
Let me know if you need any dresser to console tips! I’m kidding, I’m pretty sure you all can figure it out! I know I sent it to you before, but I think you will be so happy with the hinge drawers!
http://refreshandrepurpose.blogspot.com/2012/09/dresser-with-job.html#
YoungHouseLove says
So cute!
xo
s
Katie says
I have been scouring the Earth for something similar style-wise to make into a bar. The top of my fridge just looks silly.
heather says
Raise your hand if you went to print something off for work, and thirty minutes later you went to grab it off your printer and it was this ENTIRE POST instead.
*sheepishly raises hands*
Note to self: Be thankful your printer is in your office.
Note to self number two: Note which monitor you’re on & program you’re in before you hit “ctrl+p”.
Oyy vey. Well, you guys will be helping to kindle our fire tonight and keeping us warm. That must count for something…
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahhahahaahahahahahahaha! That’s awesome.
xo
s
Megan B says
Love it, but I have a question. How do you get large items like that home from the store? My husband and I always had to find trucks to borrow when we had smaller cars. It was a bit of a pain.
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, we borrow from John’s mom and dad or sister when we need something bigger than our tiny Altima.
xo
s
Wendy says
We, too, are part of the 1-parent-in-store-and-texts-photos-while-the-other-hangs-with-babe-in-car club. I works well for us & saves us time!
jamie says
Love it! And that txt exchange is HILARIOUS!!! And now I have MIA’s Paper Planes in my head so thanks for the inadvertent ear worm :)
Stacy says
Please oh please oh please don’t paint this piece of furniture! I hope you’ll keep the more natural look of the wood here, instead of painting it something. Maybe a light stain? I am so in love with your home, but I would love to see more WOOD pieces in their original finish (similar to your dining room table), just to balance out the vibrant colors. The wood that you do have is great, but hopefully the light, mid-century features can remain on this piece.
Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Aly says
I seriously wish I had known about your blog before I moved from Richmond a year and a half ago. I only knew about two places to thrift shop for furniture and there was never anything good! Oh, well. Know of any good places in OKC? I thought I’d give it a try instead of going 4 years here without ever knowing! Anyways, love the mid-century modern. I recently got one for our TV console and redid it white, but now am wanting to redo it again for more color. Good luck with yours!
Holli Coats says
GAH! That is exactly what I’ve been scouring Craigslist for. Maybe I’ll swing by Diversity Thrift next time I’m in Richmond. Can you just text me if you happen to see something similar? Haha!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, sure!
xo
s
Leah says
That “secret leg-screw” made me LOL!!!!!!
Happy New Year guys!!!
Leah: )
lisa says
I love Mia. She’s almost as charming as our version that is the same size, but has sliding cabinet doors in front of two sections of 3 drawers and a center section with shelves that hold components.
Ours cabinet was free, sitting out for a trash Wednesday trash pick up. We weren’t necessarily on the hunt, but I can’t let good furniture go into land fills.
My son had to help me load the monster while my daughter sat in the low back seat, hiding her face and hoping that no one would recognize our car or her family picking up trash.
Our cabinet doors are reversible, covered in rattan on one side and line of wood on opposite side. I found this out as we turned it over on its top for the ride.
The best part is that drawers hold Wii boxes and DVD perfectly. I love these vintage pieces. Can’t wait to see what you do with it, I like the color of the one we have but your projects always inspire me.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s awesome!
xo
s
Mary says
I can’t see the treasures amid the trash in thrift stores and am too impatient for fixing and refinishing. So I go to Ikea or Costco and spend probably almost as much time on assembly, but at least there are instructions and there’s no sanding/painting/drying. I wish I had the eye and the patience to make a relic into a treasure. My experience is I usually spend more than I would’ve spent on new and it looks like hell at the end of a ton of work!
Rachel says
Mia is going to look great when she’s all spiffed up. And, I must say, whoever watches Cougar Town in your house is pretty awesome. “Penny can!”
Adrienne J says
I was totally there this weekend too! I’ve been looking forever to find a little secretary desk to organize our office! So I’m taking from this post that I shouldn’t order a brand new one online and give up because I’m very tempted!!
Elisabeth says
Hallo Sherry and John!
Oh, I love MIA, what a great find! But I can´t
wait to see Claras 31 month photo!
Elisabeth
YoungHouseLove says
Soon soon soon!
xo
s
Emily says
Someone has likely already suggested this, but if you want to put the media components in the drawers without having to modify them too much (beyond putting a hole in the back for cords), I would recommend setting up an IR repeater, like this. It’s an excellent addition to any TV setup, is *super* easy to install (I did it myself!), and the receiver unit is tiny and just sits right in front of the TV. Plus, that way you never have to see any of the components, so it looks much sleeker.
YoungHouseLove says
Love that tip!
xo
s
Krystan says
Awesome find! I am never this lucky at thrift stores. I also LOVE the piece, or what I can see of it, sitting under her! Can’t wait to see when she gets her hair did!
Jessica @ Dear Emmeline says
we do the one in one out dash too! depends on the location who’s doing the running and who’s doing the sitting but when you have little kids you gotta make it work for everyone!
Bboss says
I have been looking for a similar piece for a TV console. I’ve been looking at dressers, old phono/radio consoles or credenzas. I had thought if there were doors, you could replace a panel with glass.
Looking forward to the final result.
YoungHouseLove says
That would be really cool!
xo
s
Rebecca says
Love it!!! We do the same thing! Except I’m not so good about texting pictures before I buy! Ours goes more like I run out to the truck (with the store employees following behind me with a piece of furniture to load) and always asking “how much cash do you have!”
YoungHouseLove says
Hahah!
xo
s
Katherine says
It looks kind of officey to me (I think it’s the drawer pulls). I have faith that you guys will make it look fantastic, but what’s wrong with the piece under Mia in the picture?
YoungHouseLove says
That one was $200 bones and a little too chunky at the base for us (we like leggy mid-century Mia).
xo
s
Annie says
Still laughing at Holla! and Wife-Sherry an hour later. I clearly need caffeine.
I’ve been using a 35+ year old RCA wood tv as a tv stand. It’s TvInception.
audra says
oh, i’m so excited to see Mia in her new home! i love her style! i actually found a similar dresser (just the tall version) for $15 this summer. it’s now painted turquoise and waiting for the rest of the kid’s room remodel before i can put it in place. OH, speaking of…any grand ideas for a shared room for a 4yr old girl and 2yr old boy? we’ve got baby #3 on the way, thus this room remodel. any suggestions would be fabulous!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh congrats on baby #3! I would just try to keep the room cohesive so it’s not too crazy but resist the urge to match so much that it’s overkill. Let each kids’ zone have things they love (a favorite color, sport, etc being represented in each corner could still flow and look good without being too “cloned”). Hope it helps!
xo
s
Chelsea @ two twenty one says
I’m pumped to see Mia’s makeover! I love how John sits in the car and Sherry does the dirty work. Sounds like Brad and me. This past summer I found a $50 dresser on Craigslist and dragged Brad into the ghetto to buy it from a delightful man on house arrest. (Seriously, I can’t make this stuff up.) Then I turned the ghetto dresser into a ghetto fabulous TV console. http://bit.ly/ZhmnxN
YoungHouseLove says
Love the paint and the lines! Such a cool makeover.
xo
s
Lindsay says
Love it!! Can’t wait to see what it looks like once all prettied up!! Also…congrats on the lighting line! This weekend I bought the yellow farmhouse pendent to hang over my kitchen table!! YEAH!! Can’t wait for it to come in!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! Send pics! We’d love to see how it looks :)
xo
s
Katie says
Just did the same thing over the weekend while looking for a new living room chair! My husband sat in the car with the three kids while I ran into Homegoods to check for any possibilities. Love the new TV console – what a great find!
marbella says
Someone may have mentioned this but if you are putting a cable box in a drawer (any tight space) it will get extremely hot. You will prob need to drill ventilation holes in the back and leave the hinged drawer open whenever you are using, though they do get hot even when not being used.
YoungHouseLove says
Great tip!
xo
s
Keri C says
What a great find! Can’t wait to see the end result!